KIGALI, Rwanda, Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) – Africa's global forum for science in Africa – today launches its second call for applications for its NEF Fellows Programme. The new class will join 15 of Africa's top young scientists, the NEF's first Fellows Class, and will present their research and innovations at the NEF Global Gathering 2018, to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, in March 2018.

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The NEF, an African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS) initiative in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, is a global platform that connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage science for human development globally. In March of this year, the NEF, in partnership with the Government of Senegal, hosted the NEF Global Gathering 2016, the first global forum for science on African soil with more than 1000 participants from research, academia, government, the private sector and civil society fields to discuss how science and technology can solve global challenges.

"After a successful NEF Global Gathering 2016, we are excited to launch the process to recruit the next class of Africa's most brilliant young scientists. The first class, through their compelling presentations during the NEF Global Gathering in Dakar, demonstrated to the world that Africa is a source of cutting-edge research, life changing innovations and scientific leadership. The NEF Fellows are changing perceptions, breaking barriers and inviting global collaboration that is necessary for Africa's and the world's development trajectory. We are so confident that this year we have expanded the number of NEF Fellows from fifteen to twenty spots," said Mr. Thierry Zomahoun, NEF Chair and President and CEO of AIMS.

Application to the NEF Fellows programme is open to Africans from around the world - including those who currently reside in the Diaspora - in all fields of science, including the social sciences, humanities and technology fields. Applicants must be under 42 years, hold a PhD and demonstrate a strong track record of research/findings that have a global impact.

Dr. Ingrid Wuenning Tschol, Senior Vice-President Strategy of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, which has partnered with AIMS to create the NEF, said: "As we saw in Senegal, the NEF Fellows are excellent representatives of their fields. They are doing brilliant research, mentoring the next generation of African scientists and they are showing the potential of Africa to the rest of the world, but also to the African leaders. As we open the new call for applications, we hope to ignite greater collaboration among scientists on the continent and globally. We also believe that strengthening research on the African continent will have sustained positive impact for the world. We encourage all who qualify to apply to the NEF Fellows programme."

In addition to attending and presenting at the NEF Global Gathering 2018, NEF Fellows will participate in research tours and visiting scientist weeks with partners. NEF Fellows will be facilitated in speaking and publishing globally and supported in their research. The tenure of the NEF Fellows runs until 30 June 2019.

The applications to the NEF Fellows programme will run from 15 November 2016 to 27 January 2017 and applications can be accessed at nef.org/fellows. The selected NEF Fellows will be announced in June 2017. To meet some of the current NEF Fellows, click here

About the Next Einstein Forum

Launched in 2013, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS) initiative in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, hosts biennial NEF Global Gatherings where hundreds of outstanding thinkers and distinguished stakeholders from around the world, gather together in Africa, to leverage science for global development. The next NEF Global Gathering 2018 will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, in March 2018 under the patronage of H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. The NEF has been endorsed by the African Union Commission, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Governments of Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa, the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and a growing number of private sector and civil society partners from across the world who are passionate about positioning Africa's scientific community as an influential member in the global scientific community, which will ensure sustainable human development in Africa and other parts of the world.

In addition to the NEF Global Gathering, the NEF runs the NEF Fellows Programme and the NEF Ambassadors Programme (which brings together 54 young Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Social Sciences Ambassadors, passionate about demonstrating the impact of science on daily life in their respective countries). The NEF hosts policy initiatives including Science/Education Ministerial Meetings and publishes a Declaration at each NEF Global Gathering with concrete measures to increase Africa's scientific and innovation output. Further, in 2017, the NEF will begin hosting science-industry-policy roundtables to encourage stakeholder collaboration. The goal is to raise $100 million USD by 2020 towards scientific research and public engagement in Africa and engage 100 million young people around science and technology on the continent. We believe the next Einstein will be African. More at nef.org Twitter: @NextEinsteinFor Facebook: NextEinsteinForum

MEDIA CONTACTS

Nathalie Munyampenda

Associate Director, Partnerships and Public Engagement

E: nmunyampenda@nef.org

T: + 1 647-588-5464

Mimi Kalinda

Director of Communications, AIMS Global Network

E: mkalinda@nexteinstein.org

Related Links

http://nef.org

SOURCE Next Einstein Forum