Summer School - Apply now!

Please note that the Call is only open for MSc students at the University of Hohenheim.

UKUDLA Summer School on Sustainable Food Systems and Data Science in Africa

The African-German Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science (UKUDLA) is inviting applications for a summer school funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with support from the German Federal Foreign Office. The summer school will take place from 14 to 24 September 2025 at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa.  Participation is limited to 16 students, with eight selected from southern Africa and eight from the University of Hohenheim.

Summer Schools play a crucial role in building research capacity at UKUDLA by providing an immersive learning experience that fosters innovation and promotes the next generation of scientists and researchers. The objectives are to transfer knowledge in specific scientific fields, develop data analysis and methodological skills, and facilitate networking by encouraging interaction between participants, scientists, and stakeholders. Our programme incorporates digital lectures and seminars, in-person excursions, hands-on sessions, field trips, and group work. The target groups are MSc students from Germany and Africa. Interdisciplinary content relating to the Centre's cross-cutting research themes will be offered at different host universities representing regions with contrasting agri-food systems.

Participants will engage in the UKUDLA kick-off week during the G20 Minister meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. The programme includes hands-on training, expert-led seminars, excursions, and collaborative projects focused on the sustainable development of food systems in Africa. The programme is open to MSc students from the University of Hohenheim who have a background in agriculture, data science, environmental studies, economics or a related field.

The scholarship includes travel to and from Cape Town, local transport, accommodation and meals. Participants will stay in hotels or guest houses, sharing a room with another participant.

Further content of the summer school programme includes:

  • A UKUDLA kick-off event within the framework of the G20 Ministerial Meeting
  • International and continental food policy contexts
  • A full-day excursion to the Breede Valley Municipality (the largest fruit- and wine-producing valley in the Western Cape).
  • Courses and interactive seminars on data science, food systems and their intersections.
  • Stakeholder engagement, responsible research, and systems thinking
  • Food contestations and indigenous food (including site visits).
  • Challenges around the water, food and energy nexus

Call for Application - Summer School

How to apply:

To apply for the Summer School, please submit the following documents merged into one (!) PDF to ukudla@uni-hohenheim.de by 7 July 2025:

1) Your short CV in tabular form, including your contact details;

2) your transcript of records for your Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes (issued by the examination office), detailing your study progress and focus; and

3) your motivation letter (one page).