Strengthening the scientific research skills of AWARD Fellows is a critical factor of the AWARD Fellowship, and Advanced Science Training (AST) is a key component of AWARD’s efforts to strengthen African women’s scientific research skills; AWARD Fellows are selected to participate in research placements with partner institutions around the world. This report is the first systematic analysis of the impact of AWARD’s AST. It also contains important lessons that would be valuable to anyone trying to replicate the AWARD Fellowship model.? It highlights the importance of nurturing connections not just between individual scientists, in this case AWARD Fellows and their AST supervisors, but also catalyzing connections between their two research institutions.