FAQs

The Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme 2010-2013 and Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme 2016-2020 by building on its successful past experience, aims to contribute to the economic, social and human development of Africa by improving the skills and competences of students, trainees and university staff in different areas, through learning mobility opportunities across the African continent. By paying specific attention to reinforce mechanisms to guarantee a more equal and inclusive learning mobility for all, the action will support mobility projects between African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) focusing, amongst other subjects, on the areas linked to climate change and green transitioning, in line with the EU’s external policies. In the medium term, the scheme will support the harmonisation of programmes and outcome-based curricula between participating HEIs, and the development of mechanisms for improved transparency and recognition of credits/degrees and other qualifications. This will in turn enhance academic and labour mobility in the continent and support the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movements of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment (Protocol on Free Movement) and the Addis Convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications. The action foresees to support the HEIs in their capacities to implement mobility projects and therefore their partnerships and academic cooperation, with the aim to contribute to the “African Higher Education and Research Space”. Moreover, by supporting a reinforced collaboration between HEIs and business for the students and trainees’ mobility, the action will also strengthen skills anticipation and matching, as well as innovation and knowledge transfer between academia and enterprises. This will help to respond to the high-level skills demand and knowledge needs to support green economies and digital transformation in the continent. Finally, the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme will synergise with the Erasmus+ actions as well as with the “Harmonisation of African Higher Education Quality Assurance and Accreditation (HAQAA II)” initiative3, contributing to the EU’s comprehensive strategy to support the strengthening of higher education systems in the African continent. The action is part of the ‘Youth Mobility for Africa’ flagship under the EU-Africa Global Gateway Investment Package4, which aims to support learning opportunities and exchanges and, ultimately, to promote Africa as an attractive study destination. ‘Youth Mobility for Africa’ is one of several flagship initiatives in Education, Skills and Technical and Vocational Training.

Africa Countries
Eastern and Central	Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
Southern Africa and Indian Ocean:	Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
West Africa	Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Mobility in Innovative Green Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainable Bioeconomy (INTERACT-Africa) project’s thematic field is Chemistry, Biology and Information Technology, with emphasis on conversion of organic waste to valuable bio-products for transitioning into environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economies. The project aims to mainstream climate change adaptation and mitigation into the thematic curricula of partner HEIs, hence produce highly skilled and competent workforce that can implement green adaptation technologies that are systemic, multidimensional and transformative. Through academic, research, traineeship and cultural exchange, the project is expected to positively impact on students, trainees, staff and institutions involved through enhancement of technical, entrepreneurial and digital skills, competencies and appropriate attitudes for increased employability. Cooperation among HEIs shall improve quality of academic programmes through curricula complementation, and enhanced harmonization of higher education through alignment of qualifications, assessment criteria, quality assurance mechanisms and recognition of academic achievements. Visibility of partner HEIs resulting from modernization and internationalization of the degree programmes shall increase enrolment of international students. The Objectives of INTERACT-Africa Project are as follows:

1. Building capacity on green technologies for climate change mitigation and adaptation through mainstreaming climate change in Chemistry, Biology and Information Technology curricula and research programs
2. Nurture innovative, digital and entrepreneurial skills amongst mobility scholarship holders and other beneficiaries for future career advancement and sustainable bioeconomy.
3. Promote networking amongst higher education institutions and industries for collaborative green technology research, training and curricula harmonization for climate change mitigation and adaptation
4. Enhance project management, communication and dissemination of project’s results for scalability and impact creation

Moi University (MU) – established in Kenya

Target 1 partners
Target 1 partners (including the technical partner):

1. Moi University (MU) – established in Kenya
2. Mbarara University of Science And Technology (MUST) – established in Uganda
3. Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) – established in Tanzania
4. Addis Ababa University (AAU) – established in Ethiopia
5. Institut Facultaire Des Sciences Agronomiques (IFA) De Yangambi (IFA-Yangambi) – established in Democratic Republic of Congo
6. Mendelova Univerzita V Brne (MENDELU) – established in Czech Republic

Target 2 partners
Target 2 MSc & PhD students will come from any African university. However, there is a commitment towards five universities/countries that gave support letters at the time of proposal writing. So we will give special consideration to.

1. Univ. of Gezira - Sudan
2. Nugaal Univ. - Somalia
3. Univ. of Peleforo Gon Coulibaly - Cote d'Ivoire
4. Univ of Eduardo Mondlane - Mozambique
5. Constantine 1 Freres Mentouri Univ - Algeria

The INTERACT-Africa partnership will offer researcher-based training to students in eight (8) masters (MSc) and six (6) doctorate (PhD) accredited academic programmes.

