Project progress
Key activities during the reporting period included the completion of the final APPEAR selection board meeting in the third programme phase and the launch of the APPEAR project evaluation, the monitoring and support of ongoing projects, as well as extensive outreach activities and the organisation of and participation in important events. The work was overshadowed by violent conflicts (including in APPEAR regions) and the US presidential election. At the end of this reporting period, the elections to the Austrian parliament also failed to provide political clarity, leaving Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) without a medium-term perspective.
In the course of the 11th and last call of the third programme phase, 36 applications for Academic Partnership were received, of which 33 met the formal requirements. No applications were received for Advanced Academic or Extended Impact Partnership projects. Furthermore, this call did not include a call for Preparatory Funding or Individual Scholarships. At the 19th APPEAR selection meeting, held from 20 to 21 November 2024, 9 Academic Partnership projects were approved, each with a duration of two years and a total funding amount of EUR 2.067.007,05.
Ongoing projects and scholarships continued to receive support, and a number of accompanying activities for APPEAR scholarship holders took place during the reporting period. Monitoring visits to Mozambique and Armenia complemented the project monitoring. On the continuously updated APPEAR website, 32 news articles were published during the reporting period, and project pages were updated with the approvals from the 11th call. In total, 5 APPEAR-specific radio broadcasts and podcasts were produced and aired on ORF Ö1 Campus. In September, alumni talks were held with an APPEAR scholarship holder, and in December, an APPEAR in Practice event was held with staff members from an Albanian project. APPEAR participated in significant events relevant to development research, such as the “Tropentag” at BOKU Vienna and the S-DHG Forum meeting in Brussels from 12 to 14 November 2024. The “OeAD Hochschultagung” in St. Pölten on 13 and 14 November 2024 focused on digitalisation and the use of AI in science and research. As with other research programmes, APPEAR is also considering the necessary framework conditions for the use of AI in the application process and research practice.
The deadline for the APPEAR project evaluation call was in September 2024. The kick-off meeting with the selected company Technopolis and the APPEAR Office took place on 9 October, followed by contract preparation, initial interviews and the inception report, which was approved by APPEAR in mid-December. Based on this report, the next evaluation steps will be carried out, with the final report expected in April 2025.
11th Call for funding
The 11th APPEAR call for funding was open from 1 March to 31 May 2024. 36 applications for Academic Partnerships were submitted, 33 of which met the formal requirements. No applications were received for Advanced Academic or Extended Impact Partnership projects. The Preparatory Funding instrument was no longer available in this call, and there was also no call for Individual Scholarships. In the summer of 2024, the formally correct applications for Academic Partnerships were reviewed by external experts. More than 150 experts were identified and contacted, resulting in 79 reviews. At the end of November, the APPEAR selection board, chaired by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), met to discuss and deliberate the project applications which had been submitted during the third call. In a competitive process, 9 Academic Partnership project applications were finally selected with a total funding volume of about EUR 2 Mio. The success rate for Academic Partnership projects was 25%. The selected projects will start their activities in 2025.
Projects selected within the 11th call (2024)
Project361: Revitalizing Mekelle and Adigrat Universities’ Academic Capacity Post-Conflict: Introducing Peri-Urban Agroforestry for Climate Resilience, Forest Restoration, and Women’s Livelihood Enhancement
Project coordinator: Hans Sanden
Coordinating institution: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna
Partner institutions: Mekelle University, Adigrat University
Partner country: Ethiopia
Project362: Towards a Clean Energy and Zero Emission Society in East Africa: Strengthening Academic and Community Collaborations in Outreach, Training and ResearCh in Green Growth and Healthy Environment
Project coordinator: Patrick Musinguzi
Coordinating institution: Makerere University
Partner institutions: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Kabale University, Busitema University, Kyambogo University, University of Juba
Partner countries: Uganda, South Sudan
Project365: Building Regional Capacities in Integrated Water Resources Management in Kigezi Highlands, Western Uganda
Project coordinator: Alex Saturday
Coordinating institution: Kabale University
Partner institution: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna
Partner country: Uganda
Project366: Integrated Multi-Approach towards Mycotoxin Control for Improved Food Security and Nutrition in Eastern Ethiopia
Project coordinator: Chibundu Ngozi Ezekiel
Coordinating institution:University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna
Partner institutions: Haramaya University, Oda Bultum University
Partner country: Ethiopia
Project373: Biodiversity Assessment and DNA Barcoding of Mycorrhizal and Xylotrophic Fungi in Forested Regions of Armenia
Project coordinator: Siranush Nanagyulyan
Coordinating institution: Yerevan State University
Partner institutions: University of Vienna, Scientific and Production Center “Armbiotechnology” of the National Academy of Sciences
Partner country: Armenia
Project375: A Capacity Development of Trainers on Greening TVET in the Polytechnic Colleges of Ethiopia
Project coordinator: Befekadu Zeleke
Coordinating institution: Addis Ababa University
Partner institution: University of Klagenfurt, Ministry of Labor and Skills/Federal TVET Institute
Partner country: Ethiopia
