NMT Workshop on Proposal Writing

University of Kinshasa, the biggest public university in D.R.Congo was the host of this workshop. 30 Participants from different HEIs in Kinshasa (public and private) participated in this activity. The participants had different academic backgrounds-there were researchers from human and social sciences as well as from natural sciences.

The workshop, focusing on Proposal Writing aimed on giving the participants the knowledge to successfully apply for third party funding. Contents of the first workshop in Kinshasa were e.g. how to write and structure a proposal, how to make a budget plan, knowing the funding environment, and ethics in research. The didactical approach of the workshop was diverse- there were inputs and presentations, lively discussions, group work and elevator pitches. Besides presentations of contents by the training committee and the experts, all participants started to work on their own research proposals. Within the framework of the workshop the participants had the chance to discuss them with the other participants, the training committee, the regional and the international expert.

The motivation of the participants was extremely high. The discussions were very active and open; Every participant played an active role within the workshop. The interaction between the trainers/experts and the participants was very open; the experts and the trainers were very involved and motivated.

The multiplicaiton training in D.R. Congo is composed of two workshops. Between the first workshop and the second workshop in August 2018, the participants will work  further on their proposals and send them to the training committee and the experts for an individual feedback.

The goal of the training is that the participants have a finished proposal for their research project and know where and how to submit this to get a funding for their projects.

by Marcel Faaß