climapAfrica: Climate Research for Alumni and Postdocs in Africa • DAAD

Eine Druckversion dieser Ausschreibung (PDF) steht Ihnen in den weiteren Registerkarten (z.B. „Bewerbungsvoraussetzungen“) zur Verfügung.

A print version of this announcement (PDF) is available in the further tabs (e.g. “Application requirements”).

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.

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.

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 [email protected] .

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, 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.

The fellowship awards are tenable for a period of maximum 12 months.
Please note, that funding of the 5th scholarship cohort will start 1st March 2022 and end 28th February 2023. Due to the limited project dates, the scholarship cannot be interrupted or rescheduled.

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

Please notice: Funding is subject to the availability of funds.

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.

https://www.daad.de/en/the-daad/what-we-do/sustainable-development/funding-programmes/climapafrica/
https://www.wascal.org/
http://www.sasscal.org/

At the start of the fellowship:
The qualification for this program requires a PhD degree, the nationality of an African country and a host institution in western/southern Africa in one of the listed countries below:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

At the end of the fellowship the fellow must provide:

• a detailed final report on the findings of the research at the end of the funding period
• a summary of the executed activities within the alumni network
• an assessment of the future development of the career paths, the research topic and the alumni working group activities

Furthermore, the fellow must fill out the final questionnaire that will be provided by the DAAD.

English

Applications for the 5th cohort can be handed in between 11th of October 2021 and 17th of November 2021.

Please note, that funding of the 5th scholarship cohort will start on 1st March 2022 and end on 28th February 2023 and is limited for a maximum of 12 months. Temporal shifts or interruptions are not possible.

We will provide you with the appropriate details as soon as possible.

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 ) (Please name the file "CV" only when uploading under "Curriculum Vitae!)
• 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 maximum 2 abstracts of two publications (abstract should be up to 2 pages maximum). (Please name the file "List of publications" only when uploading under "List of publications"!)
• Letter of invitation: from the host institution in western-/southern Africa (including current date and stamp of the institution). This letter should state the time frame of hosting and detail why the host institution is particularly suitable for the execution of the research project, as well as the support that will be provided. (Please name the file “Host invitation local” only when uploading under “invitation from host institution”!)
• Letter of invitation: From the host institution in Germany (including current date and stamp of the institution) if you want to realize a research stay.
  (Please name the file “Host invitation Germany” only when uploading under “invitation from host institution”!)
• 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. (Please name the file “Research proposal” only when uploading under “study project/motivation”!)
• Time schedule for the realization of the planned work (e.g. in the form of a bar chart). Please name the working packages in your bar chart and add the country of execution of each package. If you plan a concrete or abstract research stay in Germany, please include it into the time schedule. (Please name the file “Time schedule” only when uploading under “time schedule”!)
• DAAD climapAfricaWorking Groups:
  The centrepiece of the climapAfrica programme are the 7 thematic working groups which are composed by climapAfrica more than 190 postdoc fellows and alumni of German funding initiatives from over 30 African countries and with expertise in the field of climate change research. Please find out more about the goals and the expectations on our website.
  For the application, please prepare a document with the following tasks:
  1. Choose your preferred working group – 1) Climate change and Meteorology 2) Climate change Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Forests 3) Climate change and Agriculture and Rural development 4) Climate change and Land use 5) Climate change and Modelling 6) Climate change Animal and Plant Physiology and Stress 7) Climate change and Biodiversity. For this, please look at each working group’s composition (postdoc fellows and alumni of German funding initiatives, their research foci, and the working group’s activities). If you cannot decide between two working groups, please include both in your statement. For this, please look at each working group’s composition (postdoc fellows and alumni of German funding initiatives, their research foci, and the working group’s activities). If you cannot decide between two working groups, please include both in your statement.
  2. Name three activities for your working group and specify how you would implement them with your working group. (Please name the file “Working group input” only when uploading under "research project"!).
• PhD certificate (must be certified as true copy of the original certificate). Please do not upload your whole PhD thesis. (Please name the file “PhD certificate or Letter of completion” only when uploading under “University degree certifications”!)
• Masters certificate (please name the file “Master Certificate” only when uploading under “University degree certifications”!)
• Copy of passport (please name the file “Passport” only when uploading under “Miscellaneous”!)

Documents to be submitted by post:
2 recommendation letters by academic referees
The recommendations must be handed out to the applicant in sealed envelopes and can be submitted together via post:
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
ST32, Mariane Michels,
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
Germany

Or in exceptional cases via fax: (+49 228 882 98143)
The number is valid for classic and online electronical fax.

Please note that DAAD is allowed to offer post as the only legal way of submission for the reference letters. The submission via fax is reasonable in exceptional cases only and must be executed by the academic referees. The submission via email is not adequate. This is reasonable by the European laws for data privacy protection and the requirement to offer a way of safe data transfer.
When submitting via email and in cases of data abuse, DAAD can't be held accountable.

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. (DAAD)
German Academic Exchange Service
Referat ST32 – Stipendienprogramme Afrika
Mariane Michels
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
Germany
Tel.: +49 (228) 882-8143
E-Mail: [email protected]

• 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. Please note the long times of shipping to Germany and make sure to meet the deadline of the call for applications.
• 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.

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. (DAAD)
German Academic Exchange Service
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn / Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]

climapAfrica FAQ

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.

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 [email protected] , open every weekday from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm (CET/CEST).
Please consider this when you are planning your application.