What is the One Planet Fellowship programme?
The One Planet Fellowship is a carreer development programme which is essentially aimed at building a network of African and European scientists working on African agriculture adaptation to climate change. It was launched in December 2017 during the One Planet Summit in Paris. It is up to be implemented by the AWARD programme in collaboration with Agropolis Foundation. And funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as BNP Paribas Foundation. The Agropolis Fondation is contributing to this initiative, particularly in hosting African scientists in labs, in and around Montpellier. We are also involved in developing and reinforcing the European network of scientists and mentors which will be helping out the African scientists in the process of this One Planet Fellowship programme.
What are the main features of this programme?
One Planet Fellowship programme is inspired by the AWARD programme (African Women on Agriculture Research for Development). It has three components. One is to support the scientific capacity of men and women scientists working in agriculture and climate change. It involves also enhancing the leadership skills. So these scientists, these fellows, will be trained in terms of leadership, building their confidence to be able to assume and assert their role as top notch scientists in the region. But also to be able to manage research projects, and also to mobilize ressources. And the third component is in term of mentoring. So the fellows will be mentored by senior African or European scientists, over a year, and a year after, once they have been mentored, they will be in a position to mentor African and European scientists more junior than them.
Precisely, how will European and African scientists interact?
In the One Planet Fellowship programme, African fellows will have the opportunity to do an advanced science training in European, French, research centres or universities where they could heighten their scientific skills in area related to climate change, climate science and agriculture. But European fellows will also have the occasion to visit and get immersed in African research centres and universities. This will allow them to be more exposed in terms of African scientific realities and also to build their own networks as young and emerging european scientists with their African counterparts.
Interview by Jean-Bruno Tagne