About us

GENESIS

AGNES is a networking organization established by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) in conjunction with African Humboldtians. Founded in 2011 by 31 African and German Humboldtians and the Alexander von Humboldt representatives, the AGNES has been led by an interim committee up to 2014 chaired by Prof Dr Ernst Uken (South Africa). AGNES was officially inaugurated in 2014 and this led to the election of a substantive Governing Board under the leadership of Dr Heather Marco (South Africa). Thus, from 2014 till now, AGNES is at the third Governing Board (also called Executive committee).

MISSION

AGNES receives funds from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to support qualified young scholars (Doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers) from Sub Saharan Africa through four main programmes: AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants, AGNES-PAWS Intra-Africa Mobility Grants for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), AGNES Junior Research Grants and AGNES-PAWS Junior Research Grants for women in STEM. These programmes aim to identify and support highly qualified young Sub-Saharan African scholars in Sub Saharan Africa. They also aim to strengthen the scientific capacity and networking of highly qualified junior African researchers.



VISION

AGNES aims to support social change in Africa, which is creating more scope for individual achievement, and making academic excellence a socially recognised criterion for professional development in Africa. To this end, AGNES promotes sciences, technology and innovation through higher education by partnering with the Federal Republic of Germany.



OBJECTIVES

AGNES aims to support further training for junior scientists and scholars in sub-Saharan Africa and to link them to the African and international Humboldt Network; promote academic excellence in research and university education in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly with regard to the role of research and innovation concerning sustainable development in the region; promote regional academic exchange between researchers in sub-Saharan Africa and their collaborative partners in Germany.

Programmes

AGNES receives funds from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to support qualified young scholars.

Learn more