In-Country/In-Region Scholarship

Programme
Sub-Saharan Africa

Call for PhD Scholarship Applications 2024

at University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin

[PhD in Agronomic Sciences, Major Biometry]

Funded by the
Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Application Closing Date in the DAAD Portal

(for all candidates):
November 23, 2023

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 In Country/In Region scholarships at University of
INDIVIDUAL Abomey-Calavi in Benin 2024
FUNDING

PROGRAMME 1
The programme aims at fostering strong, internationally oriented higher
OBJECTIVES education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa with the capacity to contribute to
sustainable development. For this purpose, scholarships for development-
related Doctoral studies are awarded to individuals who plan to pursue a career
in teaching and/or research at a higher education institution in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
By training future academic and professional leaders, the programme
contributes to the following long-term impacts:
 Qualified professionals’ involvement in the solution of development-
related problems in Sub-Saharan Africa
 Graduates strengthening education and research in Sub-Saharan Africa
 Structural strengthening and regional networking of partner institutions
and partner universities

To achieve these long-term impacts, the following outcomes have been

formulated as programme objectives:
Programme objective 1: Graduates have qualified to take over responsible
positions in their or for their region of origin
Programme objective 2: The participation of women and underprivileged
groups is reinforced
Programme objective 3: Organizational, financial and personal capacities of
partner institutions are strengthened

As part of the „In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme“, DAAD offers

scholarships for PhD studies. The programme is funded by the German Federal
Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and aims at
university staff in the first line, without neglecting the public sector demand of
academically trained personnel.
The target group for scholarships are postgraduates from Sub-Saharan Africa
with a Master’s degree if applying for a doctoral programme who want to
pursue PhD courses, either
 in their home country
(In-Country scholarships are aimed at students who study in their home
country or in the country for which they have a residence permit.)
- or -
 in another Sub-Saharan Africa country
(In-Region scholarships are aimed at students who want to participate in
a study programme in a country of their home region (here: Sub-Saharan

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 Africa /outside their home country/in the country for which they do not
have a residence permit).
It has been agreed upon that DAAD cooperates with University of Abomey-
Calavu by offering up to 4 In-Country and 6 In-Region scholarships for PhD
studies at at University of Abomey-Calavi for the intake 2024.
The awarding of scholarships will be subject to the provision of funds.

APPLICATION 2
Applicants for a PhD degree
REQUIREMENTS
FOR A PHD DEGREE  postgraduates with a first academic degree, who have successfully
completed a two-year university Master’s degree (or equivalent) with
above average results (at least: Second Class/Upper Division or equivalent,
if applicable) Candidates who cannot provide a Second Class/Upper
Division or a higher result are non-applicable;
 clearly show motivation and strong commitment;
 have thorough knowledge of the language of instruction;
 have generally completed their last university degree not more than 6
years ago at the time of application;
 must be nationals or permanent residents of a Sub-Saharan Africa country;
 should generally be a) staff member of a public university, b) or a candidate
considered for teaching or research staff recruitment, c) or from the public
sector and/or d) Alumni of the DAFI-programme.
Female applicants, refugees with recognized refugee status and candidates from
other less privileged regions or groups are especially encouraged to participate
in the programme.
Please note: If you have already received a PhD scholarship from the DAAD,
further PhD funding from the DAAD is not possible.

Please note: University of Abomey-Calavi might have additional requirements

for admission to the university

ELIGIBLE FIELDS 3
The In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme supports studies in subject
FOR A PHD areas with strong relevance to national development.
The scholarships at University of Abomey-Calavi are available in the following
field
PhD in Agronomic Sciences, Major Biometry

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PLACE OF TENURE 4 University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin
FOR A PHD DEGREE

DURATION AND 5
The duration
COMMENCEMENT
FOR A PHD DEGREE  of the PhD programme is generally 3 years and is usually starting in
September.
Scholarships for PhD studies are initially granted for one year and can be
extended to a maximum of the regular period of study upon receipt of an
application for extension. Scholars must demonstrate satisfactory progress
before an extension is granted.

Please note: that the maximum duration of the scholarship is based on the time
that is left until the scholarship holder has reached the regular period of studies
in that programme; i.e., if you apply for a DAAD scholarship starting in your
second year of studies of a three-year programme, the maximum duration of
the scholarship will be two years.
The standard period of study and the start date are based on the Affiliate
Agreement between the host university and the DAAD.

