Dear RSIF Stakeholders,
We are indeed pleased to share with you our maiden issue of the RSIF Weekly Newsletter. We hope that the newsletter will be informative and help to share information, news, and opportunities relevant to the African higher education, science, technology and innovation space.
The RSIF Regional Coordination Unit at icipe remains fully operational and has put in place measures to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 . The program has now finalized recruitment of second cohort PhD scholars (69) pending final approval by the PASET Executive Board. These 69 will undergo orientation training from June 2-9 virtually and join the 15 first cohort scholars who are undertaking internship training in Korea, the US and Africa. A call for the third Cohort is currently open until June 15. It is hoped that over 100 scholars will be recruited. Over the coming weeks we will launch a call for additional RSIF African Host Universities and more calls for research and innovation grants. More information can be found at https://www.rsif-paset.org/ .
We invite you to subscribe and share the RSIF newsletter within your network. Please also share with us any news, opportunities or events that you feel should be shared with the PASET and icipe Family.
We take this opportunity to wish you safety, health and well-being during these challenging times. We also wish our Moslem Brothers and Sisters Happy upcoming Idd-ul-Fitr.
March 5th, a lunch was organized at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington DC, as a showcase for the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) RSIF initiative. From Kigali to Dakar, many people have joined to reflect on the initiative, such as the RSIF scholars, faculty at the African Host Universities (AHU), World Bank members and others. The main objective of the event was to highlight the experiences from six young and bright African Ph.D. students, members of the first cohort of RSIF scholars from across the continent, who are currently studying in Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) as a part of their scholarship program. In addition to hearing from the Ph.D. students, African governments, universities, and donors (World Bank and Korea) shared their thoughts and support for the initiative.
The Ambassadors and representatives of contributing countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal, and RSIF donors (World Bank and Korea) were present for this exciting moment. The dynamism and the research topics of the students instilled hope and optimism for the future and we can’t thank them enough for that.
Achieving the NDP’s higher education targets could lift more than 20% out of poverty by 2030. The extra resources can be understood as an important investment only if there is a dedicated commitment to enhancing four performance area.
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In the drive to eradicate poverty and inequality in South Africa, nothing could be more important than better economic chances for the youth. Education, employment and rising incomes are very close relatives. Tertiary education is the most critical asset that opens up opportunities for low-income households to lift themselves out of poverty.
There is a two-way relationship between quality education output and job creation. A growing economy will absorb a more qualified and capable labour force. And a more qualified and capable labour force creates a greater incentive for firms to invest in labour-absorbing activities. Click here .. to read this Op-Ed written by member in the PASET Consultative Advisory Group, Dr. Miriam Altman.
The emergence of the Digital Economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are radically transforming the way the world works.
Governments and institutions are rapidly converting their public services to digital platforms and entrepreneurs can now access larger markets and capitalize on skills and services from larger networks.
This transformation is enabling many new jobs and generating a great demand for digital skills.
By 2050, 525 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa will be under the age of 24. With 11 million youth entering the labor force each year, Sub-Saharan Africa has an enormous opportunity to take advantage of the incredible potential of the digital economy. Read more…
The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) is an Africa led initiative to address fundamental gaps in skills and knowledge necessary for long-term, sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. PASET established a Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) to contribute towards the training of a critical mass of PhD and post-doctoral candidates, and support research and innovation in the following priority thematic areas: ICTs including big data; food security and agribusiness; minerals, mining and materials engineering; energy including renewables; and climate change.
In 2018, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) was competitively selected by the World Bank and PASET to house the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) for the PASET-RSIF. The overall goal of RSIF is to strengthen Africa’s institutional capacity for quality and sustainable doctoral training, research and innovation in transformative technologies in SSA. The RCU is developing a roster of international experts to provide evaluation and review of RSIF applications for African Host Universities, PhD scholarships, Research Grants & Innovation Grants. The RCU is seeking reviewers who are subject matter experts in at least one of the following priority thematic areas: ICTs including big data and artificial intelligence; food security and agribusiness; climate change; minerals, mining and materials engineering and energy. Applications are invited from experienced researchers with a track record of peer review of scientific publications, grant applications, higher education and involvement in scientific innovation and enterprise.
Expert reviewers will evaluate applications submitted to the RCU for the following four windows:
African Host Universities to host PhD Scholarships, Research and Innovation grants in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Scholarships for PhD training to be awarded to nationals of any SSA country interested in pursuing a PhD degree in one of the five thematic areas. Priority will be given to young faculty without PhDs and women.
Innovation grants to be awarded to RSIF scholars and faculty to support innovations and the uptake of research into practical implementation through collaborations with industry.
Research grants to be awarded to faculty engaged in PhD training in host universities in SSA and to RSIF graduates who obtain a post-doctoral or permanent position in an academic institution or research centre in SSA.
Scope of Engagement
To conduct remote desk review of individual applications submitted to the RCU for the following; (i) African Host Universities, (ii) PhD scholarships, (ii) Research Grants and, (iv) Innovation Grants;
To complete written evaluations of applications based on selection criteria within a stipulated time and provide recommendations in collaboration with team of thematic experts;
To participate in remote/physical meetings to deliberate applications alongside thematic area experts where necessary.
Eligibility
Applicants should be subject matter experts in at least one of the five themes targeted by the RSIF calls. This expertise should be evidenced by applicant’s publications (in refereed journals, books, conference papers) as well as research excellence (projects, technologies and other inventions).
Applicants should be PhD holders from recognized universities.
Applicants interested in reviewing proposals for the innovation grants should exemplify experience in areas of enterprise development, intellectual property, impact investments and innovation.
Applicants should have a record of peer review of scientific publications, grant proposals and graduate students’ supervision.
