Climate change research at universities across sub-Saharan Africa received a boost this week, thanks to renewed funding from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). The funding will enable the extension of the ACU-led CIRCLE project, which is helping to address the critical shortage of African researchers working on climate change research.
CIRCLE – which stands for Climate Impacts Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement – takes a two-fold approach, supporting the work of individual researchers through climate change research fellowships, while working closely with universities to build their own capacity to support and promote quality research. This innovative, dual approach aims to ensure that CIRCLE's impact can be sustained long into the future and that universities are better positioned to support the development of relevant, local solutions.
With funding confirmed for a further two years, CIRCLE will continue to strengthen climate change research capacity in African universities, with a focus on ensuring the project's outcomes and learnings are shared and multiplied as widely as possible. This includes financial support to enable emerging researchers to publish their findings, workshops to share best practice, and opportunities to share and explore new research with policymakers, farmers and local communities.
I am thrilled that DFID has enabled this important programme to continue as well as allowing us to continue key CIRCLE activities, we now have the opportunity to use our expertise in capacity strengthening to inform the design of DFID's new initiative, the Climate and Resilience Framework. - Verity Buckley, CIRCLE's project manager
Find out more about CIRCLE here or visit the CIRCLE blog