Fellowship Programs

The ANSOLE Fellowship Programs have temporarily been put on hold due to a lack of funding.

Research activities in renewable energies (RE) were in the past concentrated in very few African institutions. However, since the creation of ANSOLE, more and more African institutions are getting involved in RE research. This is due to the good information flow within the network and the raising of awareness about RE, which has led to a reorientation of the main research activities of ANSOLE members in favor of RE research.

Due to the lack of finances, most educational programs on RE offered by African institutions are strongly theoretical and less practical. ANSOLE believes that Africa-wide training and education programs in RE should be balanced between theoretical and practical aspects. This can be achieved through interactions with experienced laboratories within Africa and in the North, which enable an equitable acquisition and transfer of both theoretical and experimental knowledge.

With the help of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), ANSOLE has set up a number of scholarship programmes to support this endeavour.

The ANSUP scholarship (“on the spot” grant) is offered to selected undergraduate students (from the 2nd year onwards) if their prospective Bachelor thesis is based on RE. Selected Masters and PhD students studying at institutions with a strong focus on RE and with adequate experimental facilities can also benefit from an ANSUP grant. The monthly amount for each ANSUP scholarship is as follows:

  • ANSUP undergraduate: €50-150
  • ANSUP Masters: €100-250
  • ANSUP PhD: €250-300 (€350-500 for South Africa)

The exact amount will be determined on a case-by-case basis according to the applicant’s location and the general standard of living in that location. The following items are required for an ANSUP Fellowship:

  • A detailed CV including a passport sized photograph.
  • A letter of motivation.
  • Two letters of recommendation (one from a local supervisor)
  • University certificates and/or transcripts.
  • Complete “ICTP-ANSOLE Fellowship Application Form” which can be downloaded here.
  • Proof of ANSOLE membership.

There are two types of exchange programmes:

  • Africa-North Exchange-Program (ANEX-Program).
  • Intra-African Exchange-Program (INEX-Program).

The ANEX programme is a knowledge transfer programme aimed at training African students and researchers in experienced and well-equipped research laboratories in the North.

The INEX programme, whose main objective is to strengthen intra-African research activities, offers the possibility of running joint Masters or Ph.D. programmes between African institutions. Within the INEX programme, there is a special programme called “OVERcome the HEAt of the Desert” or OVERHEAD-programme. This special programme, which is strongly favoured, aims at bridging research activities between Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa.

A student within the ANSUP or INEX programmes can use the ANEX programme to visit a European laboratory. However, please note that only ANSOLE members are eligible to participate in the exchange programs. Before financing the exchange program, a scientific committee will conduct a preselection. The monthly amount for each exchange program is as follows:

  • INEX student: €300-350 (€450-600 for South Africa) +return-ticket+one time starting support of €250-350.
  • ANEX student: €800-1000 +return-ticket.

The following items are required for the exchange fellowships:

  • A detailed curriculum vitae including a passport photograph.
  • A letter of motivation.
  • A proposal of maximum 3 pages clearly outlining the purpose of the visit to a specific host laboratory (type of training, research objectives etc.).
  • University certificates and transcripts.
  • Two letters of recommendation (one from the local supervisor).
  • A letter of acceptance from the host supervisor.
  • Completed “ICTP-ANSOLE Fellowship Application Form” which can be downloaded here.
  • Proof of ANSOLE membership.

Please submit your application online to fellowship@ansole.org (cc: daniel.egbe@ansole.org), which will be automatically forwarded to the selection committee. Additionally, please send two hardcopies to the ANSOLE coordinator, Prof. Dr.rer.nat. habil. Daniel Ayuk Mbi Egbe to ANSOLE e.V. Wagnergasse 25, 07743 Jena, Germany. The selection process will be based on the following criteria:

  • The evaluation of the documents provided
  • The research topic.
  • The country and African region of origin.
  • The amount of funding available (ICTP currently allocates €18,000 per year)