Project380: Education and Vocation Counselling Training
Project coordinator: Belachew Gebrewold
Coordinating institution: MCI - The Enterpreneurial School
Partner institutions: Kotebe University of Education, Technical and Vocational Training Institute TVET
Partner country: Ethiopia
Project383: Shared Learning between Austria and Bhutan for enhancing sustainability in the built environment
Project coordinator: Robert McLeod
Coordinating institution: Graz University of Technology
Partner institution: Jigme Namgyel Engineering College
Partner country: Bhutan
Project384: Preparing transformative teachers for emerging democracies
Project coordinator: Heike Wendt
Coordinating institution: University of Graz
Partner institution: University of Prishtina
Partner country: Kosovo
Background and Risk Analysis
The reporting period was marked by unstable geopolitical and national developments, which continue up to the submission of this report. Violence, death and destruction continued to plague the Middle East in the second half of the year. In the Gaza Strip, the war against Hamas continued with unabated intensity, particularly affecting the civilian population. In Lebanon, a country that has been politically and economically destabilised for years, the war between Hezbollah and Israel plunged the country into an even deeper crisis. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, around 4,000 people have lost their lives since the outbreak of violent confrontations in October and November 2006. The ceasefire, brokered by the United States and France, remains extremely fragile. According to UNHCR, 1.3 million people have fled their homes. Violence in Gaza and, increasingly, in the West Bank has already rendered APPEAR activities in the Palestinian territories impossible for some time. The APPEAR cooperation with the Islamic University of Gaza, which was bombed during the second week of the war, has been suspended until further notice.
On 5 November 2024, the 60th US presidential election took place, with Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance emerging victorious. One of Trump's key campaign promises was to end the war in Ukraine within a day. This raised early concerns that he would put the interests of the Russian president ahead of those of the nation under attack. Other geopolitical and economic announcements – such as expected tariff policies and at least a partial withdrawal from the transatlantic alliance – also caused global unease. The inauguration of the elected candidates took place on 20 January 2025, after the end of the reporting period, so further developments and their impact on global development cooperation will be addressed in the next report.
Austria held its 28th parliamentary elections on 29 September. As no party was willing to enter into a coalition with the FPÖ led by Herbert Kickl, which won the election with 28.8% of the vote, the Federal President entrusted the second strongest party to form a government. By the end of the reporting period, no agreement had been reached on the formation of a three-party coalition between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS. A government including the FPÖ would likely have led to significant cuts in OEZA funding, potentially affecting the continuation of the APPEAR programme. Right-wing populist governments in other European countries – most recently in the Netherlands – have radically reduced or cut funding for similar programmes. This is a highly regrettable development. The fact that the three-year OEZA plan (Dreijahresprogramm) for 2025-2027 has not yet been approved by the government, although it has been available since June 2024, is also a cause for concern. It remains to be hoped that the new Austrian government, whatever form it takes, will take sustainable development cooperation seriously and recognise and support the added value of higher education partnerships with institutions in partner countries.
The war in Ukraine has also continued unabated, with the deployment of North Korean troops on the Russian side exacerbating fears of further escalation. The situation has caused uncertainty, fear and distress in the post-Soviet states. In Georgia, there have been mass protests against the pro-Russian government; in Moldova, people fear they would have few means to resist potential Russian aggression; and since the Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh and Russia's rapprochement with Azerbaijan, Armenia has found itself relatively unprotected against powerful adversaries. A Russia-friendly negotiating approach by the Trump administration would in no way contribute to stabilising the situation in the Caucasus; on the contrary, the opposite is to be feared.
Violence in Burkina Faso continued unabated during the reporting period. Jihadist attacks in several towns caused numerous deaths and widespread insecurity among the population in the northern regions. Depending on the source, between 30 and 50 per cent of the country's territory is estimated to be under Islamist control. In addition, the junta government, along with Mali and Niger, prepared to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was completed in January 2025. This decision is seen in all three countries as a break with former colonial structures and economic dependence on European centres. Ultimately, it strengthens Russia's influence in West Africa. In Ethiopia, the situation in the Tigray region, where the war is believed to have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, has stabilised somewhat. However, fighting has continued in Amhara. Nevertheless, Tigray is still far from sustainable normalisation. At Mekelle University, around 40 per cent of the academic staff and more than half of the students are missing. During the APPEAR selection board meeting in November 2024, an agroforestry project was selected at this university to support teachers and students, particularly in this traumatic situation. In Mozambique, mass protests, looting and jailbreaks have led to many deaths since the disputed elections in October, the results of which were confirmed by the Constitutional Council. In Uganda, the situation remained relatively calm.
