UZ, NUST get N219m research grant from France

Zimbabwe has received a 218,933,000 ($1.1 million) grant from France to develop science and research at its tertiary institutions.

According to NewZimbabwe.com, the grant was unveiled at the renewal and signing of a three year partnership between Research Platform Production and Conservation in Partnership (RP-PCP) and CIRAD Agricultural Research for Development.

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), are the direct beneficiaries.

CIRAD Director, Michel Eddi, told the newspaper that the organisation wants to support research institutions in Zimbabwe and other countries.

"We have been welcome in Zimbabwe for a long time and we want to remain in the country and work with these institutions and we want to consolidate and enhance cooperation at regional level starting from here going to Zambia, Botswana on the same thematic which all other people are on in the region," Eddi said.

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RP-PC Chairman and Vice Chancellor of Bindura University, Professor Eddie Mwenje, said the partnership with CIRAD has far reaching benefits for the country's institutions.

"This MOU is very important because it gives us the capacity to be able to source other funds where Zimbabwe, as you know, would not be eligible sometimes because of sanctions which is very real," Mwenje said.

"But with this partnership that we have we are able as well to access other funds.

"When our staff or young people are trained it means that we now have fewer exoduses and then the institutions are able to retain good scientists, so this is then beneficial to the institutions of Zimbabwe."

CIRAD is a French research centre working with developing countries to tackle international agricultural and development issues.