climapAfrica addresses future African leaders in climate research and protection. The programme has two tracks – one offering postdoctoral fellowships and one for alumni of German funding initiatives.

The programme sponsors a variety of research fields linked to climate change. Please find a list of requested research fields below:

• agriculture
• biodiversity
• climate systems
• economics
• education
• energy
• food security
• human security
• informatics
• (adapted) land use
• sustainability of tree savannahs and forests
• water security and water resources

Please do not hesitate to contact climapafrica@daad.de, if you have doubts whether your research focus qualifies for the program.

 

Using the definition of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), for us, climate change refers to a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and that is, in addition to natural climate variability, observed over comparable time periods. A link to this definition in your research is obligatory in our program.

Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar and Bénin, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

 

The programme has a total of five calls of application between 2019 and 2021.

Applications for the 5th cohort can be submitted between

11 October 2021 and 17 November 2021. 

Please note, that funding of the 5th scholarship cohort will start on 1 March 2022 and end on 28 February 2023 and is limited for a maximum of 12 months.

We will provide you with the necessary details as soon as possible.
 

No. A research stay in Germany of 2 to 6 months is optional.

In case of a planned research stay in Germany within the 12 months of total funding, this stay must be considered in the application and time schedule. An invitation letter of a German host is mandatory part of the required application documents.

The qualification for this programme requires a PhD degree, the nationality of an African country and a host institution in western/southern Africa.

Unfortunately, you have to be a postdoc at the beginning of the funding period, but during the application period, your certified transcript of records and your letter of completion will be adequate, if you didn’t receive your PhD degree yet. Please note, that these documents need to be certified as true copies. The proof of your PhD degree is required with beginning of your funding period.

If you didn’t receive your PhD degree before the beginning of funding, the DAAD welcomes your application for a following call after completion of your PhD.
 

Please register for the DAAD portal. Once registered, you will be able to apply for the DAAD programme “Climate research Alumni and Postdocs in Africa.”

For more information, please have a look at our detailed manuals on how to submit an application.

 

Unfortunately, the only accepted option to submit your application is via the DAAD portal.

No. Applications can only be submitted during the application calls (please see information above). Applications that are submitted out of the application period, cannot be accepted.

The submission of the following documents is required:

1. Online application form
2. Curriculum vitae (CV)
3. PhD certificate – only accepted as a true copy.
   Certified transcript of records and certified letter of completion, if awaiting PhD degree before beginning of funding
4. Masters certificate – only accepted as a true copy
5. List of publications (if applicable)
6. Copy of passport
7. Research proposal
8. Time schedule
9. A detailed Outline of ideas for setting up a postdoc-alumni working group
10. Two letters of recommendation by academic referees via post 
11. Letter of invitation by hosting institution(s) – only accepted with stamp of institution

 

There are two options for the submission of the reference letters.

The first option is the submission as a hard copy via post. Please note the long times of delivery to Germany. The letters of recommendation need to be sent in sealed envelopes.

The exact shipping address is:

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. - DAAD
German Academic Exchange Service
Section Africa – ST32
Mariane Michels
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
Germany

The second option is to submit the 2 letters via fax by your referee to +49 228-882-98143.
The upload by the applicant via the DAAD portal won’t be accepted.

 

Unfortunately, only applications in English language can be accepted.

Yes, you can try another time with an improved application.

The host institution should detail why it is particularly suitable for the execution of the research project, as well as the support that will be provided (e.g. office space, technical equipment)

Yes, if your home institution is located in our of the following countries in western/southern  Africa, it is possible to choose your home institution as host.

Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cape Verde Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar and Bénin, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

 

An invitation letter is also needed in case you will realise your research project at your home institution.

 

Angola, Bénin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
 

If you plan to have research stay in Germany, please submit an invitation letter of a German host with your applicatin documents.

Please find more information here.

The reviewing process takes about 8-10 weeks. 2-3 weeks after that, an independent committee of reviewers will decide about your application.

About 3 weeks after the selection committee meeting, we will inform the applicants about the outcome. Please note that due to public holidays this time may vary.

Each proposal will be sent to two external reviewers whose expertise corresponds to the proposed research topic. External reviewers will be recruited among climate researchers from all over the world.
An interdisciplinary selection committee which adequately reflects the disciplines of the applicants will then be responsible for the final rating. This will result in a ranking list, according to which successful and reserve candidates will be identified, taking into account the available funding.

The main criteria for evaluation are (1) the achievements of the applicant to date (scientific and other qualifications, and particular conditions which have influenced the academic progress) and (2) the quality of the proposed project and the consistency with long-term career planning and ideas for the joint postdoc- alumni working groups. Other factors are the coherence and stringency of the research proposal. 

No, climapAfrica is strictly oriented on the DAAD principle to provide funding for the best candidates.

The basic fellowship consists of:

• A research allowance sum of max. EUR 10.000,- (depends on research target and
• will be divided in multiple payments
• A monthly allowance of EUR 800,- amount of the payment has been designed and calculated to cover your living costs such as rent/accommodation, provision and board.
• A flat-rate travel allowance
• An allowance for accident, personal liability and health insurance 

Additionally, support for the following activities can be granted (subject to availability of funds):

• Short-term research stays in Germany (2 to 6 months)
• Mobility fellowships for the active participation (poster or talk) in relevant      international conferences in the field of climate change/ climate research

 

The fellowship awards are tenable for a period of 12 months. The duration of your research stay and funding depends mainly on the time schedule that you planned for the realization of your work.

Unfortunately, it is only possible to combine the climapAfrica scholarship with supplementary scholarships, grants or awards from your own country or from another non-German source, as long as the total received amount is less than or equal to 50% of your DAAD monthly scholarship payment.

The centerpieces of the climapAfrica program are thematic working groups that include postdoctoral fellows and alumni of German funding initiatives from all over Africa. These joint alumni-postdoc working groups give the postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to mutually benefit from their experiences and insights and gain valuable input from the alumni. They set the framework for your collaboration over the course of the program.

As climapAfrica postdoctoral fellow you are in charge, together with your fellow working group members, to organise the joint alumni - postdoc working groups and to keep them running. The outline that is required as part of your application should include goals, set-up, preferred communication channels, etc. of the working group. The communication within the working groups will be primarily digital with two to three physical meetings planned per working group and year.

1. Funding opportunities

• Postdoctoral fellowship
• Funding for research stays in Germany
• Funding for conference participations

2. Mentoring and support

• Knowledge share in joint alumni - postdoc working groups
• Guidance from mentors

3. Network

• A growing community through mobility and collaboration in working groups and at alumni conferences

4. Training

• Joint trainings on Science Policy Advising and Science Management

 

At the end of the fellowship the fellow must provide:

• a detailed report on the findings of the research
• a summary of the activities within the alumni network
• an assessment of the future development of the career paths, the research topic and the alumni working group activities