nairobi newsletter

DAAD Regional Office for Africa - April 2013

Subject-related Partnerships with Institutions of Higher Education in Developing Countries

The programme focuses on

the improvement of teaching,

research, services and man-

agement at a partner univer-

sity through curriculum de-

sign, promotion of education/

training of professors,

(under)graduates and junior

faculty members.

It also aims at creating net-

works among German and

African universities. Subject-

related partnerships can run

for up to four years.

Funding / Requirements:

· Application by German

university in cooperation with

African partners

· Max. 50,000 Euro per year

for up to 4 years: travel costs,

stipends for Germans &

Africans and accommodation

· Additional funding up to

20,000 Euro /p.a. possible, if

a third African party is in-

cluded in the programme

Application deadline:

June, 30th 2013

(Funding commences in

January 2014)

Editorial

DAAD

Regional Office for Africa

P.O.Box 14050-00800

Nairobi, Kenya

Director:

Christoph Hansert

Editor:

Anja Bengelstorff

Contact:

+254 733 929 929

info@daadafrica.org

http://nairobi.daad.de

Research in the time of

e-resources

How to write a grant proposal? How to

write a research proposal? How do I ac-

cess relevant literature for my academic

and research work?

The DAAD Regional Office for East Africa

answered these questions amply by conduc-

ting a four day workshop for 36 current DAAD

Master and PhD scholars in Tanzania, whose

purpose it was to equip scholars with relevant

skills on how to effectively access and utilize

e-resources in their university education and

research work. Participants were also

equipped with skills on grant proposal writing

as well as proposal writing for academic pur-

poses.

The workshop was organized in collaboration

with the Information Training and Outreach

Centre for Africa (ITOCA). The event took

place in Dar es Salaam from 12 -15 March

2013. The e-resources training covered the

sources HINARI (Health InterNetwork Access

to Research Initiative), AGORA (Access to

Global Online Research in Agriculture), Open

Access content but also TEEAL (The Essen-

tial Electronic Agricultural Library) as well as

Reference Management Softwares. Search

strategies were introduced to enable the at-

tendees to retrieve relevant electronic full text

journal articles with ease.

Resource persons for the workshop were Dr.

Tandi Lwoga, Dr. Pamela Marinda, Dr.

Baanda Salim, Prof. Hamadi Boga, Dr.

Mkoma, Dr. Charles Kihampa, Grace Msoffe,

Dr. Magadula and Prof. Mulungu. They were

drawn from universities in Tanzania and

Kenya.

The participants had the opportunity to reflect

on the course at a reception hosted by Jan-

Dieter Gosink, the Cultural Attaché of the Ger-

man Embassy in Tanzania, on Friday evening.

Scholars were very delighted to have had the

opportunity to attend this valuable training.

Happy faces: Participants newly equipped with skills to use e-

resources

No sweat, no gain: Scholars on their way to finding just the right

resource to beef up their research

page 2

newsletter April 2013

In-Country Scholar-ships

Kenya:

Announcement 2013

DAAD offers Masters and

PhD scholarships within the

"DAAD In-country Scholar-

ships for Postgraduate Stud-

ies" programme.

This programme is meant for

staff members of public

universities and fully char-

tered universities in Kenya

(or candidates considered for

teaching or research staff

recruitment) or from the

public sector aiming at a

Master’s or a PhD / Doctor-

ate in a discipline with

strong relevance to na-

tional development

(including the applied Social

Sciences, environmental and

other special areas of Law,

but excluding the Humani-

ties and Fine Arts).

There is no age limit but the

previous degree must not be

older than 6 years at the time

of application.

The applicant needs a

Bachelors degree with at

least second upper (please

calculate from the transcripts

if the degree is not graded)

for the masters scholarship,

and a Masters degree for the

PhD scholarship.

Only Kenyan citizens are

eligible.

Application deadline:

20th June

at the DAAD office in Nairobi

or

at the Board of Postgraduate

Studies/Graduate School of

the intended university of

study.