Masters programmes include: Master in Analytical Chemistry (Moi University; Addis Ababa University), Master in Information Science (Moi University), Master in Plant Pathology (Moi University), Master in Biology (Mbarara University of Science and Technology; IFA-Yangambi University), Master in Chemistry (Mbarara University of Science and Technology; IFA-Yangambi University, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Master in Information Systems (Mbarara University of Science and Technology), Masters in Crop Protection (Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and Masters in Information Science and Systems (Addis Ababa University).

Doctorate students will be trained in programmes that include: PhD in Analytical Chemistry (Moi University; Addis Ababa University), PhD in Biology (Mbarara University of Science and Technology; IFA-Yangambi University), PhD in Chemistry (Mbarara University of Science and Technology; IFA-Yangambi University), PhD in Computing (Mbarara University of Science and Technology), PhD in Agroecology (Sokoine University of Agriculture), and PhD in Information Technology (Addis Ababa University).

Information concerning the scholarship application procedure, timetable (deadline for application, estimated time for the notification of results, appeal deadline, etc.), eligibility and selection criteria, and the admission requirements of the host universities must be available (on the INTERACT-Africa project website) to all potential applicants at the latest 45 days before the scholarship application deadline. Partners must make the scholarship candidates aware of the fact that they can apply for an Intra-Africa Mobility scholarship under INTERACT-Africa project to any of the courses (see list of courses in the website: https://interactafrica.mu.ac.ke/) of INTERACT-Africa project. Although partners are free to define different specific requirements, eligibility, and/or selection criteria for the different specialization courses they offer, these should be clearly indicated in the scholarship application documents. However, while the partnership can ask for the student’s “preferred” mobility tracks (host institutions). In order to ensure a balanced distribution of scholarship beneficiaries among the different partner universities, such mobility preferences cannot play a role when selecting the scholarship candidates nor when selecting a “reserve list” scholarship beneficiary in case of cancellations from the “main list” scholarship beneficiary. The scholarship application form contains all the information listed below:

• CV and list of publications (if any)
• Personal contact information of the candidate and proof of nationality (including passport/national ID)
• Preferred host universities and study programmes (up to 2 options from two different partner universities where applicable)
• Proof of place of residence (e.g., residence certificate from the candidate's place of work, study or training)
• Certified (translated) copy of university diploma/certificate
• Certified (translated) transcripts of study results from university
• Preferred mobility track (host institution)
• Motivation letter
• Preliminary study/research plan (students)
• Recommendation letters and/ reference letters
• Proof of disadvantaged group (if any)
• Description of the eligibility criteria for an Intra-Africa Academic mobility (e.g., relevant requirements for different target groups and type of mobility, reference to previous and current scholarships, proof of sufficient knowledge of the tuition language at the host institution - for students and trainees only) and declaration from scholarship candidate that these criteria are fulfilled
• The application processing and results notification timetable
• Any other additional documents the candidate wishes to submit

The scholarship application can be submitted through online application on the INTERACT-Africa project website. Receiving of the application will stay only 45 days since the first day of advertising the scholarship positions. The scholarship candidates (students/trainees/staff) must be informed of the collection and processing of personal data by the Agency (including the use of the EACEA Mobility Tool) and give reference to the relevant Privacy Statement document available on the following webpage: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/mobility/docs/privacy_statement_emt.pdf Information related to individuals (personal data) is collected and used in accordance with the relevant legislation on privacy and data protection

The coordinator is responsible for finding an adequate travel agency, which will be responsible for organizing return travels for the students, trainees and staff on mobility. The costs of travel incurred shall be recovered in five monthly installments from the scholarship holder’s scholarship contribution. The monthly installments shall be recovered from the scholarship holder at once or in two installments within the first three months after the student/trainee/staff reports to the host institution. The following procedure will be implemented:

• The partner institution’s coordinator sends a list to the institution’s pre-qualified travel agency indicating the scholarship holders’ name, gender, nationality, date of birth, their start and end date of mobility,
• The travel agency organizes plane tickets according to the scholarship holder’s request and in adherence to the list sent by the coordinator. The cheapest fare should be applied.

  In case the destinations and/or travel dates are different than indicated in the list, the travel agency must contact the partner institution’s coordinator for approval. The travel agency shall send e-tickets including cancellation insurance to the scholarship holders.

