SWAFY, S???????????? W?????? ?????? ?????? Y???????? project, launched Friday in Tunis.
The announcement was made by the National Agency for the Promotion of Scientific Research (French : ANPR).
The project, implemented in collaboration with the European Union, is designed to support civil society organisations involved in the scientif field. It also targets PhD students and graduates with a view to helping them get startups off the ground.
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Moncef Boukthir told a launch seminar 9.5 million euros in funding (TND 32 million) were earmarked for the project under an agreement with the EU.
The project, which will run over 48 months, will be carried out in partnership with the ministries of education, vocational training, youth and sports and cultural affairs.
The ultimate purpose, he added, is to foster increased youth involvement in scientific research amid reluctance over the recent years to opt for scientific subjects.
Marcus Cornaro, the EU’s Ambassador to Tunisia, said the project seeks to reach out to the biggest possible number of young people in underprivileged areas so as to encourage scientific research, innovation and creativity and increase employability.
Target recipients, ANPR Chedly Abdelli said, are nearly 250 PhD students and graduates.
The project is an opportunity for young people to participate in the development of public policies in science and technology and put forward alternative ideas to modernise methods for teaching.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse