COGENT JOINT RESEARCH-INTENSIVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

Programme Overview

The COGENT Research-Intensive Internship Programme provides competitive research-intensive internship opportunities for promising MSc and PhD students and relevant staff members from COGENT partner institutions. The programme strengthens advanced research skills, international collaboration, joint supervision, and biodiversity and conservation research through placements in complementary research environments.

COGENT is implemented under the BioAlliance CoRE’s Integrative Conservation Biology Research and Training initiative, which brings together African and European institutions to strengthen collaborative research, education, and capacity development in conservation biology. Within this broader framework, COGENT establishes a collaborative partnership between the University of Oslo (Norway) and four African partner universities:

• Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia)
• Makerere University (Uganda)
• University of Rwanda (Rwanda)
• Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique)

A minimum of eight 4 internship placements will be supported, subject to available funding, mobility costs, research priorities, and the suitability of proposed placements.

Objectives

• Provide advanced research training and international research experience.
• Strengthen scientific and technical skills through complementary expertise, facilities, and research environments.
• Promote joint supervision and collaborative research among COGENT partner institutions.
• Improve the quality, visibility, and impact of biodiversity and conservation research.
• Build long-term scientific networks and knowledge exchange among participating institutions.

Mobility Opportunities and Placement

Internships may involve South–South mobility among African COGENT partner institutions or South–North mobility between an African partner institution and the University of Oslo.

Applicants do not need to select a host institution in the application. Placement and mobility decisions will be made by the COGENT evaluation committee based on the applicant’s research needs, career or research objectives, availability of relevant expertise and facilities, supervisory capacity, thematic alignment, and available funding.

Because mobility costs vary substantially by destination, the programme may support a larger number of South–South placements than South–North placements. The number of placements will therefore not be fixed in advance and will depend on available funding and the suitability of proposed placements.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be currently registered as an MSc or PhD student, or be a relevant academic/research staff member, at one of the African COGENT partner institutions.
• For students, be enrolled in a field relevant to COGENT, including Conservation Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity Science, Environmental Science, Climate Change and Adaptation, Natural Resource Management, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrate a strong academic record and sufficient English proficiency for an international research environment.
• Be available to undertake a full-time internship for four consecutive months.
• Submit a research concept note aligned with COGENT objectives and relevant research priorities.
• Have research data, samples, field material, or other research materials already available at the time of application, OR provide credible evidence that the required data/materials will be available by the internship start date.

Expected Outputs

Internships should contribute directly to research and may result in:

• Peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts;
• Conference abstracts and presentations;
• Biodiversity datasets and associated metadata;
• Analytical workflows and reproducible research products;
• Technical or policy-relevant reports;
• MSc or PhD thesis chapters; and/or
• Capacity-building and knowledge-transfer activities.

Funding and Benefits

Successful applicants will receive financial and logistical support appropriate to the approved placement. Support may include:

• Monthly living allowance;
• Accommodation support;
• International or regional travel costs;
• Visa application and processing fees, where applicable;
• Travel insurance; and
• Administrative and logistical mobility support.

Funding packages will vary according to destination, mobility type, and associated costs. The final award and funding package will be communicated to successful applicants.

Internship Conditions

The internship will last four (4) consecutive months and must be undertaken on a full-time basis. Dates and mobility arrangements will be agreed between the intern, host institution, home supervisor, and COGENT Internship Committee.

Interns will participate in regular supervision and research activities, submit monthly progress reports, take part in relevant seminars or training, participate in joint review meetings, and submit a final internship report and presentation.

Interns must comply with the academic, research integrity, ethical, administrative, and professional requirements of both home and host institutions.

Application

Applications must be submitted online using the COGENT application form:

COGENT Joint Research-Intensive Internship Programme – Application Form

The online form requests the following information and documents:

• Applicant and institutional information;
• Academic background and current research/project title;
• Motivation letter;
• Curriculum vitae (CV);
• Academic transcript;
• One recommendation letter from the current supervisor;
• Proof of current enrolment or institutional affiliation;
• Research concept note (maximum three pages); and
• A brief description (maximum 500 words) of the research problem to be addressed during the internship and how the internship will contribute to the applicant’s MSc/PhD research or professional development.

The recommendation letter should be submitted by the applicant’s current supervisor. Applicants should provide the referee’s email address in the online form so that the recommendation request can be handled separately.

The programme reserves the right to adjust the timeline if necessary.

Further Information and Contacts

Applicants may contact COGENT project members at their respective institutions for further information about the programme, research themes, and institutional expertise. Project information and partner contacts are available on the COGENT project webpage. 

Primary contacts:

Dr Angelina Martins: angelick.martins@gmail.com
Dr Desalegn Chala: d.c.gelete@nhm.uio.no

Applicants are also free to contact other COGENT project members listed through the project webpage.

Important Note

Applicants should ensure that the proposed internship can make substantial progress within four months. In particular, applicants must have the relevant data or research materials available when applying, or provide evidence that they will have access to them before the internship begins.