The Austrian Embassy in Nairobi and the OeAD organised jointly organised this meeting for current and former scholarship holders and alumni of Austrian higher education institutions. The objective of the meeting was to facilitate networking and to promote the academic cooperation between Kenya and Austria.
Scholars and alumni are not only multipliers of knowledge and mediators between cultures but also cooperation partners. They play an important role in building scientific networks with their former host institution in Austria. This is shown by the high participation of former scholars in initiating cooperation projects, submitting proposals as well as implementing them. Therefore ongoing initiatives, in particular APPEAR projects, as well as cooperation in sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems were highlighted. Possibilities for future scientific cooperation were also discussed.
In his opening speech Christian Fellner, Austrian Ambassador to Kenya stressed that Austrians believe in international cooperation and in particular in university cooperation. In this way mutually enriching networks for the future are created. Austria has financed scholarships for decades and thus enjoys privileged relations to smart people all over the world, who are excellent scientists, high-ranking officials or successful business-women or –men. He concluded “Austrian and Kenyan Universities have longstanding cooperation and we are proud to have supported top careers and scientific projects of utmost importance.”
Dr. Benedict Mutua said that the doctorate he received from the University of Natural Resources and Life sciences, Vienna (BOKU) has propelled him to be an international scholar and researcher but also leader and manager at the top university level. He is a full Professor of Water Resources, Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering, chairs many international scientific committees and he got promototed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Planning, Partnerships, Research and Innovation at Kibabii University, Kenya.
Furthermore he has been involved in many research projects sponsored by the European Commission, UNOPS, African Union and currently under the APPEAR Programme. As the coordinator for the project Strengthening Capacities for Agricultural Education, Research and Adoption in Kenya (SCARA), he stressed that many opportunities for young scholars and researchers, innovators and more importantly, the farmers were created. The focus of this project is on Information Communication Technology for Agriculture (ICT4Agric). It is important to note that ICT and e-learning play a major role in the development and economic growth of African countries now and in the future, with the agricultural sector being still the backbone.
Dr. Luke Olang from the Technical University of Kenya (TU-K) recognized the fundamental role played by research partners in Austria in the development of human resource capacity of local institutions of higher education in Eastern Africa. “Our collaborations with BOKU through the CapNex project, for instance, is currently helping us to train four PhD students in the areas of Water Resources Engineering. This way the capacity of our institution was enhanced”. He further noted “the emphasis on locally based studies, especially in physical sciences, equally provide a good opportunity for the involved Austrian academics to view applied science through a different lens that blends experience, theory and practice. In this respect, it is important to sustain the networks through mutual partnerships that also respect local institutional arrangements in order to avoid conflict of interests. This may require the need to understand the local frameworks on case by case basis, considering the varied level of development in most African regions".
Prof. Nzula Kitaka, from Egerton University (EU) walked the audience through the transitional journey of the International Post-Graduate Training Course in Limnology (IPGL) from being based at European institutions to a strong regional network. "IPGL was a turning point for me professionally, and without that experience I would not be the person I am today. This is true for many of us whom today hold several positions in universities, research intuitions as well as managing of water companies and policy advisory." Nzula Kitaka stated. IPGL started in Mondsee, Austria in 1975 as a post graduate diploma and was upgraded to a Master of Engineering programme through a cooperation with IHE Delft in 1997/98. IPGL Mondsee and EU, together developed a three weeks course in Tropical Limnology that commenced in 2004 at Egerton University. Due to its success it expanded through creating four new modules on Tropical Limnology which became part of “Limnology and Wetland Ecosystems” (LWE) programme of UNESCO-IHE in the year 2010 (four months each at UNESCO-IHE, at Egerton University, and in Austria, followed by six months of research at any of the three institutions). In 2012, the LWE transformed further to become a Joint Degree in Limnology and Wetland Management (LWM) offered by the three institutions IHE-Delft, EU and BOKU. LWM maximizes utilization of resources among the partner institutions and intends to expose the students to global water issues through North-South-North partnerships. In 2016 a new South-South partnership under CAPAQUA Project, established a new Joint degree programme (AEEM) between three Ethiopian Institutions and with a long time goal to align it to the LWM Kenyan Trimester at Egerton University. Kitaka stated “This new initiative is geared towards enhancing collaboration in capacity development by institutions in the region, coupled with wider exposure through experiences among the students from different countries and cultural background.“ Another recent milestone is the establishment of the web-based AQUAHUB platform which is interlinking northern and southern experts and stakeholders to foster the sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems in Eastern Africa.
The APPEAR project STRECAFISH is a result of the long-lasting cooperation between Makerere University, University of Eldoret (UoE) and BOKU. The Kenyan team member Josiah Ani from UoE presented the project that aimed to build regional capacity in higher education and research in the field of aquaculture and fisheries. Activities such as reviewing and realigning the curriculum to meet stakeholder demands were implemented. Capacity building not just for students but also for the community, e.g. trainings for women in various aspects of aquaculture and for fisheries officers from selected counties in Kenya were conducted. According to Josiah STRECAFSIH clearly showed that a more research-based approach to farmers problems is required and more cans till be done. The projectg also showed that universities and students highly benefit from a shared implementation of the regionally developed curricula and especially field-based modular approach to training.
