DRC: University of Kinshasa call for projects for 15 sustainable innovations

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the University of Kinshasa is launching a call for projects to fund 15 technological innovations that address antimicrobial resistance through environmentally friendly processes. Researchers have until 20 July 2022 to submit their applications.

The call for proposals is aimed at students and early career researchers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The University of Kinshasa is targeting 15 sustainable innovations as part of its programme to “set up an inter-university innovation cluster for the implementation of a green approach to the fight against antimicrobial resistance in the DRC” (Pi-Ram).

Interested researchers must be enrolled in the departments of Agronomy, Sciences (biology, chemistry, etc.), Veterinary Medicine or Pharmacy at the University of Kinshasa, the Catholic University of Graben in Butembo or the official University of Bukavu.

The projects will focus on the development of biopharmaceutical and medical ingredients from recycled oilseed and fruit products. The selected researchers will also be able to work on the development of bio-indication and bio-purification techniques and tools to fight against the pollution of aquatic environments.

Support from La Francophonie

Pi-Ram is supported by the Project for the Deployment of Environmental Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction (PDTIE) in the Congo Basin, initiated by the Institut de la Francophonie pour le développement durable (IFDD). The initiative has recently awarded grants worth a total of €2.7 million to more than 120 projects in the fields of sustainable agriculture, biotechnology, eco-construction and biodiversity conservation in Cameroon and the DRC.

For example, the programme has allocated €150,000 to the project Vulgarisation des technologies et innovations pour un développement durable par forêts et développement rural, led by Cameroon. Its implementation will benefit from the technical support of several platforms such as Ecosystèmes et développement in Cameroon, Synergie des amis du Kivu and the Fonds de promotion de l’agripreneuriat congolais based in DRC.

For more information on the call for projects, click here.

 Benoit-Ivan Wansi  | https://www.afrik21.africa/