University Development and Innovation - Africa

The UDI-A project wants to empower HEI from partner countries to play an effective impacting role in fostering sustainable and inclusive development in their region and country. African partners will play this role by helping their students to connect with local economic activity and local social processes in a way that these students will either create new value chains or help to enhance the existing ones. UDI-A project aims to enhance the quality of teaching and research at four African universities (in Angola and Mozambique) in selected areas, where there is a lack of qualified teachers and a high demand for graduates. In both countries, the project counts one big established university in the capital city and one smaller institution in a province.Each of the African universities will work in pairs with one European partner (TWIN). Academic staff at the African institutions will be trained both in terms of scientific content and teaching methodologies. Administrative staff will be trained in international affairs, student placement and entrepreneurship. The Consortium will organise collective training activities with an emphasis on soft skills development, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Each African partner will select 16 academics and 4 administrators (CHAMPIONS and JUNIORS) to take part in the training and other project activities. As from the 4th and final semester the activities will be open to other staff members and students as well.The two year project will result in 4 x 20 staff members, internationally networked and trained to provide state-of-the-art higher education and services in their respective areas.In parallel to the training, these teams will build or renew at each of the four African institutions a 'Centre for Academic Development and Innovation' (CADIs). The CADIs will provide the infrastructure and framework conditions to help promote and ensure continued networking and training for more cohorts of staff beyond the project lifes