Please note: if you arrive later, the duration of your scholarship will be
respectively shortened.

APPLICATION AND 6 As a first step, all applicants must submit a complete application for the
SELECTION programme via the DAAD Portal.
PROCEDURE FOR A
PHD DEGREE Please be aware of the DAAD’s application deadline as well as University of
Abomey-Calavi´s deadline.

The application process for DAAD scholarships contains the following

steps:

1. Register on the portal:

https://portal.daad.de/sap/bc/bsp/sap/z_set_cookie/setcookie.htm?f
und_ar=stv&id=57706754
2. Log in to the portal and click on the “Application” tab
3. Carefully complete the online form and upload the required documents
(listed below under 7)
4. Submit your application via the portal by November 23, 2023.

Remember to check that your application is complete and meets DAAD

requirements before submitting! Otherwise, your application cannot be
considered.

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 DAAD will conduct a formal review of the applications received via the DAAD
portal only, according to the DAAD criteria.

In addition to this first step, applicants must apply for admission at the
University of Abomey-Calavi using the contact details and procedure
prescribed by the institution. The institution sets its own deadline for the
admission process. Please inform yourself in plenty of time about the
application process at the host institution.

Please note: in some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, a document from the

Qualifications Authority must be submitted for admission to the universities
(e.g., Benin: "Direction Général de l'Enseignement Supérieur",
http://www.dgesbenin.bj/). The application for these documents can take a
while and it is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain the documents from the
respective authorities in time.

In a final selection organized by the DAAD, applications that have met both the
admission requirements at the host university (and the university's rank in the
pre-selection) and the DAAD's formal criteria are evaluated by an independent
selection committee (international university teachers and experts from
German and foreign universities as well as alumni). The independent selection
committee evaluates the applications based on the submitted documents,
taking into consideration the pre-selection ranking of the institution. Areas
evaluated include academic performance and quality, extracurricular activities,
motivation, and relevance of the research topic (if applicable).

The DAAD reserves the right of final selection.

APPLICATION 7 Mandatory documents to be submitted (in either English or German) for the
DOCUMENTS FOR A DAAD scholarship application:
PHD DEGREE

 DAAD application form (available on the DAAD portal) duly filled in

and submitted according to the outlined deadline;
 Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications (if applicable) if not
otherwise possible without a signature;
 Two (2) recommendation letters by university teachers stamped
and signed). One of the recommendation letters for PhD could be
issued by an employer;
 Letter of admission for the host university (this can be subsequently
submitted before the scholarship begins if it is not available at the
time of application);
 Certified copies of university degree certificates including
transcripts (if available, including a grading scale for the final

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 university degree and if available, information on the recognition of
the university degree certify-cates in the host country);
 Letter of motivation (1-3 pages with your personal, social
motivation as well as your reference to the studies and a PhD
project);
 Copy of the passport or, if not applicable, a copy of National
Identification Card (mandatory for an application for a scholarship);
 Detailed and precise PhD proposal (8-10 pages);
 Detailed work and timetable with detailed information outlined
with months and dates as well as information on when the last
exam will take place (if applicable: mentioning the planned short-
term research stay in Germany, see “Additional benefits”);
 Please note that a detailed and comprehensive proposal is
necessary for the assessment. Concept notes will not be accepted.
 Abstract of the proposal on one page (please include name and title
of the proposal);
 Declaration of acceptance, must be provided at the beginning of the
scholarship, from the academic supervisor or a commitment letter
from the host institution that a supervisor will be assigned;
 If applicable, information on the UNHCR registration as refugee;
-------------------------------------------------
Optional:
• Additional documents that might be relevant for your application (e.g.
proof of internships, proof of employment).
Your application is only valid if you submit all the required documents to the
DAAD portal on time. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. You are
responsible for ensuring that your applications are complete. If you do not
have documents such as letter of admission at the time of application,
please mention and explain this at an appropriate place in the application.

Please note that the scholarship only becomes effective as soon as the
Admission Letter (this can be subsequently submitted before the scholarship
begins if it is not available before) from the university is issued and once a proof
(e.g., airline ticket, letter from supervisor or coordinator, admission test) has
been submitted that you are on site at the host university to begin your studies.
This must be submitted to the DAAD portal as soon as possible and is part of a
complete application (this can be subsequently submitted before the
scholarship begins if it is not available before).

