THE PASET AFRICA REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AND INNOVATION FUND

Terms of Reference, RSIF Annual Conference Intern

Project Name: The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund for Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET RSIF)

Expected duration: 4 months

Expected start date: August 2021

Supervisor: Resource Mobilization Specialist, RSIF

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) is an African-led initiative to strengthen skills in the applied sciences, engineering and technology to further socio-economic transformation in sub- Saharan Africa (SSA). The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), the flagship program of PASET, aims to support PhD students, post-doctoral scientists, and universities in SSA to establish high-quality training, research and innovation environments and to develop institutional capacity for the benefit of the whole region. The program, which was initiated in 2015 has supported over 180 PhD students and provided research and innovation grants through 11 African ‘Host’ Universities. Nine African countries are directly contributing to towards RSIF, while many others are in the process of joining. Visit www.rsif-paset.org for more information.

The first PASET RSIF Annual Conference will take place from 15-19 November 2021 in-person at Ben-Guerir, Morocco hosted by University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and virtual. The overall goals of the conference, which will bring together key science, technology and higher education stakeholders, are to i) share key relevant advances related to STI and higher education globally, relevant for Africa; and ii) review key achievements and progress of the PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) to date and get input on how to enhance its relevance and usefulness for governments and the private sector, to inform RSIF future implementation.

icipe, the Regional Coordination Unit of the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), is seeking to recruit an intern to support the organisation of the RSIF Annual Conference. The Annual Conference intern will provide critical support to all stages of preparations under the supervision of the Resource Mobilization Specialist and working closely with other RSIF team members.

What a student might expect during their placement

The intern will work in close collaboration with RSIF team members to provide support to the organisation of the RSIF Annual Conference, including finalizing invitee lists, preparing invitations, compiling confirmations, facilitating travel arrangements, supporting session planning processes, maintenance of conference secretariat information, and overall follow-up as required towards the successful organisation of the RSIF annual meeting and its expected outputs.  Specifically, the intern will;

• Support the invitation of participants for the RSIF Annual Conference
• Support the confirmations, including physical and virtual attendees, and related arrangements for their participation
• Support the response to queries and any support needs for participants or other contributors and service providers
• Support the review of information required and ensure its accuracy and completeness
• Analyzing responses, status of confirmations, bookings, and support reminders and follow-up
• Support the organisation of conference sessions and related events
• Work with the communications team to support dissemination of relevant conference materials and FAQs to a wider audience of interested stakeholders
• Keep key stakeholders informed of upcoming deadlines and deliverables, thereby ensuring smooth completion of work responsibilities
• Participate in relevant meetings related to conference preparations with RSIF team or service providers.
• Review available information from the conference to analyse trends for the conference
• Prepare a draft paper for publication
• Perform any other tasks as assigned by the RCU

Qualifications

• A relevant Bachelors degree in Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Computer sciences or related field. A Master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• A Project management qualification will be an added advantage.
• Experience with events management is an added advantage.

Core competencies

• Strong writing and communication skills
• A self- starter with excellent attention to detail
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and tight deadlines

Learning Objectives

The intern will enhance their skills in; (i) implementing efficient event management processes involving various stakeholder groups, (ii) integrating the use of online tools and management information products to promote smooth project delivery, and (iii) technical writing through the development of guidance notes and information material for the various participant groups.

Terms:

Terms for the intern will be according to icipe’s policies for internships.

How to apply 

Access the online application thriugh this Link:

Completed application and accompanying supporting documents must be submitted latest by 10 August 2021