Call for Applications: Advanced Skills Course on Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials for the Green Transition fully funded to Nairobi, Kenya

Ednah Carrick 2 weeks ago

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Closing Date: 12 January 2026

Call for Applications: Advanced Skills Course on Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials for the Green Transition fully funded to Nairobi, Kenya

GOALS

As part of the project TNE23-00067 Wagon2Africa funded by the Italian Ministry for University and research in the frame of the transnational educational initiatives – TNE program, within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Politecnico di Torino in collaboration with AICAD – African Institute for Capacity Development and JKUAT – Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology promotes the organization of the Advanced Skills Course on Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials for the Green Transition that will be held on February 2026, from 16^th to 20^th in Nairobi.

The course is intended to train young talents and professionals to foster a sustainable biofuel production and climate-resilient agricultural and energy system in Africa.

As specified in the MUR call INIZIATIVE EDUCATIVE TRANSNAZIONALI – TNE D.D. n. 167 of 03/10/2023, art 5 clause 2.d, the Advanced Skills Courses consist in advanced training programs that can be undertaken after the completion of a bachelor university degree. These programs, managed by the Italian and foreign universities involved in the TNE projects, are addressed to academic staff, administrative staff, researchers and graduate students.

The purpose of this call is to select up to 50 participants who will take part in the Advanced Skills Course on Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials for the Green Transition and to award up to 40 of them a grant funded by the Wagon2Africa project to cover their travel and accommodation expenses for the participation in the course.

The grant will consist in the provision of travel and accommodation services by a travel agency paid by the project; it will be assigned exclusively to participants officially admitted to the program and will be managed within the limits of the available project resources.

10 no-grant spots will be dedicated to participants from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, under reserve to assign those spots to participants from different institutions in case the eligible ones from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology are less than 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ADVANCED SKILLS COURSE (ASC)

The course is aimed at training young talents and professionals to foster a sustainable biofuel production and climate-resilient agricultural and energy system in Africa, promoting soil recovery and carbon-neutral or carbon-negative biofuels through the use of marginal and degraded lands. Central to this vision is the integration of urban waste valorisation, primarily through anaerobic digestion, which enhances resource recovery, closes nutrient cycles, and generates additional economic value from co-products.

The course will leverage the expertise of some of the universities that are partner in the Wagon2Africa project.

Thematic areas will be:

Biomass production (agri/forest),
Biomass conversion,
Fuels and products,
Sustainability and carbon accounting,
End use sectors (CHP, road, maritime, aviation),
Socio economic aspects,

Programme Coordinators: prof. David Chiaramonti, prof. Michel Noussan, Politecnico di Torino.

Programme Details

The programme will feature:

A workshop with international panelists;
Series of lectures on the topics mentioned above;
Discussions and interactions with the

APPLICANTS REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

Hold at least a Bachelor of Science degree in an academic field related to topics of the course:
Belong to one of the following categories:
- student enrolled in a post-graduate program;
- university or research institute staff;
- staff employed in a public or private organization
Be citizen of and currently living in one of the following countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Sudan, Mauritius. Please note that candidates living in Kenya can apply for the grant only if they live in a city at least 100 km away from Nairobi, venue of the course, according to the linear distance measured through the online Erasmus distance calculator available at this link: Distance calculator for organisations – Erasmus+. Candidates living in Kenya at less than 100 km away from Nairobi according to the online calculator mentioned above, and candidates from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology can apply for participation in the course but are not eligible for the scholarship grant.
English language proficiency at a minimum of B2

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must submit their application through the online form available at the following link: https://forms.gle/W6a1xabDSWSUKQfx5

In the form applicants will be required to provide the following information:

Personal details (name, surname, date of birth,);
Citizenship;
Current address (city and country);
Home university/institution/employer;
Degree already obtained;
Current study program (if applicable);
Self-declaration of English language proficiency (minimum B2 level), and any official certificate if available;

In addition, applicants are required to upload the following documents in pdf format (mandatory):

A passport copy;
Degree certificate;
Curriculum Vitae;
Motivation Letter: the letter should explain the applicant’s interest in the Advanced Skills Course and the impact the course may have on his/her career.

SELECTION PROCESS

A Selection Committee composed of faculty members of Politecnico di Torino will be appointed by the Rector of Politecnico di Torino to evaluate the applications, select 50 candidates for participation, and identify 40 among them who will benefit of a scholarship grant covering travel and accommodation expenses. 10 no-grant spots will be dedicated to participants from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, under reserve to assign those spots to participants from different institutions in case the eligible ones from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology are less than 10.

The selection process will evaluate the following criteria:

Overall quality of the application;
Possible balance of selected participants among the eligible countries;
Possible balance of selected participants among academic backgrounds;
Work experience in academic settings (e.g., lectures) and/or in the corporate/industrial sector (if any)
Other relevant elements, as deemed appropriate by the Selection

The results of the selection process will be published by 23/01/2026 on the website of Politecnico di Torino at the following pages: https://www.polito.it/en/polito/an-international-university/pnrr- tne-projects/tne-wagon2africa and https://titulus-polito.cineca.it/albo/.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Politecnico di Torino will provide a scholarship grant to cover travel and accommodation expenses for a maximum of 40 participants, citizen of and currently living in one of the following countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Sudan, Mauritius. Please note that candidates living in Kenya can apply for the grant only at the following conditions:

if they live in a city at least 100 km away from Nairobi, venue of the course, according to the linear distance measured through the online Erasmus distance calculator available at this link: Distance calculator for organisations – Erasmus+ ;
if they are not currently enrolled/employed at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Candidates from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and candidates living in Kenya at less than 100 km away from Nairobi according to the online calculator mentioned above can apply for participation in the course but are not eligible for the scholarship grant.

The Administration of Politecnico di Torino will directly contact the beneficiaries in order to provide instructions regarding scholarship acceptance, purchase of flight tickets and arrangements for accommodation.