Science for Development

Science for Development Graduate Programme (PGCD)

A unique opportunity

The PGCD, Science for Development Graduate Programme, is an innovative advanced training program, that helps prepare African and East Timorese students to pursue a scientific career and train a new generation of University professors.

The main goals of the PGCD are three-fold:

To train the next generation of excellent Portuguese-speaking African and East Timorese students, giving them the opportunity to learn advanced science and become scientists;
To improve the quality of science education and scientific research in the Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP) and in East Timor;
To use science and technology as effective tools for development.

These are ambitious goals that can only be achieved with the commitment and dedication of the entire Portuguese-speaking scientific community. Because the PGCD is of strategic importance not only to the PALOP and East Timor but also for society in general, we invite everyone to be part of this project.

Structure of the Programme

Eight months of graduate courses, taking place in Praia, Cape Verde, followed by a 40-month research period leading to PhD thesis. The classes were divided into weekly or bi-weekly modules. The classes were divided into weekly or bi-weekly modules. Each module focused on a different subject and was taught by different internationally faculty. The research period split between the home countries and select institutes and universities in Portugal.

The programme offered excellent basic training in the life sciences, with a stronger focus on Plant Biology, Marine Biology and Tropical Diseases. In addition to the science curriculum, the PGCD offered a course in English, the language of science. The syllabuses were designed as a collaborative process between the PGCD and the various course organizers, representing the state-of-the-art of the life sciences, paying close attention to the local needs.

More than 300 Portuguese-speaking professors and scientists, outstanding in their area of specialty, volunteered two weeks of their time to teach at the PGCD. For the first two editions we brought more than 100 PhDs to Praia, travelling from Europe, North and South America, Africa and Oceania.