The last APPEAR project was presented by Elijah Macharia Ndung’u from Catholic University of Eastern Africa. The aim of PROSOWO was to strengthen professional social work in Eastern Africa involving Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. Major achievements presented included the launch of two extensive studies on the contribution of professional social work in the region, the publication of several books and the elaboration of locally relevant teaching materials. Various dissemination workshops were also conducted and over 30 presentations in conferences were held. For the purpose of sustainability, she mentioned that a MoU was signed among the members leading to the development of the East African Center of Research and Innovation in Social Work (CRISOWO) so that the collaboration does not end with APPEAR. PROSOWO has financed six PhD scholars among them Elijah who conducted his PhD studies at Alpen Adria University, Klagenfurt, Austria and participated as a research assistant for data collection and analysis at the Kenyan partner institution. He stated that more collaboration between the Global North and South is needed to address emerging issues in the East African region. Such partnerships will enhance more knowledge acquisition especially for the young scholars and develop innovative methods in addressing social problems. The researcher concluded that “Local problems require local solutions”.
Michael Hauser was the director of the BOKU Centre for Development Research and has supervised master and doctoral students. Prior to his position at the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-arid tropics (ICRISAT) in Nairobi he has already worked with several Kenyan universities and researchers. Michael Hauser stressed the importance of scientific cooperation and capacity building in addressing global challenges such as climate change and food security. He concluded that “in future, more Kenyan students should study at Austrian universities. I also want to see more Austrian students studying in Kenya. If mentored well, such student mobilities contribute to sustainable development in both countries.”
In her presentation Elke Stinnig from OeAD gave an overview of the higher education cooperation between Uganda and Kenia. She highlighted that the North-South-Dialogue Scholarship Programme to finance PhD studies in Austria already started in 1984. Due to the new Strategy on Higher Education and Research by the Austrian Development Agency it was replaced in 2009 by APPEAR which follows a more institutional approach in capacity building. She underlined that the selection process of APPEAR projects is highly competitive and fortunately many former scholars were successful during the selection process. Elke Stinnig gave further information on studying and researching in Austria. She presented important websites as well as funding possibilities (please find details and links below). Reporting on the APPEAR programme evaluation, she noted that APPEAR was found to be “doing the right thing” and hence the funding agency ADA is envisaging to continue with APPEAR.
Furthermore she presented the Austrian-African Research Network, a new initiative financed by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF). During the kick-off meeting and first General Assembly took place from 30-31 January 2020 in Vienna the network was officially inaugurated and the working programme with first activities was specified. 63 African and 19 Austrian universities and research institutions participated, among them many Kenyan institutions.
Finally, Elke Stinnig mentioned the Erasmus+ Programme under EU and encouraged people to look for opportunities from various programmes and to actively network to find future cooperation partners. She stressed that for OeAD it is of special concern to stay in contact with former scholars and to support them in networking and the development of scientific cooperation between Austria and their countries of origin. Therefore she recommended to check on the alumni services provided by OeAD.
Important links
Study in Austria gives an overview of the Austrian higher education system, lists universities including profiles and contact details and can be used to look for possible partners.
The English-language study guide explains the higher education system in Austria, offers useful tips to foreign students and lists all degree programmes offered by Austrian higher education institutions.
In order to check study options in Austria by field of study, location, final degree or language of instruction (various international study programmes taught in English) the website Studienwahl.
Euraxess Austria provides information on and assistance for all questions essential to the mobility of researchers and their families. It is part of the EU initiative Euraxess Researchers in Motion. Furthermore it offers job vacancies for researchers throughout Europe.
The Austrian Database for Scholarships and Research Grants provides students, graduates and researchers information on scholarships and grants Funding possibilities
The first call of the Programme Cooperation Development Research took place in 2019. The aim is to implement cooperative projects between Austrian higher education / research institutions and higher education / research institutions in countries of the global South. Projects must contribute to analysing and solving local challenges and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The programme is open to all scientific disciplines. One- to three-year research projects mobility and material expenses for Austrian project partners and project partners from the South are funded. Another call is expected in 2020.
The Ernst Mach Follow-Up Grant is aimed at postdocs from non-European developing countries who are former OeAD scholarship holders. The grant is intended to support the applicant's scientific carrier and to further and deepen the cooperation with Austrian higher education institutions and universities.
The Ernst Mach Grant – worldwide is aimed at visiting or exchange scholars for a short research/study stay (1-9 months). Applicants must not be older than 35 years when they start their research stay. Target groups are postgraduates pursuing a doctoral/PhD programme, postgraduates and post-docs who want to do research in Austria and post-docs who are working as lecturers at a university
The Ernst Mach Grant for studying at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences is aimed at students from non-European universities who wish to spend a semester or two at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule).
