Program Overview

Pillars of the Open Doors Fellowship program

Capacity building on hard and soft skills

The program will give access to state-of-the-art research facilities and technical resources (e.g. laboratories, bioinformatic facilities) to improve our fellows’ scientific competencies and expand their research trajectories through a short research stay (SRS) scholarship in Flanders over 12 weeks (Phase 1).

During Phase 2 (15 months), our awardees will broaden and consolidate the knowledge gained at the SRS with three hard-skills courses of their choice (e.g. analysis of NGS data online) from the VIB training portfolio through exclusive access via the Open Doors Program.

We will also equip participants with soft critical skills to navigate their careers more confidently through a comprehensive portfolio of face-to-face, online workshops and self-pathed e-learning activities in Phases 1 and 2. This training curriculum includes courses on self-leadership (1 course), cross-cultural communication (1 course), negotiation (1 course), project management (1 course), and scientific communication (2 courses). In addition, the ODFP participants will have further access to 3 soft-skills courses from the VIB training portfolio.

Scientific Performance

The Open Doors Fellowship Program aims to enhance our fellows’ scientific outputs in fields of research relevant to the African agricultural sector. Publishing in an international peer-reviewed journal will broaden the scientific visibility of the fellows and improve their CV; thus, we expect that the Flemish and SSA HIgher Education and Scientific Institutions (HE&SIs) teams shall produce research articles from their collaboration over 20 months. As an incentive, the ODFP will pay the Open Access publication fees when fellows will be 1st or corresponding authors.

The program will also encourage the exchange of Flemish and SSA MSc and PhD students supervised by fellows and the Flemish HE&SIs. Our awardees will also receive a travel bursary to give an oral presentation at an international conference for broadening scientific performance and female recognition.

Networking & Partnerships

The program will build solid bridges between Belgium and SSA HE&SIs during the fellows’ SRS and beyond. Hence, during the application stages, the program will thoroughly select the SSA fellows to guarantee targeted anchoring into the Flemish HE&SIs. It will help steer a smooth and proactive workflow once the fellows return home.

The ITP will also host a 2-day face-to-face workshop (Phase 1) on submitting Horizon 2020 EU-Africa proposals for stimulating multistakeholder collaborations.

Mentoring Support

The UGent-IPBO team will individually coach the fellows to help them complete the ITP program successfully and maximise their outcomes. In addition, the ODFP will collaborate with the Belgian Women In Science (BeWise) and the Association of African Women in Science and Engineering (AAWSE) to create a support network of mentors for our fellows. Our beneficiaries may enrol on their Mentor-Mentee programs to interact with a broader community of EU and African female researchers; BeWise and AAWSE members can participate in the OD-ITP’ Online Cafes’ and the ‘Learn and Share Talks’.

Conducive working environment

Through the ‘Learn and Share Talks’, we will also generate awareness within the SSA HE&SIs institutions about the importance of recruiting and retaining women in STEM and supporting them along their tenure track.

We shall discuss the need to promote diverse and inclusive working environments, enhance scientific quality, and ensure the presence of mentors and role models for the next generation of researchers.

Modalities of the ODFP for the short research stay in Belgium

Modality A: Applicants align with the scope and the requirements of open slots offered by the Belgian research laboratories.

If your research activity and profile match the requirements of a receiving institute listed on the IPBO website, you can apply to the Open Doors Fellowship Program with modality A.

Step 1 - Find a matching Flemish lab by consulting the list you can find under the Open Slots menu.

Step 2 - Fill in the online application form. At this stage, the ODFP applicants should demonstrate how the research stay in the Belgian lab will impact their line of research in Africa, clearly define the objectives of the short research stay in Belgium, and highlight synergies that will arise from this collaboration. A tentative work plan for the proposed research will be required.

Step 3.- The first round of selection will take place by the end of January. Candidates who fulfill the criteria and demonstrate the alignment and complementarity of the intended work will be invited for an online interview, regardless of the chosen modality (A or B).

Step 4.- Online interviews will take place in February. The selection panel will comprise the VIB-IPBO coordinators, the ODFP advisory board, and the representatives of the receiving laboratories in Belgium (one member).

Step 5.- Final selection of the awardees will occur by the 1st week of March. The VIB-IPBO will lead the process of travel arrangements and visas.

Step 6.- The ODFP awardees will join their receiving institutions in Belgium from the 1st of May for 8 weeks (minimum) up to 12 weeks (maximum) under the ODFP sponsorship.

Modality B: Applicants create a joint project with a counterpart in a Belgian research laboratory of their choice for opening a specific slot.

Modality B allows you to create your application with a Belgian research institute of your choice.

To apply for the Open Door Fellowship Program,

Step 1.- The receiving laboratory in Belgium shall:

Present the group's research line(s) and activities, including a list of commonly used technologies (i.e. bioinformatics, genetic engineering, chromatography, sequencing, metabolomics, metagenomics).
Summarise (max. 400 words) the research project(s) that an ODFP fellow could contribute with her/their research.

Step 2.- Apply for the Open Door Fellowship Program before the deadline by illustrating how the stay in the Belgian laboratory will impact your line of research in Africa, clearly defining the objectives of the short research stay in Belgium, and highlighting synergies that will arise from the collaboration. A tentative work plan for the proposed research will be required.

Step 3.- The first round of selection will take place by the end of January. Candidates that fulfill the criteria and demonstrate the alignment and complementarity of the intended work will be invited for an online interview, regardless of the chosen modality (A or B).

Step 4.- Online interviews will take place in February. Both the fellow applicant and the Belgian laboratory host will be invited. The selection panel will comprise the VIB-IPBO coordinators, the ODFP advisory board, and the representatives of the receiving laboratories in Belgium (one member).