NileWell Scientist-Journalist Co-Production Fellowship Program 2023

The NileWell Scientist-Journalist Co-Production Fellowship Program 2023 is offered from May to December 2023 for journalists and scientists from the Nile Basin countries (Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia, and Rwanda). This program includes training, mentorship, and co-creation of communication materials based on scientific research, and is available through the NileWell platform.

The InfoNile Fellowship is a cross-border initiative of Water Journalists Africa, which aims to uncover important stories on water issues in the Nile River Basin through data-based multimedia storytelling. The fellowship is organized by Water Journalists Africa, the largest network of journalists reporting on the water in the African continent. This program is available on InfoNile’s NileWell platform, which is designed to connect journalists and scientists in the Nile Basin. It is supported by the Nile Basin Capacity Building Network Foundation and IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and is funded by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation and IHE Delft’s Water and Development Partnership Programme.

The co-production fellowship program is a way to bridge the gap between the scientific community, the media, and audiences in the Nile Basin. It aims to facilitate dialogue between local communities, individuals, organizations working in the fields of water and environmental conservation, and policymakers to improve communication and collaboration. This program seeks to promote collaboration between scientists and journalists who are involved in water-related topics, to improve the media’s comprehension of science and research. Through collaboration, scientists and journalists can make science more comprehensible, interesting, and available to each other and to the public.

Applicants with expertise in water and the environment, such as climate change, biodiversity, water quality, WASH, water infrastructure, hydrology, and social sciences in Nile Basin countries are encouraged to apply for the program occurring from May to December 2023.

Eligibility for the NileWell Scientist-Journalist Co-Production Fellowship Program 2023:

Applicants must be a professional journalist with an interest in reporting on water-related science.
Applicants must be scientists and researchers from different disciplines working on topics related to water and/or the environment.

Program Details for the NileWell Scientist-Journalist Co-Production Fellowship Program 2023:

Sixteen people, composed of eight journalists and eight scientists, will be chosen to partake in the fellowship program, where they will be educated on biodiversity reporting, transboundary water resources reporting, science journalism, science communication, and data journalism.

This program will involve an initial, face-to-face residential training workshop for scientists and journalists to teach them how to collaborate effectively; subsequent online training and mentorship sessions on specific topics; team-based projects between scientists and journalists to produce communication outputs; and events to present the work of scientists and journalists to the public.

During the program, participants will work together to create communication materials based on the scientists’ research, including stories, podcasts, Twitter threads, blog posts, short videos, and MoJo videos.

Method of Application for the NileWell Scientist-Journalist Co-Production Fellowship Program 2023:

Interested applicants need to submit their application by completing this form and also prepare the following documents below.

Detailed CV
Information/links to the research you plan to communicate (if you are a scientist)
Related research studies you have done in the past (if you are a scientist)
Links to any scientific communication you have produced in the past, such as science stories, blog posts, or social media posts especially on water and environmental topics (if you are a journalist)

Application Deadline: April 10, 2023.

For more information about this opportunity, Visit the Official Website.