About

Background

This event is designed to equip researchers and innovators at Arba Minch University with practical insight into EU funding instruments, with a strong focus on Horizon Europe. It aligns with Horizon Europe’s Africa Initiatives IV and highlights concrete opportunities in collaborative research, researcher mobility, and networking—core enablers of stronger science, technology, and innovation (STI) partnerships between Europe and Africa, with particular relevance to Europe–Ethiopia cooperation.

The workshop will bring together senior leadership and key stakeholders from both Europe and Ethiopia. Featured presentations will be delivered by Dr. Eng. Abdella Kemal, the President of Arba Minch University; Dr. Laurent Bochereau, the Minister-Counsellor for Science, Technology, and Innovation at the European Union Delegation to the African Union; and Dr. Teklu Wegayehu, the Vice President for Research & Community Engagement at Arba Minch University. Moreover, contributions will come from Dr. Yedilfana Setarge, Regional Representative for EURAXESS Africa and associate professor at Addis Ababa University, and Ms. Blen Adem, Policy Assistant for STI at the EU Delegation to the African Union. The event will also be attended by leaders, researchers, and innovators from neighboring universities and research institutions, creating a broad platform for dialogue, learning, and collaboration.

Dr. Laurent Bochereau will present an overview of EU–Africa and EU–Ethiopia cooperation in STI, with particular attention to funding opportunities under Horizon Europe’s Africa Initiatives IV and how Ethiopian institutions can engage more strategically with these calls. 

Dr. Yedilfana Setarge will introduce the services and support mechanisms that support effective participation in Horizon Europe. His session will include a guided walkthrough of the EURAXESS platform and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, followed by a hands-on segment on searching for calls, obtaining a Participant Identification Code (PIC), and identifying potential partners for consortium building.

The programme will also include contributions from previous EU-funded project awardees at Arba Minch University, who will share both their research outcomes and the practical lessons learned along the way. They will reflect on what worked in grant writing, how effective consortia were built, and how projects were managed in practice. These firsthand perspectives will provide grounded, actionable guidance to help participants sharpen their proposals. By pairing strategic insight with real-world experience, the event aims to help researchers turn well-developed ideas into competitive, fundable projects while strengthening research excellence at Arba Minch University.

Venue: Arba Minch University, AMiT/AWTI Syndicate Room 2