Objective
The goal is to foster application- oriented research results by enhancing knowledge exchange between the postdoctoral fellows and experienced alumni of German funding initiatives. Fellows and alumni will collaborate in joint working groups that encompass several postdoctoral projects in a specific field related to climate change research. The working groups will benefit from the expertise of distinguished German mentors.
Fellows and Alumni will increase their research impact and output through a comprehensive training and support program, including general skills training, science policy advising and science management.
Postdoctoral fellows and alumni will connect with peers, regional and international experts and practitioners in their fields and create a growing network. This community will represent an important voice to raise the awareness for climate change as one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Who can apply?
Applicants
- must be nationals of an African Country.
- should be willing to contribute to the initiation and the coordination of alumni working groups.
- should be willing to realize their project at a host institution in western or southern Africa.
What can be funded?
ClimapAfrica supports research on climate change, its impacts and possible counter actions. It should be possible to assign the postdoctoral research project to one of the following research areas: Agriculture, (Adapted) Land Use, Climate science, Law, Economic and social science, Mathematics/Natural science, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Biodiversity, Food security, Marine Science, Human Security, Education, Energy, Informatics, Water security and water resources, Woodland and forest sustainability. If you are not sure if your research field is fitting, do not hesitate to contact climapafrica@daad.de.
ClimapAfrica can build on the commitment of SASSCAL and WASCAL research centres. Together they cover the spectrum of research disciplines which is addressed by climapAfrica. Both centres declared their willingness to act as host institutions for researchers. Therefore, applications for the countries which are covered by the activities of SASSCAL (Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar) and WASCAL (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sénegal, Togo, Cape Verde Islands, Guinea, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone) are encouraged. However, all universities and research institutions in all countries in southern and western Africa are eligible as long as they are adequately equipped for the realization of the planned research. The selected institution should be willing to host the fellow during his/her research stay and to provide adequate assistance. The terms of cooperation at the host institution must have been clarified and documented.
While the research work will be realized largely in western and southern Africa, successful applicants can apply additionally for funding of a temporary research stay in Germany (2-6 months) to work on a specific research question within the framework of their proposal and for worldwide conference participations.
Duration of the funding
The fellowship awards are tenable for a period of 12 to 24 months.
This fellowship period begins in February 2021. Please take this date as your starting date for your application.
Value
The basic fellowship consists of:
- A flat-rate travel allowance to your target country and back
- A research lump sum of max. EUR 10,000
- A monthly allowance of EUR 800
- An accident, personal liability and health insurance
Additionally, support for the following activities can be granted (subject to availability of funds):
- Short-term research stays in Germany (2 to 6 months)
- Mobility fellowships for the active participation (poster or talk) in relevant international conferences in the field of climate change/ climate Research
Selection
Applications will be reviewed by an independent selection committee consisting of experts in the relevant fields.
The performance-based assessment will consider:
- The evaluation of the proposal. Particular emphasis will be placed on the quality of the research plan. It should detail the preliminary work undertaken and the relevance of the topic for research and explain why the chosen institutions are especially suitable for the realization of the planned project. The strategy for the investigation of the scientific problem should be readily understandable and the choice of methods and work equipment be adequately established. The achievements of the applicant to date (scientific and other qualifications, and particular conditions which have influenced the academic progress)
- The quality of the proposed project and its consistency with further scientific qualification and long-term career planning.
- The relevance of the research topic for the understanding of climate change, its impacts in Africa and for the development of countermeasures.
- The fit of the facilities and the support offered by the host institution and the requirements of the research project.
- The coherence of the applicant’s ideas to start an alumni working group and to accompany it’s activities.
What requirements must be met?
At the end of the fellowship the fellow must provide
- a detailed report on the findings of the Research
- a summary of the activities within the alumni Network
- an assessment of the future development of the career paths, the research topic and the alumni working group activities.
- Additionally, an interim report is mandatory after 6 months or after 6 and 18 months (depending on duration of the scholarship).
Language skills
English
Application documents
Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal (in English):
- DAAD application form, duly filled (available in the DAAD portal).
- Curriculum Vitae (please use the Europass specimen form at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu).
- List of national and international publications: The list should be categorized according to (a) publications in peer review journals, (b) specialist books, and (c) conference proceedings. It should indicate the type of publication (original paper, review etc.). For each publication the state of publication (published, in print, accepted, submitted) and complete bibliographical information (including the first and last page number) must be provided. Where available, please include electronic links. You are also welcome to upload max. 2 abstracts of two publications.
- Letter of invitation: from the host institution in western-/southern Africa (including current date and stamp of the institution). This letter should detail why the host institution is particularly suitable for the execution of the research project, as well as the support that will be provided.
