By Mike Sebalu
The European Union under Erasmus + Capacity Building for Education program has provided Shs15.4bn in grants for research in higher education institutions in Uganda under the 2022 Erasmus+ Scholarship program.
The benefiting Institutions include Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Bugema University, Muni University, Makerere University, Uganda Martyrs University, Mountain of the Moon University and Makerere University Business School among others.
Speaking about the grants, the European Union Deputy Ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Guillaume Chartrain said the grants will enhance the quality of research at higher education institutions and their relevance to produce students with skills and solutions that respond to today’s socio-economic challenges.
Erasmus + Capacity Building for Higher Education supports international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organisations active in the field of higher education.
“The research that these universities and institutions will conduct will play an important role in providing knowledge-based solutions that drive socio-economic progress, not only for the institutions or the students involved in the program but have a broader economic impact on the country,” he said.
Mr. Chartrain said Erasmus + Capacity Building for Higher Education supports international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organisations active in the field of higher education.
In September 2022, 13 Ugandan graduate scholars won the prestigious EU-funded Erasmus+ scholarships to study in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain.
Erasmus+ is the European Union’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport. The programme was established in 1987. 2022 marks the 35th year of existence of Erasmus+. Eramus+ in 2021 had a total budget of €2,9 billion, with 19,000 projects, around 71,000 organisations and close to 649,000 participants in mobility activities. In 2020 Erasmus+ supported almost 640,000 people in their studies, traineeships or voluntary work abroad. It funded around 126,900 organisations and some 20,400 projects.
