NRF Announces Postgraduate Grants Up to Ksh2M for PhDs, Ksh500K for Master’s

The National Research Fund has announced a call for applications for Postgraduate Research Grants (NRF001/2026) for the 2025/2026 Financial Year, targeting Kenyan postgraduate students pursuing research aligned with national development priorities.

The call is issued by the National Research Fund (NRF), a statutory body established under the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Act, 2013, with a mandate to mobilize resources and facilitate research aimed at advancing science, technology, and innovation for national development.

The postgraduate research grant is a strategic national intervention designed to strengthen Kenya’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) ecosystem.

The initiative supports high-quality postgraduate research that contributes to:

1 . Innovation

2 . Evidence-based policymaking

3. Inclusive national development

4 . The program aligns with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

Eligibility Criteria

The grant is open to bona fide Kenyan postgraduate students who are:

• Registered in public or private universities in Kenya
• Enrolled in Master’s or Doctoral degree programmes

The funding strictly supports the research component only of the postgraduate programmes and prioritizes projects that address national development needs.

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Funding Amount and Duration

Successful applicants will receive funding as follows:

1. Doctoral (PhD) Research Projects

Up to Ksh 2,000,000

For a period not exceeding three (3) years

2. Master’s Research Projects

Up to Ksh 500,000

For a period of one (1) year

Application Process

Interested postgraduate students are required to:

Read the detailed guidelines available on the NRF website: www.nrf.go.ke

Submit applications strictly online through the NRF Grants Management System at:

https://grantsportal.nrf.go.ke

The deadline for submission of research proposals is  March 6, 2026, at 23:59 hours (EAT).

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Only successful applicants will be contacted.

Contact Information

For further inquiries, applicants may contact:

Chief Executive Officer
National Research Fund
3rd Floor, NACOSTI Plaza, Upper Kabete
P.O. Box 26036–00100, Nairobi
Telephone: 020-4403386
Email: info@nrf.go.ke

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NRF invites all applications for postgraduate research grants for the 2025/26 Financial Year