Eight varsities benefit from sh15.4b EU grant

Eight universities and four organisations across the country have been allocated sh15.4b by the European Union (EU) to carry out research in various fields.

Institutions that are benefitting from the grants include Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Bugema University, Muni University, Makerere University, Uganda Martyrs University, Mountain of the Moon University and Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Uganda Christian University.among others.

Speaking about the grants, the European Union Deputy Ambassador to Uganda, Guillaume Chartrain said the grants will enhance the quality of research at higher education institutions and their relevance to produce students with skills and solutions that respond to today’s socio-economic challenges.

“The research that these universities and institutions will conduct will play an important role in providing knowledge-based solutions that drive socio economic progress, not only for the institutions or the students involved in the program but have broader economic impact on the country,” Chartrain said.

According to Chartrain, Erasmus + Capacity Building for Higher Education supports international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organisations active in the field of higher education.

“Interventions under this grant will not only address the modernisation of teaching programmes but also take into account governance, management and the strengthening of higher education’s wider economic and social ecosystems,” he said.

In September 2022, 13 Ugandan graduate scholars won the prestigious EU-funded Erasmus+ scholarships to study in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain.

“These Ugandan students are currently pursuing graduate studies in Europe and our hope is that after completion, they will return to make a difference for Uganda in different spaces through innovation and problem-solving,” Chartrain said.

According to a press statement, the projects to be implemented under these grants include:

• Applied Human Machine Intelligence in East Africa (Innovent Financial Consult, Muni University, the Research and Education Network for Uganda and Makerere University--- € 798,939)
• Boosting Agricultural Studies in Sub-Saharan Africa (Uganda Martyrs University, Mountains of the Moon University LBG--- € 399,212)
• Climate-Smart agro-preneurship Education for Livelihood and Sustainability in Eastern and Southern Africa (Bugema University, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture---€ 800,000)
• Communicating Migration and Mobility - E-Learning Programs and Newsroom Applications for Sub-Saharan Africa (Uganda Christian University, Makerere University---€ 799,974)
• Innovation for Sustainability and Societal relevance: Partnerships in evidence-based higher education on food systems and climate change (Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Makerere University--- € 800,000)
• Strengthening Capacity for ICT Usage and Policy Reforms for Relevant and Quality Masters Research Process Management in Uganda’s HEIs (Uganda National Council for Higher Education, Kyazze, Kankaka & Co. Advocates, Uganda Chapter for Social Responsibility initiatives Ltd, Makerere University Business School, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Makerere University---€ 1,000,000 €)

About EU Erasmus +

Erasmus+ is the European Union’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport. The programme was established in 1987. 2022 marks the 35th year of existence of Erasmus+. Eramus+ in 2021 had a total budget of €2,9 billion, with 19,000 projects, around 71,000 organisations and close to 649,000 participants in mobility activities. In 2020 Erasmus+ supported almost 640,000 people in their studies, traineeships or voluntary work abroad. It funded around 126,900 organisations and some 20,400 projects.