Research and education are fundamental to sustainable development. This project entitled Education for Development (EFORD) aims at improving academic and vocational education of researchers and professionals who work on and in development and conflict-affected contexts. By improving the coordination between distinct educational institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences, vocational training schools, independent research centers) and their curricula it will reduce the gap between research results and their actual uptake. EFORD works together with social sciences, natural sciences and health sciences to draw on findings and transcend traditional disciplinary clusters. In terms of policies, EFORD follows an SDG16+ approach according to which the promotion of peace is closely linked to the development of just and inclusive societies. Health policies and natural resource and ecosystem management policies are crucial to the development and to the well-being of all societies. In terms of research, EFORD will concentrate on the generation of “interface-knowledge” between the three polices mentioned and on science-practice transfer knowledge.

Project summary

Swiss Partners

Swisspeace, University of Basel
Prof. Dr. Laurent Goetschel

Center for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern
Prof. Dr. Thomas Breu

Swiss Tropic and Public Health Insitute (Swiss-TPH), University of Basel
Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger

Swiss Federal Institue for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET)
Erik Swars

School for Agricultural, Forest and Food Science (HAFL)
Dr. Urs Scheidegger

Technical College of Higher Education (TCHE)
Michael Benker

South partners

Birzeit University, Palestine
Dr. Lourdes Boutros Habasch

Center for Peace and Development Studies, University of Juba, Juba, South Sudan
Dr. Leben Nelson Moro

Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Prof. Dr. Bassirou Bonfoh