HomeKenyan research associate Bridgit Mutuma, who works at the University of Nairobi is the only Kenyan and one of the 44 African students who won the 500,000 euros EU-funded ARISE grants.
Bridgit was announced by the EU as one of the beneficiaries due to her outstanding research that focuses on the conversion of plastics to nanomaterials. The grant is meant to run for the next five years. “I feel very excited to be selected as an ARISE fellow because this project funds African research. It’s quite beneficial to Africans because it is within Africa and for Africans,” said an elated Mutuma.
The EU African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE) is a pilot program that has awarded 44 early career researchers from 38 African countries with grants to develop cutting-edge research.
“ARISE promotes science, technology and innovation as critical drivers of development and sustainability. With the strategic guidance of the European Union and the African Union (AU) and implemented by the African Academy of Sciences, it aims at boosting and further unlocking Africa’s potential for innovation by supporting the next generation of scientific leaders,” writes EU.
Sonia Lopez from the European Union says that they hope to see African researchers collaborate during these five years. “We really hope to see synergies between these African nations because the program covers the entire continent. It precisely covers 38 countries. Additionally, we hope that it will have an impact on African citizens because the EU and African Union believe that a knowledge-based economy should rely on research and innovation,” said Lopez at the grant presentation in Nairobi.
Bridgit who is a Chemistry research fellow at the UoN was one of the successful applicants out of a total of 929 applicants for the program. This represents 4.7% of the total pool. The 4.7% were selected based on the EU-AU joint priorities which are providing renewable energy solutions and addressing climate change, tackling food security and targeting health and environmental problems that are most acute for people living in African countries.
In the next five years, the scientists will set up their own teams in an African university or research institution.
