The DAAD In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme aims at fostering strong, internationally oriented higher education systems in developing countries with the capacity to contribute to sustainable development. To this end, scholarships are granted for development-related Master or doctoral studies for individuals who plan to pursue a career in teaching and / or research at a higher education institution in developing countries. Scholarships are provided for high-quality (post)graduate programmes that give students and doctoral candidates excellent training opportunities.

Partnering universities and institutions in the respective countries are intermediaries but profit directly from the programme through tuition fees. The regional focus of the programme is sub-Saharan Africa; however, very similar programmes are run in Central America, South America, South and South-East Asia, and the Middle East.

With participation in the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship programme, the host institutions benefit from a structural strengthening, as well as the expansion of their regional academic network. Due to the strong transnational aspect of the program, the participating receiving institutions gain international outreach. The program serves to strengthen the training of qualified academics in development-relevant subject areas in their own country and region, with a particular focus on training future teaching staff for universities. The DAAD pays the tuition fees for the scholarship holders, so that the receiving institutions also benefit financially from the program.

How to become a host institute for the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship programme Eastern Africa Region

Every three years, the DAAD advertises Call for institutions to apply to become partners with the DAAD to host the In-Country/In-Region scholarship programme. The last call for prospective host institutions was in September 2024, and the information on the call can be found here: Previous Call for Applications for Host Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Receiving institutions are generally selected through a quality-based process and accepted into the scholarship programme for three funding years. They then can reapply to continue with the programme support. The selection of host institutions is carried out by an independent committee of international peers (university professors) nominated by DAAD and the respective regional university associations.

Institutions that wish to participate as host institutions in the programme may submit their application within the regional selection processes.

Prospective institutions located in the Eastern African Countries are invited to apply for partnership in the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme whenever the call for host institutions is open.