Past Projects

close up of two hands holding a tilapia

AQUAHUB

(2018-2021)

AQUAHUB - Education and research hub for the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems in Eastern Africa

 

The overall project objective is to foster the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and to contribute towards the achievement of the SDGs. Education and research hubs are established in Eastern Africa, which educate professionals, carry-out relevant research / extension activities, contribute to the development of evidence-based policies and enhance regional and international networking.

More than 75 young water and environmental professionals (28 females and 47 males) from primarily Eastern Africa will participate in the Master’s programmes and 40 MSc research projects will be carried-out. The international joint degree Master’s programme Limnology and Wetland Management (LWM) will be implemented by BOKU, EGU and IHE-DELFT with approximately 55 participants. The establishment and implementation of the Eastern African joint degree Master's programme Aquatic Ecosystems & Environmental Management (AEEM) by AAU, BDU, EIAR-NFALRC and EGU with approximately 20 participants is expected to strengthen the regional impact. Both Master’s programme curricula put special emphasis on skill-orientated courses, student centred teaching approaches and contain inter- and transdisciplinary course elements to enhance the relevance of the programmes.

The web-based AQUAHUB platform will be established as a international knowledge & networking platform and two workshops will be held to build-up an active network of at least 10 southern and northern HEST institutions with common interests towards the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems in Eastern Africa. The network is enhancing the coherence of activities and at least two new collaborative project proposals will be developed.

Finally, an impact assessment study will be conducted by an independent expert team, based on the input of at least 150 Eastern African professionals having attended various IPGL training programmes within the last 40 years. The impact assessment report should provide a comprehensive chapter on recommendations to improve the impact and further development of AQUAHUB. 

 

 

 

man in a lab coat working with a microscope

African Centre of Excellence for Water Management

(2016-2020)

African Centre of Excellence for Water Management

This project is designed to establish an African Center of Excellence for Water Management (ACEWM) in Addis Ababa University (AAU).

The objectives are

  • to strengthen AAU’s teaching and research capacity to train critical mass of human capacity to address national and regional water development needs in a holistic, integrative and transformative approach

  • to enhance the capacity of faculty and students to conduct state-of-the-art research; and produce trained scientists and engineers to support national Growth and Transformation Plan (GTPII) and regional Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

  • to provide training and support for the development and adoption of best-practices in teaching, research, innovation and academic management through regional and international partnerships, coupled with mobilization of African Diaspora scientists

The ACEWM will coordinate the training of a critical mass of Africans through short courses and MSc/PhD degree programs that will be supplemented by state-of-the-art laboratory techniques, field–based practical studies, and internships. ACEWM faculty and students will also engage in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research that will address African needs. These regional research efforts will be carried out in close association with ACEWM collaborators at internationally renowned universities and research institutions. ACEWM faculty and students will visit those collaborators in the USA, Europe and South Africa to engage in advanced research and training.

The Institute of Sanitary Engineering and the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management at BOKU are collaborators of the ACEWM for water supply and sanitation, and allpied limnology, respectively.

 

 

 

CONSEA

(2016-2019)

Developing Curricula for environmental safety and biodiversity CONservation in SE Asia

CONSEA aims to ensure Biodiversity Conservation & Environmental sustainability around the Mekong basin through the development of an effective education programme at the Master and PhD levels as a collaborative effort between countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia and Vietnam) and Europe. In this way, CONSEA seeks to support the modernization of the research and teaching in the Asian partner countries and improve skills by offering training to staff of the participating Cambodian and Vietnamese universities.

Specific objectives:

  • To develop/reform a best-practice curriculum of Master Degree (MS) and PhD programmes in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Environment in SEA

  • To educate students with essential knowledge, transferable skills and experience via the developed MS program 

  • To improve SEA educational system through high technology teaching equipment

  • To transfer the best practices of Biodiversity conservation technology to Stakeholder/Managers of the environment

 

 

 

students in a boat on a lake with plenty of aquatic plants (Kenya)

HRSM

(2014-2018)

Internationalisation of Higher Education: International Joint Master Degree Programme in Limnology & Wetland Management 

The sustainable management of water resources requires a comprehensive understanding of aquatic ecosystems and its services. The project is a direct contribution to strengthening the necessary research and education capacity in developing countries, with a focus on Eastern Africa.

The project is aligning the BOKU development/performance plan with activities/strategies of the Austrian Development Cooperation, which enables the implementation of a high-quality joint-degree Master’s programme. The "International Joint-Degree Master’s Programme in Limnology & Wetland Management (LWM)" is being implemented by BOKU, UNESCO-IHE (Netherlands) and Egerton University (Kenya).