The INTERACT-Africa project will train up to 35 MSc and 10 PhD graduates, and offer development opportunities to 8 trainees and 7 staff members. Mobility must be to an institution in an eligible country other than the home country / country of the home institution.
Target groups and types of mobility
There are two target groups and four different types of individual mobility:
| Target | Participants | Mobility types | Duration |
| Target group 1 | Students registered/admitted in one or having obtained a higher education degree from one of the five African Universities included in the INTERACT-Africa project partnership, wishing to study at a different partner university | Masters
Doctorate |
6-24 months
10-36 months |
| Students registered/admitted in a Bachelor/Master/Doctorate programme in one of the five African Universities included in the INTERACT-Africa project partnership, wishing to undertake traineeship in a different partner country | Trainee | 3 months | |
| Staff working in or associated with one of five African Universities included in the INTERACT-Africa project partnership, wishing to visit a different partner institution. Staff from the EU Technical partner will participate in mobility periods in one of those five partner African Universities. | Visits for teaching and/or research, or for engagement on administration and
management |
2 weeks – 1 month | |
| Target group 2 | Students registered/admitted in one or having obtained a higher education degree from a university established in Africa BUT not included in the partnership, with priority being given to students from conflict-affected and disadvantaged countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique and Algeria, wishing to study at a partner institution in another country. | Masters
Doctorate |
6-24 months
10-36 months |
Institutions of the Partnership: Moi University (Kenya), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (Uganda), Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) and Institut Facultaire Des Sciences Agronomiques De Yangambi (Democratic Republic of Congo)
EU Technical partner: Mendel University in Brno Czech Republic)
Credit-seeking mobility for students already enrolled for a Master’s or PhD degree:
- Credit-seeking mobility of 6 to 10 months at a partner institution, leading to academic recognition of the study period towards a Master’s or PhD degree programme at the home institution.
Degree-seeking mobility for students wishing to pursue a Master’s or PhD degree:
- Degree-seeking mobility to complete a full Master’s or PhD degree at a partner
Mobility of trainees
- Mobility of trainees will entail placement periods (traineeship) in private or public organizations/business actors as part of the trainees’ academic programme.
Staff mobility
- Staff mobility may be undertaken by academic, research or administrative staff from partner institutions who wish to visit other partner institutions.
The project aims for 50% of students and at least 30% of scholarship beneficiaries who participate in mobility visits to be women.
An indicative distribution of mobility across target groups is given below. This may be adjusted to optimize project implementation.
| Type of mobility | Target Group 1 | Target Group 2 | TOTAL |
| Masters | 19 | 16 | 35 |
| Doctorates | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Trainees | 8 | – | 8 |
| Staff | 7 | – | 7 |
| TOTAL | 39 | 21 | 60 |
An indicative breakdown of credit-seeking and degree-seeking student mobility is given below. This may be adjusted to optimize project implementation.
| Type of mobility | Credit-seeking | Degree-seeking | TOTAL |
| Masters | 12 | 23 | 35 |
| Doctorates | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| TOTAL | 17 | 28 | 45 |
Important: The types of mobility offered and the candidate categories considered in each call for applications will be determined by the needs of the project and the progress made against the desired mobility distribution.
Student mobility
Areas of study
The hosting partner institutions offer specializations in the following areas for master’s and doctoral study:
| Country | Institution | Level of incoming mobility (Degree-seeking or credit-seeking) | Name of the Programme | Programme
Duration |
| Kenya
|
Moi University | Doctorate | PhD in Analytical Chemistry | 3 years |
|
Masters |
MSc in Analytical Chemistry | 2 years | ||
| MSc in Plant Pathology | 2 years | |||
| MSc in Information Technology | 2 years | |||
| Uganda
|
Mbarara University of Science and Technology
|
Doctorate | PhD in Biology | 3 years |
| PhD in Chemistry | 3 years | |||
| PhD in Computing | 3 years | |||
|
Masters |
MSc in Chemistry | 2 years | ||
| MSc in Biology | 2 years | |||
| MSc in Information Systems | 2 years | |||
| Tanzania
|
Sokoine University of Agriculture
|
Doctorate | PhD in Agroecology | 3 years |
| Masters
|
MSc in Chemistry | 2 years | ||
| MSc in Crop Protection | 2 years | |||
| Ethiopia
|
Addis Ababa University
|
Doctorate | PhD in Analytical Chemistry | 3 years |
| PhD in Information Technology | 3 years | |||
| Masters | MSc in Analytical Chemistry | 2 years | ||
| MSc. Information Science and Systems | 2 years | |||
| Democratic Republic of Congo | Institut Facultaire Des Sciences Agronomiques De
Yangambi (IFA-Yangambi) |
Doctorate | PhD in Analytical Chemistry | 3 years |
| PhD in Biology | 3 years | |||
| Masters | MSc. in Analytical Chemistry | 2 years | ||
| MSc. In Biology | 2 years |
Credit recognition for credit-seeking mobility
The partnership will ensure the academic recognition of periods of study through agreed mechanisms between the home institution and the host institution. The applicant must discuss the proposed study plan with the head of department and/or programme leader at the home institution and receive a written endorsement and statement indicating the credits that will be granted for the mobility entailing research based activities at the host institution. This statement must accompany confirmation of degree enrolment, and be uploaded to the application website. Credit-seeking mobility will only be considered and awarded if such an endorsement has been obtained.
