Scholars from Addis Ababa University (AAU) won the highly competitive and prestigious International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) Research Fellowship Award held in the United States of America recently.

The winners were from six colleges of AAU: namely, Ameha Mulugeta (PhD)/Addis Ababa Institute of Technology/, Anteneh Belete (PhD)/College of Health Sciences/, Bikila Werkineh (PhD)/College of Natural and Computational Sciences/, Gebreyohannes Berhane (PhD)/College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture/, Mekasha Kassaye (PhD)/College of Education and Behavioral Studies/ and Solomon Kiros (PhD)/Addis Ababa Institute of Technology/.

All the awarding process of IREX was as follows:

“The awardees had to pass through a three-phase rigorous and extremely competitive screening process set by the Board: stringent credential verification, completion of a mandatory of 70 hours of virtual course work comprising several modules on international research governance and management, and finally a two-month virtual engagement with a designated US host university.

They had to leave behind outperforming all their African competitors at each phase of the screening in order to appear in the finalist list of only 26 scholars out of hundreds more from all over Africa. The award, being part of university administration support program, will finally lead to the certification of the scholars with an international certificate on research governance and management in universities.”

The awardees are currently on the research fellowship program in the various host universities across the USA for five weeks placement and visit. On arrival at the Dulles International Air Port, they were accorded a warm welcome by Louisa Manzeske, Senior Program Office, IREX, Washington, and Liam Blunt, Program Associate.

Prior to their placement to the US renowned universities, they will have a one week stay in Washington DC where they have to take international workshops and seminars on research governance in universities.

The Addis Ababa University management seizes this opportunity to congratulate the winners on winning the prestigious award and expects them to get back to the foreseeable autonomous AAU and introduce new innovations and dramatically change the long-lived deeply-archaic research governance and management system to serve the best interests of the tax payers of their country.

IREX is a global development and education organization founded in the US America in 1968 which strives for a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world where individuals reach their full potential, governments serve their people, and communities thrive. It works with partners in four areas essential to progress: cultivating leaders, empowering youth, strengthening institutions, and increasing access to quality education and information.

Report: AAU Quality Assurance (Dr. Mekasha Kassaye)

Editor: Abraham Girmay