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SUBMISSION OF 8 Applications must be submitted via the DAAD portal
APPLICATION FOR https://portal.daad.de/sap/bc/bsp/sap/z_set_cookie/setcookie.htm?fund
A PHD DEGREE _ar=stv&id=57706754
Deadline: November 23, 2023
Applications submitted through other channels or to other authorities will not
be considered.
The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. Central European Time (CET or CEST) on
the last application day.

SCHOLARSHIP 9
The scholarship covers:
FUNDING FOR A
PHD DEGREE Benefits Pace of Payment Amount
The regularly charged
at the beginning of amount will be
Tuition Fees*
every academic year specified in the letter of
award.
Study and
research annually 920 EUR
allowance

Printing once towards the end of

800 EUR
allowance scholarship
Monthly
550 EUR In-Region
Scholarship
monthly 400 EUR In-Countr
(Accommodation,
(Subject to change)
Food etc.)
The flat rate travel
usually twice
Travel allowance allowance will be
(beginning/ end of
(In-Region only) specified in the letter of
scholarship)
award.
Insurance Further information regarding the health
(In-Region only) insurance will be specified in the letter of award.

*Please note that in some cases not all fees and costs that are mentioned on the official
fee structure of the host institution can be covered by DAAD in full, e.g. if the agreement
with the funding organization prevents DAAD from funding certain items in the fee
structure or if items that are included in the fees are supposed to be covered through
the individual scholarship benefits. DAAD will transfer the fees directly to the host
institution.

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PAYMENT OF 10
The DAAD will endeavor to transfer/pay out the first monthly payment to you
SCHOLARSHIP
as quickly as possible after your arrival/ after the beginning of your scholarship.
FUNDS
Processing the first transfer of funds may take some time, especially if you are
able to set up your bank account only after your arrival in your destination
country. To be able to cover the costs which arise until you receive your first
scholarship payment, we recommend that you bring a financial reserve with
you.
Payments generally cannot be made in advance/prior of the scholarship start
date and the commencement of studies at the host institution. Furthermore, no
additional benefits that are not listed in this call for applications, such as
benefits for family members, can be made/granted.
Please note that the travel allowance for In-Region scholarship holders will only
be transferred along with the first scholarship rate, i.e. after the arrival in the
host country.
The scholarship will be paid directly to the scholarship holder’s bank account.
Further details will be announced after admission to the scholarship
programme in the Letter of Award.

ADDITIONAL 11
DAAD In-Country/In-Region scholarship holders in the framework of PhD
BENEFITS programmes are also
a) encouraged to apply for a short-term research stay in Germany for 3 up
to 6 months.
Please note:
 The short-term research stay in Germany should preferably be
announced in the application for the regular scholarship and can only
be awarded if the necessary financial means are available.
 If you would like to apply, please note that the funding period for a short-
term research stay in Germany is part of the In-Country/In-Region
programme and the regular study period of the programme may not be
exceeded by the short-term research stay in Germany, this must be
included in the regular study period of the In-Country/In-Region
programme. Further information will be provided upon request via the

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 DAAD Portal after you have received your In-Country/In-Region
scholarship.

The short-term research scholarship includes:

 a monthly scholarship payment for living costs
 health/accident/personal liability insurance
 a flat-rate travel allowance

DAAD In-Country/In-Region scholarship holders are also

b) invited to apply for different Summer Schools in Germany (four weeks)
c) invited to participate in further training possibilities such as
E-Resources or/and Soft Skill trainings.

All further details regarding additional benefits and the additional application
processes will be provided after admission to the scholarship programme.
Please note that all short-listed applicants might be asked to participate in
a multi-wave monitoring survey to gather data on different academic and
career development aspects. Participation is voluntary.

INFO SESSION FOR 12 DAAD plans to offer virtual information sessions for interested applicants
INTERESTED during October and November 2023. If you are interested in these sessions,
APPLICANTS please register using the following link https://daad-kenya.org/event.

CONTACT AND 13 Enquiries related to the DAAD Scholarship

COUNSELING DAAD Contact Person: Melanie Filipp
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.daad.de/incountry-inregion

Enquiries related to the general admission and the study programme at

University of Abomey-Calavi
Contact Person: Prof. Romain Lucas Glele Kakai
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://labef-uac.org/en
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FUNDED BY 14

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