The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Alumni projects are one of the special projects of the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD). The DAAD SDG Alumni Projects in the framework of the 4th Mekong River Commission Summit include three parts: (1) online training seminars in 2022, (2) training seminars in presence in 2023 in Vietnam, and (3) participation in the 4th MRCS 2023 in Lao PDR. Candidates which have the following criteria can apply for this project:

– German university Alumni from the riparian states of River Mekong, which are listed on the DAC list of the Global South – Cambodia, Lao People´s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam 

 – Proven background in academic fields associated with water resources management and circular economy, which are specified by three individual projects organized by three universities separately as follows: 

 (1) University of Applied Sciences Dresden (TUD)

Topic:
Waste Free Climate – Climate Change and Circular Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Research, Education, and International Cooperation

Academic fields: waste management and circular economy, climate change, 3Rs (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle), organic waste, plastic waste / pollution, environmental and sustainability science, waste treatment technologies, financing of waste management systems and treatment plants, environmental law, governance mechanism, recycling, resource management, environmental awareness-raising through participation and public communication, transboundary waste shipment regulations, capacity building

Details of the call of TUD: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/tu_dresden_finalcall.pdf  

(2) Technical University of Applied Sciences Cologne (TH Köln)

Topic:
River Basin Management in the Digital Age

Academic fields: water resources management, river basin management, transboundary watershed management, hydro diplomacy, natural resource management and environmental studies

Details of the call of TH Köln: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/th_k%C3%B6ln_finalcall.pdf 

(3) University of Siegen

Topic:
Multinational cooperation on the River Mekong for sustainable development

Academic fields: water resources management, water security, watershed monitoring, and political activities related to water, natural resource management and environmental studies

Details of the call of the university of Siege: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/u_siegen_finalcall.pdf 

The training seminars are followed by the participation in the 4th Mekong River Commission Summit 2023 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, expected in April 2023 (exact dates will be provided in due time), organized by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Application deadline: Mid of April 2022 (extension of the deadline is possible)

Further information: https://www.daad.de/en/alumni/funding-programmes-for-alumni/sdg-alumni-projects/