Applications from female

candidates as well as appli-

cants from less privileged

groups and regions are

encouraged.

Application details are avail-

able on the link below:

http://nairobi.daad.de/

fund-

ing_for_studying_kenya_a.ph

p

From an In-Country scho-larship in Kenya to my short research visit to Ger-many

I am an In-Country DAAD scholar from Ethio-

pia, pursuing a Masters degree in Biology of

Conservation at the University of Nairobi. From

July to September 2013, I went for a short re-

search visit to the University of Konstanz in

Germany, courtesy of DAAD. This visit helped

me not only in gaining academic experience

and creating an international exposure to Ger-

man academic institutions, but also in getting

to know the German society, culture and tradi-

tion.

Before travelling, the first and foremost thing

that I needed to do was to find a hosting super-

visor at a German university. I communicated

to different professors in Germany which was-

n’t an easy task. After I got an invitation from

Prof. Dr. Mark van Kleunen (University of Kon-

stanz), I tried to read widely about Germany

and learn a little German to prepare myself.

Prof. van Kleunen was very cooperative and

helped me in making all arrangements through

his assistants. I was able to access the univer-

sity library, laboratory and greenhouse facilities

under his research group.

As the professor’s research team was interna-

tional, I got the opportunity to work and share

experiences with them. Unreservedly, this was

of great benefit for my current and future ca-

reer. Prof. van Kleunen’s research team or-

ganized a boat trip on Lake Constance and

helped me to experience the natural beauty

of a place called Mainau (on the outskirts of

Konstanz city) which is one of the most

memorable experiences of my visit in Ger-

many. Apart from socializing with the Ger-

mans and their country, I didn’t experience

any negative stereotypes during my stay in

Germany.

Finally, I am very privileged of being one of

the DAAD scholars and would like to thank

for the very cooperative DAAD staff both in

Bonn and Nairobi who made my visit fruitful

and successful without any stumbling block.

Demissew Tsigemelak

Plants in Germany: DAAD scholar Demissew wonders

whether they are digestible...

An Ethiopian in Germany researches plants in pots as well as in the wild. After work is done, his team takes him on a boat trip. Call that

a reward!

page 3

newsletter April 2013

DAAD trains young scientists on their way to German research hubs in scien-tific proposal writing

For the 5th time, a proposal writing workshop was offered by the DAAD

Office Nairobi: The workshop aimed to improve the scientific writing

skills of potential DAAD PhD scholarship applicants to Germany and

to introduce the German research landscape to young Kenyan aca-

demics. On March 28, with the assistance of selected trainers, about

40 graduate students gathered at Kenyatta University Conference

Center to prepare themselves thoroughly for the application whose

deadline is on September 30.

Prof. Joy Obando (KU) welcomed the participants and DAAD’s pro-

gramme officer Anja Bengelstorff, who organised the event, laid out

the requirements for PhD scholarship applications to Germany. Fur-

thermore, the young researchers were instructed by Dr. Shaban Ma-

yanja on how to find a supervisor in Germany.

To make the learning process as effective as

possible for the participants they worked in small

groups according to their respective fields. Dr.

Fridah Kanana (KU), Dr. Shaban Mayanja (UoN)

and Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa (KU) headed the

group of Social Sciences/ Humanities/ Econom-

ics. Dr. Solomon Derese (UoN) and Dr. Stella-

maris Muthoka (Egerton U) trained the Natural

Sciences group. Prof. Joy Obando (KU) was en-

trusted with the young researchers of Geo Sci-

ences. A highly useful instruction on “Literature

access, review and reference management“ was

provided by Dr. Pamela Marinda (ITOCA).

During the second part of the workshop in June,

participants will have the opportunity to conduct

mock interviews, similar to those of the actual

scholarship interview. Before then, they are

given time to improve their proposals based on

what they learnt in the March workshop and get

feedback by their trainers.

