Introduction

As part of HAQAA2’s activities, a training program has been implemented, targeting QA professionals in universities and HEI across the African continent. HAQAA1 and HAQAA2 training activities have generated knowledge on the PAQAF and the ASG-QA, in particular, as tools for harmonization in the HE sector. 

The present call is intended to support graduates (HAQAA Ambassadors) of these courses to apply and disseminate knowledge gained for the benefit of the wider African HE community.

General Objetives

The dissemination projects, which must be carried out within six months (from March – September 2022), aim: 

1. To support the dissemination and multiplication of the outcomes of training activities across the continent
2. To encourage collaboration between all HAQAA training course graduates and to link IQA and EQA professionals, as both are critical to vibrant QA systems

Funding

Each selected project will receive funding from the HAQAA2 Initiative: from 8.000 up to 12.000 Euro per project. A maximum of 15 projects can be supported. The contribution of funds/co-funding from supporting QAAs or HEIs is encouraged, but not mandatory.

Eligible Participants

The Call for Proposals is intended for HAQAA1 and HAQAA2 Training course graduates (participants from both QAAs – EQA and HEI – IQA; all members of the HAQAA Ambassadors Network). 

The dissemination projects need to be carried out within six months at national, regional, or multi-country level, driven by one or several HAQAA Training Course graduates. Joint projects are strongly encouraged (collaborations between both IQA and EQA stakeholders, as well as with multiple ambassadors). 

The applicant of the project shall be an organization (QA agency or university) through which the funding can be channelled. One graduate who successfully completed a HAQAA training course should be named as project coordinator. In the case of joint projects, it must be specified which organization takes overall responsibility for the implementation (in the case of more than one project coordinator).

The project coordinator will be responsible for organizing all the project activities, managing the budget, keeping financial record, and reporting on outcomes and sustainability.

Individual applicants can be considered on a case-by-case basis, only if applying through an institution is not permitted or highly complicated (please elaborate in your application).

Project areas / themes

Project proposals should focus on any or several of the following areas:

• The ASG-QA as a tool for institutional self-assessment/preparing for accreditation
• The ASG-QA as a tool for building national QA systems, in line with continental standards
• The ASG-QA as a tool for self-assessment of QA agencies
• The ASG-QA as a tool to inspire QA reform during Covid-19/pandemic
• The different tools and action lines of the PAQAF, their implications for the HE sector and their application
• Continental cooperation in quality assurance and accreditation
• Building quality cultures in universities and systems

The HAQAA2 dissemination projects funding will cover the expenditure for implementing the project, which will be carried out by a project coordinator in their home country or in the region.

Activities

The following are some types of activities that can be funded:

• Capacity building/training events and workshops
• Publications/research related to the implementation of the ASG-QA/PAQAF tools and their dissemination/ implementation
• Policy dialogues/round tables and meetings linked to national or regional higher education policy reform, and the place of quality assurance within higher education systems
• Benchmarking exercises between universities or QA agencies, using the ASG-QA
• Aligning national or regional standards and guidelines to the ASG-QA

Administrative information on the type of grant and the submission and evaluation procedure

Applications need to include a detailed project plan with the project aims and rationale, clear description and timeline of activities, and expected outcomes. The project plan shall be uploaded on the online application form. (?)

Applicants must provide in their proposal a detailed estimation of costs and a breakdown of how the grant will be used per activity. A budget template will be available on the HAQAA2 portal, to be used by applicants. This has to be submitted as Annex I at the submission process. Administrative documents will also have to be provided, including a Tax Certificate (more information on PART C of this document)

The HAQAA2 Implementation Team will review the proposal against the criteria specified below in the selection criteria.

Form of the Grant

The type of grant for the dissemination projects under the HAQAA2 Programme is a Lump Sum Grant. 

The estimated lump sum breakdown does not prescribe how the HAQAA2 contribution is to be used by the beneficiaries. It shows the amounts that OBREAL Global (HAQAA2 Coordinator) commits to pay if the action is implemented properly, regardless of the costs actually incurred.

The lump sum should be divided among the different activities and budget headings. Lump sum share transfers between activities are possible via an amendment request to OBREAL Global.

The word “grant” refers to the amount of financing that may be requested from the HAQAA2 Initiative. 

The grant offered by the HAQAA2 Initiative will never exceed the grant amount requested and will depend on: the grant amount requested by the applicant; the eligibility of the activities and the cost efficiency of the project; and the total budget available for the selected projects.

Funding Principles

The beneficiaries have to prove that the activities have actually been properly implemented and the outputs produced, but do not have to report on the use of the funds. As a consequence, beneficiaries have flexibility in the management of the funds awarded to cover the expenses necessary for the implementation of the project, once the requirements, in terms of activities and achievements are attained. In order to prove this, relevant supporting documents (lists of participants, photos, minutes of meetings, presentations, etc.) must be provided. However, no receipts or individual invoices of actual costs incurred are to be submitted.

Funding Rules

The financial support to the Dissemination Projects is based on an estimated budget. Projects can incur a variety of costs including staff costs, travel costs, subsistence costs, subcontracting costs, equipment costs, costs for dissemination of information, publishing, translations, overheads, etc.

