Apply for ALC Knowledge Exchange Programme – Africa

The African Laser Centre (ALC) initiative is an open, non-exclusive partnership to stimulate innovation, research and technology development in lasers and the applications thereof across Africa. Recognised as an AU-NEPAD flagship programme, the ALC seeks local, continental and global partnerships to support this objective. To enable this, the center has an active ALC Research Collaboration support programme and an ALC Training Programme that focuses on training and conference support specifically for the organisation of conferences, workshops and topical short course events. Additionally, the ALC initiative offers a scholarship programme for African students to pursue postgraduate degrees at South African tertiary institutions in a laser and laser applications-related research field.

The programme aims to support the mobility of doctoral and master’s degree students on short-term exchange visits between South African research institutions and research institutions from the rest of Africa.

The ALC KEP specifically targets South African and African students at doctoral or master’s level to visit a collaborator’s laboratory to gain experience or access specialised equipment, with the objective of growing this at his or her home research group.

Funding Information

• The grant will be limited to a maximum of R 60,000.
• It may cover one return flight ticket, accommodation support and or subsistence for the period of the grant:
  • Accommodation support is limited to R 7 000 per month.
  • S and T support is limited to R 250 per day.
• Consumables to support experimental work up to the value of R 10 000.

Expected Outcomes and Outputs

• Outcomes:
  • An ALC Research Collaboration project in the future.
  • Wider or improved set of capabilities available at the applicants’ institution.
  • Establishment of a closer collaboration network between researchers on the African continent.
• Outputs:
  • An exchange visit report, to be submitted within six months after the end of the visit.
  • One joint publication from the work conducted.
  • A tutorial lecture on knowledge and experience gained will be presented by the visiting student at his or her home institution after the return from the knowledge exchange visit.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any researcher or student from a research institution in South Africa or the rest of Africa with a doctoral degree and an established track record is eligible to apply for support under the programme. In the initial phase, the programme is focused on doctoral and master’s degree candidates for a visiting grant to a host institution for a period of three to a maximum of six months.
• The application should be completed and signed by the applicant researcher and the host researcher. If the applicant is a student, the application needs to be signed by the student’s supervisor.
• One of the institutions applying must be a South African-based higher education institution or a South African science council.
• The student nominated for the exchange must be a registered student at the applicant researcher’s institution.
• The student nominated for the exchange should have a solid academic record. A certified copy of the student’s full tertiary academic record is required. Failure to submit this will disqualify an application.
• A strong motivation is required by the applicant for the knowledge exchange, as well as on the abilities of the student nominated.
• The motivation should also cover financial co-investment, as well as in-kind investment that the applicant’s institution will make to support the project.
• A letter of invitation and support for the application from the host institution is compulsory. Co-investment, either financial and/or in kind, from the host institution needs to be emphasized.
• Applications without institutional co-funding will not be considered.
• Applications that are general and focus more on research collaboration will not be supported.

For more information, visit CSIR.