swissuniversities Development and Cooperation Network (SUDAC)

The swissuniversities Development and Cooperation Network (SUDAC) programme seeks targeted support for collaboration between the various types of Swiss higher education institutions and their partners from the Global South in order to achieve an excellent standard of education, research and innovation on global challenges.

To achieve its aims, the SUDAC programme has promoted the development of two instruments:

1. 'Consortia for Education and Research (COFER)' that are oriented towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the U.N. Agenda 2030 (cf. SUDAC project proposal). Two calls have supported the creation of COFER. The first call was closed in February 2017, the second and final call was closed in May 2018. A total of 10 COFER has been funded.

2. 'Clusters of Cooperation in the Global South' (CLOCs), the second objective of the SUDAC programme, geared at connecting hubs for regions with increased cooperation activity.

The 10 COFERs

In the first call for COFER four projects have been selected for funding by the SUDAC Assembly on May 24th 2017.

• COFER WASH: Consortium for Education and Research in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
• COFER SAS4SD: Science Action in Schools for Sustainable Development
• COFER One Health: Creating a Framework for Developing Effective Nutrition and One Health Interventions
• COFER EFORD: Education for Development

In the second call for COFER six projects have been selected for funding by the SUDAC Assembly on May 29th 2018.

• COFER PRO GED: Promoting gender equality and diversity through shared knowledge production
• COFER IFE: Innovative Financing in Education and Development: Case Studies and Multi-Media Material for E­Learning 
• COFER KnowledgeForClimate
  
• COFER MOOLs: Massive Open Online Laboratories 
• COFER Academy 2030: Research partnerships for transformative knowledge and policy
• COFER WelCit: Welcoming Neighbourhoods. Sustainable Migration in North and West African Cities

The 5 Clusters of Cooperation in the Global South (CLOCs)

With the Clusters of Cooperation (CLOCs) in selected regions of the Global South, the SUDAC Assembly has launched a second instrument of cooperation on May 17th 2019.

Following a call for CLOCs (January 2018-March 2019) with 9 proposals, 5 regions have been selected for funding between 2019-2022. The funded CLOCs will enhance collaboration efforts with the following regions:

•  Latin America : CLOC Conectaté A+
• West Africa: CLOC West Africa
•  East Africa: (tbd in 2020)
•  MENA region: CLOC DEAR MENA
• South Asia: CLOC “Knowledge2Action”

These CLOCs are expected to serve as ‘regional hubs’, connecting a variety of ‘nodes’, such as existing research and education partnerships, regionally active COFER, local knowledge platforms and institutions. CLOCs shall also serve as contact points for Swiss higher education institutions of all types involved in the SUDAC programme and provide access to local higher education institutions and knowledge partners for education & research purposes.