Results of the 1st Call and Aga Khan Call

On Thursday, July 12, the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Aga Khan Foundation will present the 16 projects selected for funding under the 1st Call under the Protocol for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education and the Ismaili Imamat 2016. The session, which takes place within the framework of the Jubilee of Prince Aga Khan, will be held at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon, with the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, and Commander Nazim Ahmad, Diplomatic Representative of Ismaili Imamat the Portuguese Republic.

The Call funding for joint scientific research and technological development projects, aimed at encouraging and strengthening scientific, technical, human, and social skills and capacities to improve quality of life in Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) and other regions of Africa, was launched in 2017. In this edition, existing initiatives and ongoing collaborations between African and Portuguese scientific and academic institutions were eligible to apply.

Of the 73 eligible applications submitted, 16 were selected, spread across eight African countries. The projects supported under this Call run for three years and represent a total investment of €4.6 million. They will have a significant impact in Africa, particularly in Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP). Given the specific nature of the Protocol and the unprecedented initiative in Portugal, its implementation will be monitored by an External Scientific Monitoring Panel, chaired by António Rendas, from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. This panel will monitor the projects to ensure that the proposed scientific results are achieved and the desired impact on the quality of life in the African countries involved is achieved.

The launch of the second Call this protocol, for new collaborations, will be announced during the session.