MINISTRY OF EDUCATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Their core work

Kenya's national ministry responsible for science, technology, and innovation policy. In H2020, the ministry served as the Kenyan government's interface for EU-Africa research partnerships focused on food and nutrition security. It channels national research funding, co-funds joint EU-AU calls on sustainable agriculture and climate adaptation, and coordinates Kenya's participation in multilateral food systems research. Its role is primarily institutional — enabling and co-financing research rather than conducting it directly.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The ministry's early H2020 involvement (2016) split between ICT development (IST-Africa) and food systems research (LEAP-AGRI), suggesting broad exploratory engagement with EU programmes. By 2018-2019, it concentrated entirely on food and nutrition security, deepening its commitment through LEAP4FNSSA and FOSC — both focused on climate-food linkages and intercontinental cooperation. The digital strand was not continued, indicating a deliberate narrowing toward agricultural resilience.

Moving toward deeper EU-AU institutional alignment on climate-resilient food systems, making them a natural partner for future Africa-Europe agricultural research calls.

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — consistent with their role as a national funding body that co-finances rather than leads research. They operate in large consortia (82 unique partners across 43 countries), which reflects their function as an institutional anchor in multilateral programmes. Working with them means engaging a government partner who brings national legitimacy, co-funding capacity, and access to Kenyan research networks, rather than technical research capabilities.

Remarkably broad network for just 4 projects: 82 unique partners across 43 countries, reflecting the large-scale multilateral nature of EU-Africa partnership programmes. Geographic reach spans Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Americas.

What sets them apart

As a national government ministry, it occupies a fundamentally different role from universities or research institutes — it brings policy authority, national co-funding, and institutional legitimacy to consortia. For any project requiring Kenyan government endorsement, in-country policy alignment, or access to national agricultural research systems, this is the direct channel. Particularly valuable for EU-Africa calls where government-level participation strengthens proposals.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LEAP-AGRI
  Largest funding share (EUR 525,475) and the flagship EU-AU partnership on food and nutrition security — a multi-year ERA-NET co-fund spanning 2016-2022.
• FOSC
  Most recent and longest-running project (2019-2025), focused on climate change impacts on food security across three continents — Africa, America, and Europe.