Project Type

Facts & Figures

ISSBD’s network includes more than 1,000 researchers, educators, and policymakers from 88 countries. ISSBD has organized 12 regional workshops in Africa (1992–present) and more than 25% of its membership is from Africa.

TARGETED POPULATION

6 PhD students and 10 research fellows

TIMELINE

2019–2021

GOALS

Develop a professional workforce with the capacity to:

  • Sustain and complement current programs that support the development of children and youth in Côte d’Ivoire
  • Design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate future such interventions

Partners

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About the project

The International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) is an international non-profit organization that fosters and promotes high-quality scientific research on human development throughout the lifespan and champions the application of research evidence to improve development outcomes in all regions of the world.

Challenge

Research in sub-Saharan Africa remains underutilized with untapped scholarly resources to inform education policy. Investments in the domain are very low with ramifications on motivation, research quality, and publication of scientific papers.

Solution

Building on this long-term commitment, TRECC has partnered with ISSBD to develop the capacity of the next generation of researchers, educators, and policymakers through a scholarship program.

The project aims to groom a pool of talented young scientists through robust training, scholarship, and fellowship opportunities. Participants then engage in designing and implementing rigorous high-quality programs that contribute to improved educational and well-being outcomes among children and youth. ISSBD also strives to reconcile researchers and policymakers and to bring national and international visibility to African science.

Results to date

Formal memoranda of understanding have been signed with local and regional universities for the implementation of the program, which includes:

  • Six PhD scholarships for early-career scholars in Côte d’Ivoire, primarily supported by the Jacobs Foundation. Each of these scholarships will involve a team of 3 members (a PhD scholar from Côte d’Ivoire, the PhD scholar’s research supervisor, and an international ISSBD mentor).
  • Ten mentored fellowships for participants from other low-income African countries, primarily supported by ISSBD.

NEXT ACTIVITIES

  • Selection of students for both programs and appointment of supervisors and mentors.
  • Three intensive research workshops planned over the next three years. Two workshops will take place in Côte d’Ivoire and the third at the ISSBD biennial meeting in Rhodes, Greece, which has been postponed in 2022 due to Covid-19 healthcrisis. The workshops focus on the development and maintenance of skills and knowledge needed to conduct developmental research. Participants are trained on designing, implementing, and disseminating research findings to a wider audience through presentations and publications.

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