No. The INTERACT-Africa selection committee’s decision is final.

No. PhD is strictly 36 months and Masters is 24 months.

The project funds allocated for scholarship contribution of mobility will be calculated on the basis of the monthly unit costs (pro-rata of the actual number of days)

• Master student: EUR 890/month × duration in months of the mobility
• Doctoral student: EUR 1, 230/month × duration in months of the mobility
• Trainee: EUR 1, 230/month × duration in months of the mobility
• Staff: EUR 2, 370/month × duration in months of the mobility

Eligibility requirements under the different categories Eligibility for students At the time they apply for a scholarship, candidates must be:

• National of and residence in any African country
• Target group 1: Registered/admitted in one or having obtained a HEI degree from one of the African HEIs included in the partnership
• Target group 2: Registered/admitted in one or having obtained a HEI degree from a HEI established in Africa BUT not included in the partnership Note: Students can only receive one scholarship under the projects selected in the framework of the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme 2022-2027.

Eligibility for trainees At the time they apply for a scholarship, candidates must be:

• National of and residence in any African country
• Target group 1: Student enrolled in a Bachelor/Master/Doctorate programme in one of the African HEIs (beneficiaries) included in the partnership.

Eligibility for staff At the time they apply for a scholarship, candidates must be:

• Target group 1: Staff member working for one of the applicant HEIs (beneficiaries) involved in the consortium
• Staff member from the EU Technical Partner institution

Note: Scholarship holders cannot benefit from another EU funded scholarship scheme (e.g., Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme, Erasmus+: Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees) under the projects selected in the framework of the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme 2022-2027, to implement the same activity during their Intra-Africa mobility period.

The total amount available for research costs should be considered as a pool managed by the partnership to cover the costs related to research activities of incoming students and trainees on mobility. Project beneficiaries are responsible for ensuring that the research cost will be allocated to the students based on the real research needs. A proposal for real research costs should be submitted to the institutions’ project coordinator by each student, and in collaboration with the academic supervisor (s) for requesting the release of research costs. Research costs will not at any given time be paid directly to the scholarship holders. Each PI must submit the financial report with legal receipts to the coordinating university.

The budget allocated to contributions for special needs (EUR 60,000) for the mobility will be managed centrally by the lead coordination institution. Contribution for special needs are eligible for mobility of a scholarship holder with disabilities whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are certified by a competent national authority and of such nature that their participation in the action would not be possible without the special needs items or services.

They will contribute to cover costs such as those related to the acquisition of special items or services (e.g., assistance by third persons, adaptation of work environment, additional travel/transportation costs) that are not already covered from another source (such as social security or health insurance).

The project funds allocated to cover individual needs of enrolled students will be calculated on the basis of the costs as defined in the Call for Proposals guidelines (Annex 1 of this Consortium Agreement). Scholarship holders with special needs in any of the partner institutions will declare what type of items/services are needed and their cost. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the SC to ascertain eligibility for the special need support. The amount requested from the lead coordinator shall correspond to the number of months the special needs items or services were

For the coordinator:
Moi University (MU), Eldoret, Kenya
Dr. Jacqueline K. Makatiani
Department of Biological Sciences,
School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies
Email: jkmakatiani@gmail.com; jkmakatiani@mu.ac.ke

For the partners:

Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda
Dr. Rapheal Wangalwa,
Faculty of Sciences,
Department of Biology,
Email:wangarapha@must.ac.ug│wangarapho@gmail.com

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro, Tanzania
Prof. Faith Philemon Mabiki,
Department of Chemistry and Physics,
College of Natural and applied Sciences.
Email: fmabiki@sua.ac.tz, fmabiki@gmail.com

Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia
Prof. Feleke Zewge,
College of Natural and Computational Sciences,
Department of Chemistry/Africa Center of Excellence for Water Management,
Email:feleke.zewge@aau.edu.et, fbeshah@yahoo.com

Institut Facultaire Des Sciences Agronomiques (IFA) De Yangambi (IFA-Yangambi), Democratic Republic of Congo
Prof. Dowiya B. Nzawele
Département de Phytotechnie,
Laboratoire de Génétique et Amélioration des Plantes (LGAP)
IFA Yangambi
Email: b.nzaweledowiya@gmail.com

Mendelova Univerzita V Brne MENDELU), Czech Republic
Dr. Ing. Jakub Pečenka
Mendeleum - Institute of Genetics
Email: jakubpecenka@gmail.com

There is NO age limit