Results of the 1st FCT and Aga Khan Call

This 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 held under the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Protocol between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the Ismaili Imamat in 2016. The session, which takes place as part 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 the Ismaili Imamat to the Portuguese Republic.

The Call for funding for joint scientific research and technological development projects, aimed at encouraging and strengthening scientific, technical, human and social skills and capacities aimed at increasing 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 could apply.

Of the 73 eligible applications submitted, 16 were selected, spread across eight African countries. The projects supported under this Call will last for three years and represent a total investment of €4.6 million. They will have a significant impact in Africa, particularly in the 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 the New University of Lisbon. This panel will monitor the projects in order to ensure that the proposed scientific results are achieved and that the desired impact on the Quality of Life of the African countries involved is achieved.

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