ISNAD-Africa Call for Applications: Mentoring for Research Programme (2020 Cohort)

Call for Applications: Mentoring for Research Programme (2020 Cohort)

The International Support Network for African Development (ISNAD-Africa) is a youth-led pan-African initiative that is committed to raising global and multi-stakeholder support for clean energy transition and climate resilience Africa through a multidisciplinary network of various stakeholders active in sustainable energy, environment, and climate change fields across the globe.

ISNAD-Africa’s Mentoring for Research Programme (MRP) establishes technical and thematic mentoring relationships between students in African Universities, and, experienced researchers and professionals from more than 50 countries across the globe. Students selected for the programme are those who are undergoing master’s and doctoral degree programmes in any discipline and are conducting the research on sustainable energy, environment and climate change topics for their thesis. The programme currently has, as mentors, researchers and professionals from various institutions and organisations such as the World Bank, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Harvard University, Yale University, Imperial College London, Center for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO), Chatham House, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) among other world-class institutions and international organisations. The programme currently supports numerous masters and PhD students from various universities in seventeen (17) African countries.

By working with our partners, ISNAD-Africa also secures fellowships and grant for most outstanding students (mentees) on the programme to participate in international trainings and conferences.

In preparation for the commencement of the 2020 cohort of the programme, ISNAD-Africa is inviting applications from qualified and interested students (Master’s and Doctoral) in universities across African countries for the 2020 cohort of its Mentoring for Research Programme (MRP).

Benefits:

• admission into a one-year one-to-one technical and thematic mentoring relationship on your research with an experienced researcher or professional (with expertise in your area of research) from world-class organisations such as the World Bank, Harvard University, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Chatham House, and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) among other international institutions and organisations.
• Participation in a series of webinar trainings, on sustainable energy, environment and climate change (including soft skills), to be hosted by the Clean Energy Solutions Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA)
• Support by a mentor to structure your research to be innovative, problem-solving, practice-oriented, and carried out to meet global standards
• Support by ISNAD-Africa to communicate your research findings to relevant stakeholders in the global community, hence, creating more visibility for your research work and career opportunities
• Best-performing mentees will be selected with full-funding to participate in the one-month residential  UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Short Course on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management (CIPSEM) at the Technische Universität Dresden in Dresden, Germany.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants should be registered postgraduate students in universities in Africa countries
  • Doctoral students
  • Master’s students should have made a minimum of Second Class (Upper Division) or equivalent from their undergraduate programmes
• Successful applicants will be those who possess excellent research ideas aimed at solving a problem or an innovative approach on sustainable energy, environment or climate change
• Applicants should be carrying out their research in 2020. (Please note that the research may be a new or ongoing research, however, priority will be given to research projects that are at their early stages). Also note that students whose research programme extend beyond 2020 are also eligible to apply and could be considered for extension till the completion of their research.
• Applications are welcome from students in any discipline (Technology, Sciences, Arts, Law, Social Sciences, Environmental Design and Management, Agriculture, Health Sciences, ICT, among others) provided their research are on sustainable energy, environment or climate change-based topics.

In addition to the established research subjects (such as energy access, renewable energy policy); new non-conventional research frontiers such as climate photography, environmental journalism, among others, will be of special interest.

Application Procedure:

Qualified and interested applicants are invited to complete the online application here.

Deadline for applications:  Thursday January 31, 2020 (11:59 GMT). 

Please note that applicants may start their applications and save on the application portal while they continue later. However, all applications should be completed and submitted latest Thursday January 31, 2020 (11:59 GMT). 

For inquiries, please contact us via: mrp@isnad-africa.org