The participants stated that the workshop met

their expectations: They saw it as a great help to

refine their research goals, the methodology

needed to attain them and the practical steps

necessary to embark on an international re-

search career. They now feel better prepared to

write a convincing proposal. Both subjects dis-

cussed and organization was evaluated as very

good by almost all participants.

How to find a PhD supervisor in Germany In order to apply for DAAD PhD scholarships to Germany, the invitation of a host researcher is a requirement. Here are a few useful suggestions on how to establish research contacts in Germany:

What is a good PhD supervisor?

They must be professor (not only [senior] lecturer) at a German university.

They should do research in exactly the field you are working on to make sure they will be interested in your research.

They express their interest in supervising someone with your kind of topic

- either explicitly: see database of structured PhD programmes (www.phdgermany.de)

Many structured PhD programmes (combining coursework with research/thesis writing) are offering vacant positions, aiming at interna-tional students. This guarantees an interest in supervising a student on the given topic.

- or they have published in English on your topic: Advanced googling (www.google.com → click the search field → type inurl:uni site:.de prof and add your keywords → hit the search button → choose a university or research institution and contact the professor)

- they are heading a department in your field: Research Explorer (www.daad.de/research-explorer → Search by subject area → Choose a research institution from your field and contact the professor in charge of the research group in question)

When establishing contact to a potential supervisor (via email, for example), make sure you address the person by full name and title. Put information in the “subject line”, like “Research collaboration in xyz...” or else. Introduce yourself briefly in academic terms. Give reasons why you chose to contact THIS particular person (publications, reference etc.) and why you want to work with THIS particular person. Make sure you point out what you have to offer to HIM/HER in terms of research. Check spelling before sending the email!

Send a polite reminder if you don’t get a response within 10 days.

No abstract

without a title.

This was just one

of the hurdles the

workshop

participants took

with ease.

Scholarships,

here we come!

page 4

newsletter April 2013

DAAD workshop on “Climate Change Adaptation” in Khartoum and El Obeid, Sudan

A group of lecturers and students from the TU Dresden led by Prof. Dr. Pretzsch from the Department of Forestry visited

Sudan from 3rd

to 15th March 2013 to participate in a workshop on Climate Change Adaptation. This is the only project

with Sudanese partners in the first phase of the DAAD programme “Welcome to Africa” that runs from 2012 to 2015. It

follows a long lasting scientific cooperation especially between the Forestry Departments in Dresden and El Obeid.

Apart from the group from Dresden, representatives from universities in Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania joined the work-

shop that was organized by the Forestry Departments of the University of Khartoum and the University of Kordofan. In

both organizing committees DAAD Alumni played a dominant role.

The first part of the workshop took place in Khartoum. At the opening session on 4th March, short welcome speeches

were held by the representatives of the participating universities, by the DAAD representative in Sudan, Dr. Wolfram Full,

and by the German Ambassador, Rolf Welberts. During the following days, theoretical sessions on the effects of climate

change on land use were held. The participants went for excursions to projects in the vicinity.

For the second part of the workshop the participants moved to El Obeid in Kordofan. There they were welcomed by scien-

tists and local political leaders from El Obeid and Northern Kordofan State. All emphasized the significance of the work-

shop in regard to the ongoing desertification in Sudan that is at least partly caused by climate change.

Four more days of discussions of this issue and additional excursions to markets, factories, forests and national parks

followed before the workshop ended on 12th March with a big dinner party organized by the Deputy Governor of Northern

Kordofan State. The next workshop of the project partners will take place in Ethiopia.

Wolfram Full

MBA Management in Healthcare

The UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES NEU-ULM, GERMANY (HNU) offers an MBA Programme in collabo-ration with UNIVERSITY OF ELDORET (Kenya) and MZUMBE UNIVERSITY (Tanzania.). The Programme is partly tenable at University of Eldoret (UoE) in Kenya and at Mzumbe University (MU) main campus Morogoro in Tanzania.