Against this background, APPEAR project evaluation, which was initiated during the reporting period, takes on particular significance. The evaluation of APPEAR projects is taking place at a time of geopolitical tension and violent conflict. The consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, such as high inflation, rising energy and food prices, and regional destabilisation, are being felt in almost all countries and are hampering scientific cooperation. In this violent geopolitical scenario, APPEAR increasingly sees itself as a peace project - more than ever, scientific cooperation is particularly important for sustainable and peaceful development. This crucial aspect should also be included in the evaluation of APPEAR projects. In addition to assessing whether, to what extent and for whom project objectives have been or are being achieved, the evaluation should - as outlined in the Terms of Reference - also examine how APPEAR projects have been affected by dynamic developments and changes, what adaptation strategies have been or need to be implemented, how the current political situation affects the further progress of projects, and how the new risks in relation to project and programme objectives are assessed. The lessons learned from these questions and analyses will be central to any modifications to APPEAR in response to the changing geopolitical landscape.
Performance with regard to social and environmental standards/safeguards
APPEAR sets out to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has established social and environmental standards as inherent part of the programme design. As stipulated in the call guidelines, all APPEAR projects have to implement seven basic principles:
• Participatory approach
• A concept of culturally open-minded knowledge
• Practically and empirically oriented approach
• Bottom-up and demand-driven approach
• Gender sensitivity
• Leave no one behind
• Open Access – Open data
The participatory approach of APPEAR means that project proposals should be planned and worked out jointly by the proposing partners of the main cooperating institutions. APPEAR follows an open-minded concept of knowledge, science and empirical research. APPEAR is not interested in one-sided “knowledge transfer”, usually prolonging the predominance – which is often seen as arrogance – of “western science” and “western interests”. Research and teaching outcomes as well as empirical approaches should be considered from the very beginning. Furthermore, beneficiaries on different levels should be identified and defined in order to plan and implement accordingly with a practical and empirical approach. APPEAR strictly follows a demand-driven approach through which demand has to be defined by the partners, and a participatory approach in education and research. Respect for different methodological and empirical approaches, of different epistemological and cultural systems, of different modes of interaction and interpretation of results – regarding the impact on the addressed target groups / countries in particular – should be seen as preconditions for the aimed participatory and demand-driven partnerships to be implemented on an equal basis.
APPEAR aims to contribute to gender equality and to the individual and collective empowerment of women. This means that equal participation of women and men is envisaged in all areas and that gender dimensions are integrated systematically at all programme levels. A gender-specific analysis of the context in which the research and/or the project takes place is required to understand social structures and institutions of the project and research environment. In addition, gender-specific measures and activities throughout the entire project cycle are crucial. The APPEAR Gender Strategy and additional information on gender mainstreaming can be found on the APPEAR website.
The “leave no one behind” principle as inherent part of the SDG agenda is essential for development cooperation interventions and is also to be considered within higher education projects in the framework of APPEAR. Following this approach allows to intervene in time and prevent that people with disabilities, or people from underrepresented or marginalised population groups are further neglected and discriminated by development interventions. Therefore, APPEAR partnerships have to consider the rights of persons with disabilities in their project work. The inclusion of disability mainstreaming in APPEAR Academic Partnerships, Advanced Academic Partnerships and Extended Impact Partnerships as well as in the nomination of master’s and PhD applicants will thus be regarded as an added value and will be taken into consideration in the selection process. The APPEAR Diversity Strategy can be found on the APPEAR website.
The goal of Open Access to support free and sustainable access to scientific publications has found its way into academia. APPEAR wants to contribute to this movement and by doing so contribute to the disadvantaged position of many institutions in the Global South that cannot subscribe to high-end journals. Open data is an additional initiative that has been started in recent years and is yet to be further institutionalized and systematized.
In order to ensure not only a socially but also an environmentally sustainable programme and project implementation, applicants are required to make use of the APPEAR CO2 compensation model. The BOKU’s (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna) carbon offset system has been chosen as a compensation model for APPEAR. Academic partnerships pay a compensation for their air travel to BOKU. With this contribution the BOKU finances climate protection projects in developing countries. In addition to the social and environmental responsibilities illustrated above, the project coordinators contractually commit to complying with the principles of ethical behaviour, with rules and regulations on combatting corruption and money laundering and with international counter-terrorism treaties and UN Security Council Resolutions on terrorism.
