51 out of 69 Africa-UniNet member institutions are involved in the project proposals, which will now undergo a formality and eligibility check and then will be assessed by international reviewers. The final funding decision will take place in May 2024. The fourth Africa-UniNet call was open from 1 September to 30 November 2023. Within the deadline 40 project proposals were submitted to the Africa-UniNet office. Out of the 40 submissions, 30 projects are coordinated by African institutions whereas 10 projects are coordinated by Austrian institutions.
Africa-UniNet currently comprises 69 member institutions. 34 out of 43 African member institutions and 17 out of 26 Austrian member institutions are involved in the project proposals. The partnerships include institutions from 14 different African countries: DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The proposed projects target all 17 SDGs and cover a wide range of science sectors including Public Health, Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental Research, Machine Learning, Social Geography, Inclusive Education, Forest Protection and many others.
Africa-UniNet promotes excellent research based on mutual knowledge exchange. It creates a space for international cooperation between researchers and with other actors by financing cooperative research projects. While the thematic scope of the projects is not restricted, they set out to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time they enhance the scientific foundation of the involved institutions and reinforce the formation of the network itself by promoting new partnerships between Austrian and African universities and research institutions and by strengthening existing ties. Overall, they form the basis of a strong and profound Austrian-African Research Network – the Africa-UniNet.
