Scholarship Overview
Overview
The MENA Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme 2026/2027 is a research-to-business accelerator designed for scientists, researchers, and students addressing critical agricultural challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The programme focuses on converting innovative research into viable commercial solutions through entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and potential funding.
What the Programme Offers
Participants receive comprehensive support across multiple dimensions:
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- Scale Development: Transform research into viable business solutions with structured guidance
- Acceleration: Access to potential funding and incubation opportunities
- Community: Membership in an online digital community platform for peer networking
- Training: Free access to self-paced online courses covering relevant skills
- Regional Exposure: Networking opportunities across the MENA region
- Mentorship: Specialist training and world-class mentorship from industry experts
- Expert Sessions: Talks and workshops on innovation, regenerative agriculture, and entrepreneurship
- Grant Funding: Top 3 finalists each win one of three $20,000 grants
Eligibility Requirements
Solution Criteria
Your proposed solution must meet these specific requirements:
- Operate within regenerative agriculture, advancing climate-resilient and sustainable farming practices
- Be grounded in research, science, or nature-based innovation
- Include both process and technological innovations
- Directly address food system challenges in the MENA region
Priority Challenge Areas
Solutions should target one or more of these regional priorities:
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- Climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Soil health restoration and desertification combat
- Carbon farming and sequestration
- Biodiversity enhancement
- Food and water security
- Farmer support and livelihoods improvement
- Salinity management
- Rural social welfare
Applicant Profile
The programme seeks:
- Researchers and innovators developing work toward proof-of-concept stage
- Candidates focused on acquiring business and entrepreneurship capabilities
- Those committed to scaling solutions and securing funding
Geographic Scope
The programme is open to applicants worldwide, provided your solution addresses agricultural conditions and opportunities within the MENA region. However, applications are currently not accepted from: Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Syria.
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Application Process
The application process follows these steps:
- Review eligibility criteria and ensure your solution aligns with MENA regional challenges
- Prepare documentation describing your research-based solution and its business potential
- Submit application through the official online portal before the deadline
- Selected participants proceed through the programme’s structured acceleration phases
- Finalists compete for the three available $20,000 grants
Strategic Value for African Researchers
For researchers from Zimbabwe and the SADC region, this programme offers distinct advantages. Many agricultural challenges in the MENA region—water scarcity, soil degradation, climate resilience—parallel those faced in Southern Africa. Researchers with experience in arid and semi-arid farming systems, drought-resistant crop development, or community-based natural resource management can transfer relevant expertise. The programme’s focus on research commercialization also addresses a critical gap in African agricultural innovation: the transition from academic research to market-ready solutions. Participation builds credentials for accessing larger international funding pools and establishes networks with investors focused on climate adaptation technologies.
Important Considerations
Before applying, note these key points:
- This is not a traditional scholarship covering tuition; it is a venture development programme
- The $20,000 grants are competitive awards for top finalists, not guaranteed funding for all participants
- Success requires commitment to developing business skills alongside technical expertise
- Remote participation is supported through the digital community platform
- No specific academic degree level is required; the focus is on solution viability and applicant capability
Official scholarship page: https://menaregenerativeagriculture.org