University College Dublin’s Office of Global Engagement is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 UCD Africa Engagement Seed Fund. The Fund is designed to advance UCD’s Africa Engagement Strategy by supporting initiatives with the potential to deepen the University’s profile on the continent. There was a strong response to this year’s call, demonstrating UCD’s enthusiasm for collaboration on the continent. Five projects were selected from among twenty six applications:
Fostering benefit sharing and an ethics of care in doctoral education: a collaboration between UCD and the University of Nairobi:
Professor Susi Geiger (Business), Dr. Fernandos Ongolly (Irish Universities Association).
This project aims to nurture collaborations between researchers in social sciences and healthcare at UCD and the University of Nairobi (UoN), focusing on doctoral education and fostering benefit sharing and an ethics of care in research practice. A series of workshops and a public guest lecture at UoN will enhance UCD’s visibility at UoN and reinforce its commitment to ethical, collaborative, and impactful research, while student recruitment activities at Masters level and a sponsored visit by two UoN PhD researchers will foster emerging talent and long-term relationships. Overall, this project highlights UCD not only as a global university but also as a leader in the ethics of care in research, including in its collaborative research activities.
Engineering Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation:
Dr Budi Zhao (School of Civil Engineering), Dr Shane Donohue, Dr Fiachra O'Loughlin, Professor SW Jacobsz (University of Pretoria), Professor WP Boshoff (University of Pretoria), Dr Sarah Scorpen (University of Pretoria), Dr Ione Loots (University of Pretoria),
The "Engineering Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation" project strengthens collaboration between University College Dublin (UCD) and the University of Pretoria (UP) to address climate change challenges. The project will host a hybrid workshop on sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and climate adaptation, followed by faculty exchanges and joint student research. This partnership aims to enhance academic engagement, promote student recruitment, and build capacity in climate engineering, contributing to global climate solutions and fostering long-term Irish-African collaboration.
Achieving Change: Developing an Evidence-Based, Culturally Competent Psychological Intervention to Combat Domestic Violence in South Africa:
Professor Louise McHugh (School of Psychology), Professor Stephen Walker (University of the Free State Bloemfontein)
The Achieving Change project is a collaborative initiative between UCD and the UFS, South Africa, aimed at addressing one aspect of the crisis of domestic violence in South Africa through innovative, evidence-based psychological interventions to reduce reoffending. The project develops and tests the feasibility of culturally competent approaches to reduce recidivism and support sustainable behaviour change.
Advancing Dietetics Training in Malawi: A UCD-LUANAR Knowledge Exchange Initiative:
Dr Clare Reynolds (School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science), Dr Sarah Browne (School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science), Professor Clare Corish (School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science), Ms Doris Nanga (Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR))
This initiative will strengthens an existing partnership originally supported by the HSE Irish Global Health Programme. In 2024, the partners established a Memorandum of Understanding between UCD and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). This collaboration aims to strengthen ties between the institutions. The Dietetics Programme team at UCD work with the Clinical Dietetic programmes at LUANAR to support mutually beneficial research, teaching and learning activities. This includes: supporting LUANAR student MSc dissertations through mentorship, research skill development and conference participation; and facilitating a LUANAR staff visit to UCD for curriculum development, and knowledge exchange promoting long-term academic partnerships.
Bridges of the Future: Forging a Stronger Inter-continental Partnership between University College Dublin and Women’s University in Africa:
Dr Penelope Muzanenhamo (School of Business), Dr Nyarai Simbarashe (Women's University in Africa, Zimbabwe)
'Bridges of the Future' is a collaborative project between University College Dublin and Women's University in Africa with the goal to enhance inter-continental research collaboration and co-teaching. By showcasing tangible collaboration between UCD and the traditionally underrepresented African scholars and African business contexts, the project seeks to leverage new funding sources from diverse (non)-governmental organisations and policy-makers. 'Bridges of the Future' will also broaden research horizons by engaging with pertinent issues affecting, and of relevance to, underrepresented global communities and society in academia, in conjunction with enriching curricula with a collection of more global and multi-cultural perspectives.