PickAScholarship.com

The MoBreed Intra-Africa Mobility Scholarship Grant is open to all students from any of the partner universities (Target Group 1) and secondarily to students from other African universities (Target Group 2). Currently, 24 Master’s Scholarships and 9 Academic/Administrative staff exchanges are available.

MoBreed, the research aims to increase quality information on the use and conservation of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) and Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) in Africa, specifically food crops such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, roots and tubers, and cereals.

Funded by the Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme, a mobility program developed by the European Union’s Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture (EACAE), MoBreed aims to harmonize training programs among its founding partners on plant breeding and educate high-profile breeders who can promote underutilized crops in Africa to address food security issues on the continent. Through this mobility program, students will receive high-quality training on the latest plant breeding technologies. The consortium’s main objective is:

• produce 10 high-profile plant breeders (Ph.D. holders) who will address current and future challenges related to climate change and agriculture with a focus on at least 10 promising underutilized plant species from Africa,
• train a new generation of 38 scientists (M.Sc. holders) and 6 academic staff with strong ability to increase knowledge and perspectives on selected orphan crops in Africa for food and nutrition security and crop production crop and seed industry.
• Harmonize seven MSc and six Ph.D. Training programs and research agenda on the use of neglected and underutilized crops to increase the resilience of food production systems.

MoBreed, as part of the curriculum and professional mobility of academic staff and master’s and doctoral students. The levels in plant breeding and seed biotechnology offer a new approach that addresses head-on the lack of human resources to improve knowledge on orphan crops, also known as underutilized species in Africa.

Research and expertise revolve around all the key areas of germplasm collections and uses, genetics and modern plant breeding, plant genomics, and biotechnology. We focus our research on useful resources from tropical Africa, recognized by the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) as priority crops.

Other potential food crops not listed by AOCC are also included in our research. We value collaboration with seed companies and private companies involved in cultivar development and share the hope that the seed industry in Africa will expand as new cultivars are developed from indigenous genetic resources adapted to local ecological conditions.

What You Need to Know About the MoBreed Intra-Africa Mobility Masters and Ph.D. Scholarship

MoBreed promotes diversity and gender equity in the workplace. Therefore, women and people from disadvantaged groups are especially encouraged to apply.

Level/field of study:

MoBreed’s Intra-African Mobility Scholarships are available for award-winning Doctorate and Master’s degree programs in plant breeding and seed biotechnology.

Host nationality

The scholarship is being taken in Africa.

Eligible Nationality

The MoBreed mobility grant is open to all students from any of the partner universities (Target Group 1) and secondarily to students from other African universities (Target Group 2).

Number of  Scholarships

Currently, 24 MSc scholarships and 9 academic/administrative staff exchanges are available

scholarship benefits

• The scholarship includes subsistence and settlement allowances, participation costs, and contribution to research, insurance, and travel costs in line with the Agreement with EACEA. will cover

1. Roundtrip flight ticket and visa costs (using a preferred travel agent and calculated based on direct linear distance);
2. Direct participation costs such as tuition fees, registration fees, and service fees where applicable;
3. Comprehensive travel insurance (Health, Accidents, and Travel)
4. A monthly diet for the mobility period.

The MoBreed Intra-Africa Mobility Masters and Ph.D. Scholarship Eligibility:

Eligible Countries:  The MoBreed Mobility Grant is open to all students from any of the partner universities (Target Group 1) and secondarily to students from other African universities (Target Group 2).

Target group 1:

This category includes students from all partner universities as follows:

• University of Abomey-Calavi; Benin
• University of KwaZulu-Natal; South Africa
• University of Namibia; Namibia
• Jimma University; Ethiopia
• Ebonyi State University; Nigeria

Target group 2:

All other African countries.

Entry Requirements: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

To be eligible for a scholarship (i.e., third-party financial support), Masters students and PhD students called ”students” must meet the following criteria at the time of a scholarship application:

1. Be a national and resident of any of the eligible countries covered by the EACEA Intra-Africa Mobility program and
2. Be registered/admitted to or have obtained an HEI degree (or equivalent) from
   1. One of the HEIs included in the MoBreed consortium (Target Group 1)
   2. an HEI not included in the No race consortium, but established in an eligible country (Target Group 2) and
3. Have sufficient knowledge of the language of the courses in the host countries.

Students can only benefit from a scholarship under the Intra-Africa or Intra-ACP academic mobility scheme (regardless of the type of mobility or the financing project).

Students have benefited from the scholarship(s) under the above intra-ACP academic mobility scheme, they cannot receive the scholarship under the Intra-Africa academic mobility.

To meet the general selection requirements for the MSc Mobility Grant (maximum 12-month scholarship mainly for research), the applicant must have completed the first two semesters of a Master of Science course in Agronomy, Biology or any related field in their country originally. . Students with genetics, biotechnology, and plant breeding backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply. It is mandatory for students to have their first year of master’s degree academic transcripts.

Students considering studying in South Africa must also submit their qualifications to SAQA for assessment. UKZN will only accept students if their qualification is rated as equivalent to a South African honors degree by SAQA. Access the SAQA website at www.SAQA.org.za. The form is also uploaded to the Mobreed website.

For academic/administrative staff, applicants must have an MSc or Ph.D. Bachelor’s degree in genetics, biotechnology, plant breeding, agronomy, biology, or any related field. A person with a genetics, biotechnology, and plant breeding background is strongly recommended.

How to Apply for MoBreed Intra-Africa Mobility Masters and Ph.D. Scholarship

• Applicants must email the completed application and all supporting documents to lydia.sognon-at-gmail.com with a copy to mobreed.uac-at-gmail.com by 5th October 2023.
• They must indicate in the subject line (if sent by email) or overwrite the envelope (if sent by post) ‘Application for the MoBreed MSc / Staff exchange program’.
• Incomplete applications will be rejected. Admission regulations for Ph.D. and Master’s studies can be found on the IES Prospective website. This application is for MoBreed Project scholarships only.
• The scholarship application form along with other required documents must be sent as a single PDF attachment to the emails indicated above. You can download the MS Word version of the application form and complete it before submitting it.
• It is also important the student’s proposal that must be sent together within the application as ONE SINGLE DOCUMENT, preferably PDF. Other required documents are listed on the application form and include:
  1. cover letter
  2. Scholarship Application Form (this document)
  3. Student Proposal (guidelines available online)
  4. National ID or copy of the passport data page
  5. Certificate of degree
  6. transcript records
  7. IES Submission Support Letter
  8. Letter of recommendation from the home supervisor (required for all applicants)
  9. Proof of enrollment in the major of the institution of origin (for MSc applicants)
  10. Curriculum vitae.
  11. Employment certificate (for staff only)
  12. Certificate of knowledge of English or French
  13. Socioeconomic vulnerability test (if available)

Deadline for application

The application deadline for the MoBreed Intra-Africa Mobility Scholarship for African Students 2023 is 5th October 2023

scholarship link