Call For Applications: Climate Research and Education to Advancing Green Development in Africa (CREATE-GreenAfrica) 2024
The European Union (EU), under its Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme, has provided funding to support the training of graduate students in African universities under the “Climate Research and Education to Advancing Green Development in Africa (CREATE-GreenAfrica)” project.
The project is a mobility program comprising six African Partner Institutions and one EU Technical Partner. The CREATE-GreenAfrica consortium includes the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM, Tanzania) as the coordinating institution, Mekelle University (MU, Ethiopia), Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU, Zimbabwe), University of Free State (UFS, South Africa), University of Ghana (UG, Ghana), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT, Nigeria) and European Technical Partner University of Southern Denmark (SDU, Denmark). This project aims to increase climate-oriented skills and qualifications across the African continent through mobility and experience sharing. CREATE-GreenAfrica will significantly contribute to advancing the knowledge and skills of students, trainees, consortium staff and other non-consortium members on climate change adaptation and mitigation by ensuring the participation of women and girls, and the disadvantaged groups in the African continent in general and the consortium in particular.
Program Details
A total of 35 Masters and 12 PhDs will be trained from 2024 to 2028 in the thematic areas of Environmental Sustainability (impact assessment, adaptation and mitigations of climate variability and change); Climate/weather related processes at local and global level for proper forecast, prediction and early warning; Resilience of food production systems to climate change and variability impacts; Gender-climate-food system nexus, policies and institutions related to climate and development; Climate change and water resources; Collective action, and natural resource management and Ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change. The project will provide scholarships for full degree programs and short-term credit-seeking mobility for students.
The project will support researchers who will be expected to undertake research that contributes to the overarching CREATE-GreenAfrica research objectives, which cover broad areas of climate change and adaptation. This call for application targets 6 full-time PhD (degree seeking), 6 short-term PhD (credit seeking), 6 full-time M.Sc (degree seeking) and 6 short-term M.Sc (credit seeking) programs from Africa to be hosted across the partner African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Successful candidates are expected to undertake research contributing to the project objectives. The students will undertake high-level research that will result in journal articles, conference papers and innovations. The duration of the study is 24 months for full time M.Sc students, 4 months for short-term M.Sc students, 36 months for full time PhD students and 6 months for short term PhD students.
The mobility project aims at:
- Producing high-level professionals through academic mobility across Africa that deal with climate change adaptation and mitigation, and other livelihood and environment related issues.
- Conducting problem-solving action research activities in climate change adaptation and mitigation and other related environmental issues.
- Building the capacity of students/trainees through attachment with climate-smart organizations engaged in private and public businesses using traineeship programs.
- Strengthening the partner institutions’ working relationship and capacity to advance climate action in the continent through the development and dissemination of knowledge innovation schemes.
Scholarship
- The scholarship includes a subsistence allowance of €1,230 per month for PhD candidates and €890 for M.Sc. candidates. This will cover research cost, travel, travel insurance, subsistence and accommodation.
- During the study, insurance coverage (accident, travel, health) will be provided for the duration of the Scholarship within the limits of the grant provisions.
- The Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scholarship Scheme, CREATE-GreenAfrica will cover costs such as tuition fee, application fee, Student Union, Registration, Caution Money, Student ID and Quality assurance fee in line with the MOU signed by the partner institutions and with EU.
Eligibility
- Open to all qualified African candidates residing in Africa at the time of application to be trained in the host institutions for respective programs in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
- Applicants are only allowed to apply to study in an institution outside of their home country. Female and disadvantaged/vulnerable candidates are encouraged to apply. All applications will be handled confidentially.
Selection Criteria
The following eight steps will be used in the selection process of students to benefit from the CREATE-GreenAfrica project:
- The coordinating institution will receive applications and forward them to the target host university, which will subsequently shortlist the candidates.
- The coordinator will receive the compilation of shortlisted candidates from the host institution.
- The CREATE-GreenAfrica selection committee will review the shortlisted candidates and carry out the selection of candidates to receive scholarships (based on eligibility, authenticity of academic documents, and qualification for admission by the target host university).
- Communication of results by the coordinator to the applicants, scholarship awardees and host institutions.
- Create-GreenAfrica selection committee may go further review, if there is any, appeal regarding the selection process.
- Signing of the contracts between the CREATE-GreenAfrica and the scholarship beneficiaries and subsequent sending of the signed contracts to the host universities.
- The hosting university will facilitate the travel and settling in/out of the awardees to/from the respective university and subsequently assign an academic mentor to assist them in successfully completing their study.
- The awarded candidates will be required to bear the air ticket cost to the hosting institution and will be reimbursed the air ticket cost and any direct cost they incur during the admission process after arrival to the hosting institution.
Application Process
All interested applicants should download the application form, fill it and together with certificates and transcripts of results and other required documents and submit through email. The application for scholarship should be sent to the project coordinating office via [email protected].
Deadline: September 6, 2024
