Alliance for African Partnership (AAP), a consortium of 10 leading African universities, Michigan State University and a network of African research institutes, has announced the recipients of the 2024 Partnerships for Innovative Research in Africa (PIRA) seed funding. Each team is composed of at least one lead from an AAP African member institution and one MSU lead. Some teams also include additional partners from NGOs and/or other universities from outside of AAP’s consortium.
A consortium-wide initiative, PIRA grants are a tiered funding opportunity designed to cultivate and support multidirectional and transregional research partnerships at any stage of their development, whether it be initiatives to explore and create new relationships or scale existing ones. The total amount of PIRA grants awarded in 2024 is over $500,000.
Awarded projects cover diverse disciplinary perspectives and span AAP’s seven priority areas:
- Agri-food systems
- Water, Energy and Environment
- Culture and Society
- Youth Empowerment
- Education
- Health and Nutrition
- Science, Technology and Innovation
All projects will integrate gender, equity and inclusion issues in all stages of the project.
This year’s winning projects from the College of Engineering include:
Toward the Implementation of Smart Villages in the Rural Communities of Taraba State in Nigeria
- Research leads: Shanelle N. Foster (MSU), Chidimma Frances Igboeli (University of Nigeria, Nsukka), Mbika Mutega (University of Johannesburg), Sari Stark (University of Lapland)
- Institutional partners: Michigan State University (College of Engineering), University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Johannesburg and University of Lapland
- Funding tier: Scaling grant (up to $100,000)
Develop a Partnership for Renewable Energy Research and Education
- Research leads: Qi Hua Fan (MSU), Tabitha Amollo (Egerton)
- Institutional partners: Michigan State University (College of Engineering), Egerton University
- Funding tier: Scaling grant (up to $100,000)
PIRA will present a launch and showcase event at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25 when the awardees will be discussing their projects. You can register for the event on Zoom. For more information, visit the Alliance for African Partnership website.
Original story by Justin Rabineau, appeared on the International Studies and Programs website
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page