- Research proposal: A detailed and independently prepared research proposal upon which both the applicant and his/her host institutions have agreed on. Please provide a precise description and a clear presentation (including a detailed workplan and the methodological approach). Please also describe the connection of your proposal to climate change and to Germany. The total length of the research proposal should be between 5 and 8 pages.
- Time schedule for the realization of the planned work (e.g. in the form of a bar chart).
- The centrepiece of the climapAfrica program are seven thematic working groups. The working groups are composed by climapAfrica postdoc fellows and alumni of German funding initiatives with expertise in the field of climate change research. Over 100 experts from 25 African countries exchange knowledge, skills and ideas and promote climate change knowledge. The goal of the working groups are: 1) To provide a platform for discussion for the climapAfrica postdoc research projects; 2) To contribute to actionable science and bridge the gap between climate change research, policy and practice.
ClimapAfrica postdoc fellows will be assigned to a consisting working group based on their expertise. Their task is to initiate and boost collaboration efforts, organize and moderate meetings, contribute to tasks, and disseminate information.
The applicant should understand the potential of the working groups, the precondition for their efficient functioning, and is motivated to cooperate with others in the development of innovative solutions.
Please provide an outline for:
- Three activities for your working group and specify how you would implement them with your working group.
- Two challenges that you might be facing and how to overcome them when coordinating and motivating experts from all over Africa to perform joint activities.
Find more information on the working groups on our website.
- PhD certificate (must be certified as true copy of the original certificate). Please do not upload your whole PhD thesis.
- Master’s certificate (must be certified as true copy of the original certificate).
- Copy of passport (needs to be uploaded as a separate document under the category “miscellaneous”!).
- 2 recommendation letters by academic referees
via post:
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
ST32, Mariane Michels,
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
or via fax: (+49 228 882 98143)
Application deadline
Applications can be handed in between 13th of Juliy 2020 and 14th of September 2020.
In total, there will be three further calls for this scholarship. The funding of the ongoing, second cohort will start in July 2020. Please use this date as your planned starting date.
Please note, that the third scholarship will start in February 2021 and the appropriate application period is planned from December 2020 until February 2021. We will provide you with the appropriate details as soon as possible.
Application location
Mariane Michels
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. (DAAD)
German Academic Exchange Service
Referat ST32 – Stipendienprogramme Afrika
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn / Germany
Tel.: +49 (228) 882-8143
E-Mail: climapafrica@daad.de
Please note
- It is possible to upload additional documents after you have submitted your application! Thereby, we can check the completeness of your application at an earlier stage and are able to support you in case you have any complications.
- For submitting references by post, the postmark date serves as proof that they have been dispatched on time.
- (If further documents are to be submitted by post, please send them as soon as possible.)
- The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. Central European Time (CET) on the last application day.
- The application documents remain with the DAAD. Data relating to applicants is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act and with the EU Data Protection Regulation insofar as this data is needed to process the application.
General information on the application via DAAD portal
You can access the DAAD portal by clicking "Application portal" at the end of the page. Here you will find an online application form in which you can enter your application data.
This is what you have to do:
1. Register in the DAAD portal (Read notes about registering in the portal >>)
2. Request references
The form, which has to be completed by a referee, has to be generated in the DAAD portal in the section "Request reference" after registration and downloaded. Please send the form by e-mail to your referee and ask for the completed reference form to be returned to you in a sealed envelope. In each case, please provide your referee with the application address thus enabling him/her to send the recommendation letter there direct.
Please note that the form for completion by a referee can only be generated during the application period (from about 6 weeks before the application deadline).
Please generate one form for each referee.
The reference is confidential and may not be viewed by the applicant!
3. Applying online in the DAAD portal (Read notes on applying in the portal >>)
- Download and complete the online application form
- Prepare application documents
- If necessary, translate documents (unless they are already in German or English).
- Scan paper documents (except references) and save in PDF format. Please note that you can only upload PDF files to the portal.
- Upload the completed application form and the other application documents to the portal in PDF format. Translations, if applicable, should be uploaded together with the document issued in the original language.
- Submit the uploaded application documents online.
4. Sending application documents by post
References must be sent in the unopened envelope to the application location.
Information for applicants from non-EU countries:
Please remember to specify the exact contents of your postal consignment in the documents for the customs authorities, e.g. "Application for a scholarship with application documents, a reference and a DVD with work samples (no commercial goods, no merchandise value, no insurable value)".
Please note:
If you have any technical questions or problems your local information and advice centres could not help you with, please do not hesitate to contact our technical Portal hotline: +49 (0228) 882-8888 or via e-mail portal@daad.de, open every weekday from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm (CET).
Please consider this when you are planning your application.
Please note:
This programme is offered for several target countries. You can select the desired target country here. Please be aware that it is not possible to apply for more than one target country.
See the Complete Details About this Call Here
Application Portal
Staff Writer
This article was written and edited by a staff writer.
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