Prior to the mobility, the institutions involved (home and host) will set up learning agreements/research plans with students (Master and Doctorate) defining in particular an individual work programme and workload required to pass examinations or other forms of assessment. At the end of the period of study, the host institution will provide the incoming student and the home institution with a certificate and/or transcript of records with the study results confirming the activities completed. Where relevant, delivery of a certificate supplement will also be recommended.
Scholarship eligibility criteria
To be eligible for a scholarship, master’s and doctoral students must comply with the following criteria:
- The candidate must meet minimum requirement for admission into Masters and PhD programmes as stipulated by the host University Senate/regulating body.
- Proof that the candidate is a national of and residence of an eligible country, Student beneficiaries must be of African nationality and residing in Africa at the time of application.
- At the time of the application for a scholarship, be registered at or have obtained their most recent degree (or equivalent) from: one of the higher education institutions included in the partnership (Target Group 1); or a higher education institution not included in the partnership but established in an African country (Target Group 2)
- Students applying for PhD degree-seeking mobility, are expected to have obtained at least their bachelor’s degree in an eligible African country, from a different institution from the prospective host institution, and in a different country to that of the host institution.
- Applicants will not be allowed to participate in the mobility without an admission letter from the host university.
- Applicants to declare not to have already benefited from a previous student scholarship under the projects selected in the framework of the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme 2022-2027.
- Motivation letter reflecting innovative technologies in climate change mitigation and sustainable bioeconomy.
- Recommendation letters and/ reference letters (two). One from an academic advisor or professor/lecturer.
- Applicant must be willing to study not in his/her country of citizenship but within the eligible countries
- Proof of special needs where appl
- Applicants from Non – -English speaking countries, English level B2 Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) or its equivalent is mandatory to study in the institutions that use English as the language of instruction.
- To study at Institut Facultaire Des Sciences Agronomiques De Yangambi (IFA-YANGAMBI), French level B2 or its equivalent is mandatory
Trainee mobility
Trainees may undertake mobility visits for 3 months, at any of the African partner institutions. The mobility of trainees will entail placement periods (traineeship) in private or public organizations/business actors as part of the trainees’ academic programme. Trainees will gain substantial and meaningful workplace experience in the project priority area(s) to increase their employability, besides strengthening 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.
Academic and administrative staff mobility
Staff may undertake mobility visits for 2 weeks – 1 month, at any of the African partner institutions. Staff mobility should aim at fostering exchange of practices, capacity building as well as improvement of (management/ academic/ technical/ administrative) skills. It should also lead to improvement in the harmonization and recognition of studies within the participating institutions as well as in the quality of teaching and research. This should be achieved through participation in research projects/activities, teaching assignments, attendance in/delivery of training courses, production of new teaching material, development of teaching methods, harmonization of curricula, development of joint curricula, development of administrative tools, sharing of management approaches, technical support, and administrative tasks.
Staff from the EU Technical partner will participate in mobility periods in one of the partner HEIs in Africa with the aim of further supporting the management and implementation of the project and mobility scheme from an academic, administrative and financial point of view. The mobility is also expected to be an integral part of the institutional staff development plan and recognized as such upon return of the staff member.
In order to be eligible for a scholarship, staff must comply with ALL the following criteria:
- Be a national of and resident in any of the eligible countries
- Be a staff member (academic, administrative, and technical staff) working for one of the partner institutions involved in the consortium (including the EU Technical Partner)
Scholarship coverage
- Tuition fees and research costs for the duration of the study. Provision of research costs shall be decided on the basis of the actual research needs of students supported by a budget breakdown endorsed by a supervisor.
- Comprehensive health and accident insurance cover
- Monthly stipend/allowance.
- Staff will receive a monthly stipend of Euro 2,370 . This also includes
- travel cost to and from the host institution,
- Visa costs,
- subsistence,
- accommodation, and
- settling allowance.
