World Bank, icipe and Partners to Evaluate Progress of PASET’s Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund Implementation in African Host Universities
The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET) has announced that the World Bank and its partners will conduct an Implementation Support Mission (ISM) from 28th – 31st March 2023, to evaluate the progress of the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) implementation.
The Rsif program, which is the flagship initiative of PASET, supports PhD and post-doctoral training, research and innovation at selected universities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to enhance the institutional capacity for quality research and innovation for economic growth and the eradication of poverty. The program focuses on five Priority Thematic Areas, that is, ICT (including artificial intelligence, robotics, bid data.), food security and agribusiness, minerals, mining and materials engineering, energy (including renewables), and climate change.
With the help of African governments, the World Bank, and the Government of Korea, Rsif has supported over 291 PhD students, of which over 37% (104) are women. It has also provided 44 research and innovation grants through 15 African ‘Host’ Universities (AHUs). Rsif’s accomplishments underscore its commitment to bridging the science, engineering and technology gap in the African continent.
The Regional Coordination Unit of Rsif is managed by the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, icipe, which is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. PASET’s Rsif program benefits from icipe’s over 50 years experiences in research, innovation and capacity building in the agricultural sciences.
The World Bank, icipe and its partners will meet face to face at icipe’s Duduville campus and virtually from 29-31 March to discuss implementation progress of the initiative. They will also visit the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University during the Implementation Support Mission to meet with students, staff and the private sector to review research and innovation grant projects financed through Rsif and pay courtesy calls to the Vice-Chancellors of both universities.
“The visit by the World Bank and its partners presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to interact with one another and discuss the progress and challenges of implementing the Rsif program,” said Dr. Moses Osiru, the Rsif’s Regional Coordination Unit Manager at icipe. “We invite the media to attend this event and engage with the stakeholders on the progress of the Rsif program.”
The visit is a significant step towards achieving PASET’s goal of promoting socio-economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa through the strengthening of applied sciences, engineering, and technology.
For additional information on Rsif and PASET, please visit www.rsif-paset.org|Kindly sign up for our newsletter for Rsif news.
Contact: Rsif Regional Coordination Unit Email: rsif@icipe.org Phone: 254 (20) 8632000