PERI-ACE (Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme)

Who can apply

An African national; Master's mobility covers full-degree study (24 months) or credit-seeking mobility (10 months), Doctoral mobility runs 36 months
Must apply concurrently for admission to the chosen host institution; a PERI-ACE scholarship application is separate from a university admission application
Applications from women, disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, fragile states, least-developed regions, refugee status, and candidates with disabilities are specifically encouraged
Traineeships are separate five-month placements hosted only at associated partners AMCOW or ICPAC, not at the six core universities, and this track has not launched yet; it is expected in 2027

How this differs from the similar MAINSTREAM programme

This is one of several EU-funded Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme consortia, distinct from the similarly structured MAINSTREAM programme already on this site: different lead university, different core partners, and a different climate sub-theme split (agriculture, water, renewable energy, disaster risk), even though the funding mechanism and mobility structure are close cousins.

The application itself is not a university application. PERI-ACE’s own guidance is explicit that you must apply to your chosen host institution directly, in addition to the scholarship form, and the two processes run on separate tracks.

One caution worth stating plainly: PERI-ACE’s own scholarships page describes coverage only in general terms, travel, visa fees, and living costs paid monthly in local-currency equivalent, plus a separate institutional contribution toward tuition and research costs. It does not publish a specific monthly stipend figure anywhere we could find, unlike MAINSTREAM’s own page, which does. Treat any specific euro amount quoted for PERI-ACE elsewhere as unconfirmed until it appears on PERI-ACE’s own site.

How the 40 places actually split

The 40 places split four ways, and not every category means the same thing. Master’s and Doctoral mobility, the two currently open, are full study places at one of the six core universities. Traineeships are different: five-month placements hosted only at the two associated partners, the African Ministers’ Council on Water and the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, not at any of the six universities, and that call has not opened yet, expected in 2027. One further scholarship is reserved specifically for a candidate with disabilities, with its own dedicated support funding on top of the standard package.

Where you can actually study

Where you can actually study depends on which core university you target, since each has a different specialism within the four climate sub-themes rather than running identical programmes. Stellenbosch, the lead institution, works through its School for Climate Studies and its disaster-risk research centre, RADAR. Addis Ababa University’s relevant programmes sit in water resources, environmental engineering and renewable energy, run through its Institute of Water Environment and Climate Research. Ardhi University in Tanzania specialises in urban and regional planning, geomatics and land administration. 2iE in Burkina Faso is the strongest fit for water, energy and engineering, including AI-for-development and smart-infrastructure work. Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique offers environmental science and climate adaptation programmes. One partner is easy to misread: Lund University in Sweden is a technical partner only, helping with curriculum and quality assurance, and does not host any student mobility at all, so it is not a study destination under this scheme.

Who the scheme is trying to reach, and the practical application steps

The scheme sits inside the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and is explicitly framed around Africa’s own Agenda 2063 development goals, not just individual scholarships handed out in isolation. That shows up in how PERI-ACE talks about who it wants to reach: deliberate outreach to women in climate-related STEM fields, and active encouragement for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds, fragile states, least-developed regions and refugee status, alongside a stated aim to spread awards across many different nationalities rather than concentrate them. Practically, the online application form takes 30 to 45 minutes, supports saving and resuming later by email code, and disqualifies incomplete submissions outright, so leave enough time before the 17 September deadline rather than starting it the night before.