Payment Procedures and reporting

To receive the funding, an official grant agreement needs to be signed by the applicant and OBREAL Global. 

An 80% pre financing payment will be transferred to the applicant within 30 days of the date when the last of the two parties signs the grant agreement. Pre financing is intended to provide the beneficiary with sufficient resources to implement the project’s activities

Final Payment or Recovery of the Balance

The amount of the final payment to be made to the applicant will be established on the basis of a final report to be submitted by the deadline indicated in the grant agreement. The amount of the final grant will be the result of the calculation of the lump sum shares for the approved activities and reduction of non-approved activities.

In the case that the applicant is unable to deliver an activity, the share of the grant corresponding to it will be reduced from the final payment. The applicant has to return the due amount without undue delay and no later than 60 days after the request to OBREAL Global.

Project Support

The following activities are foreseen to support the coordinators of projects: 

• Virtual KOM (Kick-Off Meeting) in March 2022

A kick-off meeting in March 2022 will be held to support the implementation of the projects. It will be held in English, French and Portuguese and include regional and European experts, supporting the event with coaching sessions on how to implement the dissemination projects, including project management and soft skills elements. The Kick-Off Meeting will offer hands-on training and collaborative planning and discussions with experts and peers. The meeting will be a platform for Project coordinators to present their projects and discuss their proposals together with higher education management experts. Each project will be assigned an expert who will accompany the project. 

• Online Checking-In / Coaching Sessions in June/July 2022

An online Checking-In / Coaching Session after three months will be organized. While preparing and implementing the projects, the initiative will offer coaching by regional and European experts on a bilateral basis as well as peer coaching with other project coordinators. Selected projects will be invited to present the project progress at an Ambassador Network Meeting (tbc).

• Wrapping Up: Closing Event November 2022

After the end of the project implementation (September 2022), a physical closing event in November 2022 for all project coordinators will be organised to wrap up and exchange knowledge gained during the implementation of the dissemination projects and to establish contacts for further cooperation. 

Requested Administrative Documents from Applicants

Timeline

The deadline for proposal submission is 31st January 2022 at 17.00hs GMT 

The HAQAA2 dissemination projects will start with the online Kick-Off Meeting in March 2022, followed by bilateral online events in June/July 2022 to guide the implementation. The projects have to be planned in such a way that all activities can be carried out within six months (until September).

A timeline is listed as follows:

How to apply

Completed applications, including all necessary supporting documents (in PDF format, Excel for budget plan), must be submitted by 31st January 2022 via the online application form

Compulsory Annexes to the application form

•  Budget plan (see Annex I as template)
•  Curriculum Vitae of (all) project coordinator(s)
•  Letter of support (with signature and seal) from the applicant institution(s) (Annex II) (both the applicant institution and the partner institutions in the case of joint projects)
• Project Description
• Project Activity Timeline
• other documents considered necessary by applicants

Applications with missing documents will not be considered.

Selection of dissemination projects

Applications are reviewed on a competitive basis by the HAQAA2 implementation consortium DAAD, ENQA, OBREAL Global and AAU. HAQAA2 Strategic partners (IUCEA, CAMES, CNAQ, NAQAAE, SARUA) will be consulted on relevance of projects proposed for their region.

Selection criteria:

• Either EQA+IQA are both addressed, or one is addressed
• Focus on ASG-QA and the PAQAF framework and tools
• Project fulfils a clearly described need at national or regional level 
• Project is well designed and feasible
• Sustainability or follow-up measures are addressed
• The coordinator is eligible and demonstrates commitment to the HAQAA Ambassador Network and its goals. 

The selection process will take into account the selection criteria (as outlined above) and will ensure a regional and linguistic balance, a balance in addressing IQA and EQA needs as well as gender balance in the (joint) project coordination.

The results of the selection will be communicated in February 2022.

For further information, please contact DAAD, Mrs Sarah Lang ([email protected]).

Donwload the HAQAA2 logo

“Harmonisation, Quality Assurance and Accreditation in African Higher Education” (HAQAA) is an initiative that has been established to support the development of a harmonised quality assurance and accreditation system at institutional, national, regional, and Pan-African continental level. It is funded by the European Union Commission, in the context of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership. Phase one (HAQAA1) was implemented from 2015-2018. Phase Two – HAQAA 2 (2019 – 2022), is intended to build upon, upscale and promote the results of HAQAA1.

The general objective of HAQAA2 Initiative is to improve the quality and harmonisation of African higher education and support students’ employability and mobility across the continent. The specific objectives are to further enhance quality assurance culture in higher education institutions and cross-regional coordination and strengthen capacities of quality assurance agencies to implement African Standards and Guidelines for quality assurance (ASG-QA), as well as to strengthen the capacities of the AU in implementing the Pan-African Quality Assurance and Accreditation Framework (PAQAF).

The HAQAA2 Initiative is implemented by OBREAL-Global Observatory (Consortium Leader), the Association of African Universities (AAU), the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).