Introduction

The role of science, technology and innovation, as essential tools for Africa’s socio-economic transformation cannot be overemphasized, and this is the bedrock of the ASRIC-UEMF partnership which birthed the ASRIC-UEMF PhD scholarship scheme.

The African Scientific, Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC) is a special advisory body to the African Union mandated to implement the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024) and to promote scientific research and innovation in order to address the challenges of Africa’s socio-economic development. It also mobilizes African research excellence and provides a platform for dialogue among African scientists and serves as a voice of the scientific community in building and sustaining continental research and innovation nexus, including building the requisite technical capabilities. ASRIC was launched in 2018 and the African Union Scientific, Technical and Research Commission (AU-STRC) is the Secretariat of the ASRIC.

On the other hand, the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes (UEMF), Morocco, was created in November 2012 and labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean (a union of 43 country members). UEMF is a University of a regional character and is located in the iconic city of Fes, which houses one of the oldest still-functioning universities in the world, “Al Karaouiyine”. The University was created with the aim to promote the values of leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and solidarity, in furtherance, UEMF is a growing centre of excellence in higher education and research with more than one and half thousand students, 24% of which are scholarship recipients.

In 2019, these two prestigious institutions entered into a strategic partnership for Capacity Building of Africa’s youths and to enhance research and innovation for Africa’s development. Considering the comparative advantage and the common mandate of ASRIC and UEMF “building Africa’s technical competences” the two institutions decided to engage in a long-term scientific collaboration, leading to the UEMF offering Scholarships to African Ph.D. students to undertake studies and research work at UEMF.

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The 1st and 2nd Calls for PhD scholarships for African students were successfully announced for the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, where eligible candidates passed through a rigorous screening process and were awarded the scholarship. In furtherance to the success of the 1st and 2nd Calls, the ASRIC and UEMF are hereby launching the 3rd Call for the year 2022.

The Call

The ASRIC and UEMF  are offering 10 scholarship slots for the academic year 2022-2023 to African PhD students to carry out their doctoral research work at the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes (UEMF), Morocco. The duration of the study and that of the scholarship is three years.

The scholarship includes; tuition fees of about $9,000, an annual return ticket from your home country with a maximum contribution of $1,000 during summer vacation, and stipend allowance of $1,000 monthly for 11 months every year.

Fields of study

Interested candidates MUST be ready to undertake research in the following areas:

  1. Artificial Intelligence
  2. Additive Manufacturing and materials
  3. Renewable Energy, Green hydrogen and Power-to-X
  4. Chemistry
  5. Management
  6. Sensors

Eligibility Requirement

  • Must be a national of one of the African Union Member States;
  • Applicants must be less than 35 years of age at the end date of this call;
  • Must have Master’s Degree (in science or engineering), Diploma or Engineering Diploma or any other equivalent diploma (baccalaureate + 5); and
  • The candidate must demonstrate remarkable ability and devotion along with experiences in conducting research in the selected field of study.

Application Forms

The application form is accessible via this link – https://blog.aau.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ASRIC-UEMF-PhD-Application-Form.docx . The Form should be completed and submitted before the deadline of the call. The following are also to be attached to the application form:

  1. an updated CV;
  2. A certified copy of the baccalaureate;
  3. A certified copy of the master’s diploma or the engineering diploma or any other equivalent diploma (Bac + 5);
  4. A copy of certified transcript(s) of all university-level coursework completed corresponding to the diploma or masters;
  5. A copy of the Master (or equivalent) thesis or dissertation;
  6. A certified copy of an applicant’s international passport.
  7. 2 personal passport size photographs

All application and supporting documents should be submitted in the above-mentioned order (compiled into one PDF document) to the ASRIC Secretariat electronically before the Call deadline.

African Union Scientific, Technical and Research Commission

Plot 114 Yakubu Gowon Crescent,

Abuja, Nigeria

 Email: asric.au@yahoo.com and cc austrc@africa-union.org

 Telephone: +2348065891643

 Deadline for Application

 The call will be ended by the 30th of June, 2022 by 17th hour Rabat Local time; any application received after the deadline will be rejected.

More information on the Scholarship is available via this link – http://asric.africa/callscholar.html

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