The EU-funded ‘Enhancing Doctoral Education (EDE)’ Project was recently launched at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in South-Africa (SA) during a workshop held from 22 to 24 January.
The initiative brings together Rhodes University (SA), Stellenbosch University (SA), Maseno University (Kenya), the University of Nairobi (Kenya), the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and VU University Amsterdam to review, refine, and optimise doctoral education policies and practices. It also involves key education authorities, including South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training and Kenya’s Ministry of Education.
While the Center for International Cooperation (CIS-VU) has a strong track record in initiating and coordinating EU-funded Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Projects, the EDE Project marks its first Strand III award. Strand III supports large-scale policy reforms that require direct collaboration with educational ministries and international partners. Institutions are selected based on their proven success in global academic partnerships.
The €1.1 million project builds on three earlier international collaborations led by CIS-VU
- Strengthening Postgraduate Supervision (Dutch-funded through NUFFIC)
- Enhancing Postgraduate Education (CBHE Erasmus+)
- Creating Postgraduate Collaborations (CBHE Erasmus+)
The EDE Project seeks to identify gaps between policy and practice across the participating countries, foster the exchange of innovative strategies, and develop shared resources to support doctoral supervisors, candidates, and institutions.
The Project is managed by Colette Gerards and Esther den Hartog (European leads of CIS-VU), Dr Sioux McKenna (South African lead) and Dr Lillian Omondi (Kenyan lead). Within VU, several departments will contribute their expertise in postgraduate education, including the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the Department of Policy and Governance (Beleid en Bestuurszaken), and various Graduate Schools. Over four years, the team will work towards developing a comprehensive framework for doctoral education policy and implementation.
For more information contact Colette Gerards (c.c.j.gerards@vu.nl ) and/ or Esther den Hartog (esther.den.hartog@vu.nl)