Who is the target group? This course is addressed to managers and administrative staff of hospitals and other health care related institutions that include health administrators, medical doctors, nurses and pharmacists or related professions in health care.

How can I apply for the course?

Prospective students are required to send their application online to HNU. The deadline for application is set to be on

the 30th

April 2013.

The following documents have to be part of the applica-tion:

Application form

Up to date CV

2 Passport size photos

Certified copies of the university awards The complete application has to be send to Sylvia Göbel sylvia.goebel@hs-neu-ulm.de What will it cost? The tuition fees is € 12,000.- per student for the whole MBA programme. The fee covers the costs of tuition, ex-ams, materials and the field trip to a chosen African coun-try. It is possible to pay the tuition fees in three install-ments of € 4,000.- each with the first installment at the beginning of the course. More information: Prof. Rainer Burk www.hs-neu-ulm.de/healthcare-mba.de

ADVERTISEMENT

page 5

newsletter April 2013

From among the large

number of postgraduate

courses offered by Ger-

man institutions of higher

education, the German

Academic Exchange

Service (DAAD) supports

a carefully chosen

selection of programmes

of particular interest to

junior executives from

developing countries.

These degree courses,

which consist of one or

two years of concentrated

study, provide young,

academically-trained

professionals in leading

positions from developing

countries with the oppor-

tunity to engage in post-

graduate education and

training in their particular

field or profession, such

as economics, engineer-

ing, agriculture, public

health and social sci-

ences.

The courses, mainly at

Master’s level, are open

to candidates with a very

good first degree (not

older than 6 years), at

least one year work ex-

perience and preferably a

study leave from the

employer.

Application Deadline at

DAAD Office Nairobi:

31st July

Application Deadline at

DAAD Bonn:

31st August

Application Deadline at

the respective Univer-

sity in Germany:

15th October

More info

Svenja Mank from Rostock is the new DAAD intern

It gives me pleasure to introduce myself as

the new KULTURWEIT volunteer at the

DAAD Regional Office. KULTURWEIT is a

program that aims at a cross-cultural ex-

change and for that is giving young Germans

the opportunity to work abroad for a certain

period of time.

I am from Rostock, a smaller city in Germany

right at the Baltic Sea. Before I came to

Kenya, I studied educational and communica-

tion science at the University of Erfurt which

is situated in the central-eastern part of Ger-

many. After my internship in Nairobi, I intend

to pursue Master’s studies in the field of inter-

national and cross-cultural educational work.

I think that living abroad for some time is an

incredibly precious experience. That is why I

am glad to be part of the team of DAAD Nai-

robi for the next five months where I can help

offering that opportunity to East African stu-

dents and researchers. Providing those who

are interested in studying in Germany an idea

of what it is

like to study

and live espe-

cially in that

country is an

important task

for me in the

near future.

It is the first time that I visit Kenya and sub-

Saharan Africa. I take a great interest in the

Swahili culture. Therefore I already had the

chance to travel to Lamu where among others

I became acquainted with traditional architec-

ture and handicraft. As this was my first con-

tact I am anxious to learn more about that

culture. Therefore I am looking forward to

start a Kiswahili language course soon.

Development-Related Postgradu-ate Courses (formerly: Post-graduate Course for Professionals with Relevance to Developing Coun-tries)

Regional Tracer Workshop at Kenyatta University 11-12 February 2013 The aim of the workshop "Tracer Studies in Eastern Africa: Findings and their Relevance for University Strategies and Curriculum Development" was the dissemination of the results of institution-wide tracer studies carried out within the framework of the University Graduate Tracer Study Training (UNITRACE) participants from Kenyatta University, Moi University and Addis Ababa University as well as by other researchers from the region and abroad to contribute to the development of higher education in the region.

The themes of the workshop on the first day focused on the concept and relevance of tracer studies addressing, among others, the question on the purpose of getting information from the graduates and what information is needed; the implementation of tracer studies demonstrating the examples of good practice as well as relevance of tracer studies for the region in general and individual universities in particular.