- PhD students and trainees will receive a monthly stipend of Euro 1,230 . This also includes
- travel cost to and from the host institution,
- Visa costs,
- subsistence, and
- settling allowance.
- MSc students will receive a monthly stipend of 890 Euros. This also includes
- travels cost to and from the host institution,
- Visa costs,
- subsistence, and
- settling allowance.
Application process
Completed application forms should consist of the following data:
- Personal contact information of the candidate
- Curriculum Vitae
- Proof of nationality
- Fulfillment of relevant requirements for different target groups and mobility
- Proof of sufficient knowledge of the tuition language at the host university (for students only)
- Choice of course/s and/or study programme
- Preferred host institution and second choice.
Applications should be submitted electronically via the online application tool on the INTERACT-Africa project website
Selection process
After the application deadline, the consortium will review all received applications. Only complete applications will be considered for selection. Your application is complete once you have uploaded all the requested documents mentioned above. If you have given incorrect or misguiding information in your application, this will be a reason to withdraw your grant, should your application be successful.
Evaluation Criteria
- Academic merit
- Motivation for the mobility period
- Sufficient knowledge of the tuition language at the host University
- Learning Agreement or Study Plan (for master’s students)
- Research/work/Teaching Plan (for PhD, trainee and academic staff)
- Relevance of the mobility for both the host university and the home university
- Equal geographic representation of the partner universities in the mobility scheme
- Equity considerations for designated groups The application must support cross border mobility.
Notification of Application Outcome
All successful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application via email. For the selected candidates the notification will include:
- Instructions for further steps (visa guidelines, etc.)
- A model of the student/mobility agreement
- As well as any other relevant information
All applicants who are not selected will be notified immediately after the selection decision has been made. Notification will include:
- The results of the selection
- The procedure to follow for an appeal to the selection decision
Procedure for appeals
Applicants who do not accept the selection outcome will be provided with the reasons for the outcome decisions made by the committees responsible for validation and evaluation. Information on the appeals procedure will be provided in the outcome e-mail to be sent to all applicants.
Obligations of scholarship holders
The Coordinating Institution has the right to suspend the payment of the scholarship if:
- The scholarship holder withdraws from the project in case of force
- The scholarship holder does not comply with the internal regulations of the host
- The scholarship holder does not comply with the internal regulations set by the INTERACT-Africa
- The scholarship holder fails to fulfill the requirements of his/her study/work
- A reimbursement of costs paid to a scholarship holder may be requested in cases such as:
- The scholarship holder did not provide the necessary information related to his or her ineligibility at the application stage, and the partnership detects this at a later stage (i.e. he/she has already received funds from another project selected in the framework of the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme 2022-2027, does not hold the necessary diploma, is not national and resident in an eligible country, etc.).
Implications of signing the Statement of Scholarship Acceptance and the Scholarship Contract:
- In case of any reimbursement obligation, the scholarship holder has 30 days upon return to the home country to carry out such reimbursement to the host Institution, following the instructions that will be If the scholarship holder fails to do so, additional banking fees and interest may be charged or legal steps may be taken.
- The scholarship holder may not accept, during the period of the current grant, any other mobility grant awarded by the European Union.
- The scholarship holder has the obligation to inform the Coordinating Office about any change in the study/research/work period and programme.
- The mobility period must be fully respected; it is not possible to divide the duration of stay foreseen by the If the scholarship holder intends to leave the host institution during the mobility, even if for a limited time, he/she must ask for permission to the host institution and to the coordinating institution. Permission must first be obtained in writing from the research supervisor or programme director as well as the INTERACT-Africa representative at the host institution, with a clear justification for the absence/leave, following which all information must be sent to the Coordination Office for final approval.
- Scholarship holders must comply with the rules and regulations of the host
- Any absence from host programme activities must be duly justified to the INTERACT-Africa contact person at the host institution (e.g. a statement from a medical professional), with a copy to the Coordination Office.
- Scholarship holders are compelled to report (by e-mail) to the host and coordinating institutions any difficulties experienced during the mobility flow, such as: language barriers; integration with classmates; communicating with professors; difficulty in accessing study materials; health insurance; accommodation; etc.
- Students must complete successfully their mobility period at the host institution as follows:
-
- Degree-seeking mobility: all courses and research requirements must be met according to the regulations of the host institution.
- Credit-seeking mobility: the proposed courses and research activities must be completed and confirmed by the host institution.
- In case of academic failure, the coordinating institution reserves the right to apply the measures identified in the scholarship holder’s contract.
The scholarship holder is obliged to submit, within 30 days of the end of the mobility period, an evaluation form provided online by the Coordinating Institution