The COCREATE-Africa project is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at fostering advanced academic training and research in Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation across East and Central Africa. Supported by a consortium of six prestigious African Higher Education Institutions and an esteemed EU technical partner, this project seeks to equip the next generation of scholars and professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to address pressing environmental challenges. Through the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme (NDICI-2023-MOBAF), the project offers scholarships to 30 Master’s and 10 PhD candidates, providing them with opportunities for both degree-seeking and credit-seeking mobility. These scholarships are designed to support the academic and professional development of students from various African countries, emphasizing a collaborative approach to education and research. The COCREATE-Africa project not only aims to enhance academic capacities but also to promote sustainable agricultural practices and biodiversity management, ultimately contributing to the resilience and prosperity of the region.

Call for Applications

Deadline for submission of application: August 02, 2024

A consortium of six African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and an EU technical partner have acquired funding for the COCREATE-Africa project under the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme (NDICI-2023-MOBAF) to support the training of graduate students and staff mobility in the areas of Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation in Eastern and Central Africa.

A total of 30 Masters and 10 PhDs will be trained in the areas of Climate Smart Agriculture; Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management; Agrometeorology and Natural Risk Management; Food Security; Soil Science; Forestry and Biodiversity Management; Disaster Risk Management; Informatics, Artificial Intelligence and Innovations; Monitoring and Evaluation; Agroecology and Food Systems; and Sustainable Agriculture. The project will provide scholarships for degree and credit-seeking PhD and MSc applicants. In the degree seeking mobility, the scholar is expected to complete his/her study at the institution where he/she registered. However, in the credit seeking mobility, the scholar will be staying at the preferred host institution for a period of six to twelve months. Hence, the applicants must specify whether they are applying for degree seeking or credit seeking mobility. The project runs from 2024 to 2027. There will be one and two rounds of applications for PhD and MSc graduate training, respectively.

Mobility Programs

The COCREATE-Africa project will admit PhD and MSc applicants to programs shown in Table 1.

PhD Programs

MSc Programs

Eligibility

The scholarships are open to candidates from:

• Target Group 1: This is for applicants who are nationals of one of the following countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Partner institutions from these countries will host students from other countries (Target Group 1 and Target Group 2 countries) and send their students to train in other Target Group 1 institutions.
• Target Group 2: This is for applicants from countries in Africa, especially those that are home to Associate Partner institutions. Note that Target Group 2 institutions/ countries can only send students to train in Target Group 1 institutions/ countries and will NOT host students from other countries.

Note: Applicants are only allowed to apply to study in an institution outside their home country. Female applicants are particularly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

All interested MSc and PhD applicants should thoroughly review and understand the Higher Education Institution (HEI) admission criteria of choice. For further details on admission procedures, check the COCREATE-Africa project selection criteria and browse the website of the chosen HEI. Once you know the admission criteria and eligibility, you can download the corresponding admission application form and fill it out. If you are unable to find the admission application form, please contact the respective focal person for the form and any other queries you may have. After filling out the admission application form, please prepare all accompanying certificates, transcripts, recommendation letters, and other required documents.

After filling out the admission application form, applicants must download the corresponding scholarship application form from the project website, fill it out, and organize all the required documents. The complete admission and scholarship application documents should be compiled as a single zipped file. Please name the zipped file for submission as follows: full name of the applicant, program applied for (e.g., Charles UgazMane_MSc; Obadia Kamba Mugendi_PhD). Please submit your compiled application via email to the respective focal person at the chosen HEI with a copy to the Project Coordinator (cocreate.africa@haramaya.edu.et).

Selection Procedures

The selection of applicants for the scholarship will be undertaken as per the following procedures:

• Screening, evaluation, and ranking of applications by the Selection Committee (SC) at each partner institution
• Submission of the list of admitted and ranked applicants by the respective Focal Persons of the host institution to the Project Coordinator
• Compilation of the list of admitted and ranked applicants received from all partner institutions by the Project Coordinator and presentation to the Project Technical Committee (PTC)
• Selection and approval of scholarship awardees by the Project Technical Committee in consultation with the Project Steering Committee
• Communication of the selection results to the awardees and notification of the same to the host institutions by the Project Coordinator

Scholarship Package

The scholarship includes a subsistence living allowance of 1230€ per month for PhD candidates and 890€ for MSc candidates for the mobility period. This amount covers living costs, accommodation, and transportation costs (including air tickets) between the home and the hosting institution. The scholarship beneficiaries will receive the payments from their host Universities.

Insurance: Insurance coverage (accident, travel, health) will be provided for the duration of the Scholarship within the limits of the grant provisions.

Tuition fees and Research: The project will cover tuition fees, as stated in the Project Consortium Agreement (PCA) and the Grant Agreement. The project will also contribute a research fund amounting to a maximum of 2000€ for PhD and 1000€ for MSc scholars.

Contacts of Focal Persons at Partner Institutions

Further information

Call for applications

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Senior Desk Officer Bettina Onyango German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) More blogs from this author

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