The second day focused on a joint UNITRACE and Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) conference on the "Integration of Tracer Study in Quality Assurance and Manage-ment Process". This conference addressed Higher Education Officials and the Commission for University Education, including Deputy Vice Chancellors, Principals, Deputy Principals, and Quality Assurance officers from the Eastern Africa region on the potential of graduate surveys in contributing to the development of higher education in the region. It was noted that graduate sur-veys are becoming increasingly important for a number of reasons including:

Demand for empirical evidence regarding the professional relevance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) study programs using graduate tracer studies.

HEIs require graduate tracer studies for accreditation of study programmes.

HEIs are interested in feedback from their graduates on the quality of education.

Sixty stakeholders participated in the workshop and conference which was organized jointly by UNITRACE, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the International Centre for Higher Education Research (INCHER) of the University of Kassel. This workshop and confer-ence are part of the DIES programme (Dialog on Innovative Higher Education Strategies) which has been jointly coordinated by DAAD and HRK since 2001.

Joy Obando

page 6

newsletter April 2013

This programme is designed

to further qualify future lead-

ers in politics, law, econom-

ics and administration ac-

cording to principles of Good

Governance and to prepare

them in a praxis-oriented

course for their professional

life.

The programme offers very

good graduates with a first

university degree the chance

to obtain a Master’s degree

in disciplines that are of

special relevance for the

social, political and economic

development of their home

country.

The programme targets well

qualified graduates with a

first university degree

(Bachelor or equivalent). The

scholarships are offered both

for young graduates without

professional experience and

for mid-career professionals.

The university degree should

have been obtained during

the six years before the

application for the scholar-

ship. Applicants cannot be

considered if they have been

in Germany for more than 15

months at the time of applica-

tion.

Application Deadline:

31st July 2013 at DAAD

Office Nairobi

More info

DAAD Regional Office supports Humboldt Kolleg 2013 to strengthen the collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

From April 9th to 12

th, the Humboldt Kolleg

2013 was held at the Technical University of

Kenya in collaboration with the Alexander von

Humboldt Foundation. It was mainly sup-

ported by the DAAD.

The conference dealt with the topic of Linking

Environmental Research To Kenya’s Devel-

opment Agenda And Vision 2030. The objec-

tive was to bring together key researchers

and stakeholders involved in environmental

research and management in the East Afri-

can Region. Furthermore, the conference

aimed at strengthening the collaboration of

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and

DAAD.

DAAD Regional Office for East Africa spon-

sored under its Small Alumni Fund a number

of alumni to take part in this important confer-

ence. They managed to contribute actively in

the success of the conference. The Alexander

von Humboldt Foundation was represented

by Dr. Thomas Scheidtweiler, Head of Divi-

sion Africa/Middle East.

During the Opening Session on April 10th,

DAAD Nairobi Deputy Director Jutta Quade

gave a lecture on DAAD Funding for Africa

and in particular East Africa. The presentation

was completed by relevant information mate-

rial which could be collected from a desig-

nated table outside the conference hall

manned by further DAAD Nairobi staff.

Master’s Scholar-

ships for Public

Policy and Good

Governance

(PPGG)

Prioritize Quality Assurance, DVCs told

Universities should prioritize quality assurance: This responsibility should especially be taken up

by Deputy-Vice Chancellors in charge of academic affairs (DVC-As). Speaking on the 12th of

February at Kenya Utalii College at a high level meeting on quality assurance involving DVC-As,

the DVC-A of United States International University (USIU), Prof Matthew Buyu, said every uni-

versity should focus on five imperative areas annually, drawn from the strategic plan of the uni-

versity. Prof Buyu also suggested that quality assurance should be linked to other areas of the

strategic plan such as performance contracting. The DVCs agreed that universities must not only

appoint QA champions but also put in place succession plans to ensure stability and sustainabil-

ity.

Mike Kuria