Winning Proposal Earns CBU $300,000 Grant

The Copperbelt University, through the initiative of the School of Technology, has been awarded a grant worth about $300,000 from Higher Education for Development (HED) based in the United States of America, The grant is phased over a period of time with the initial amountof $50,000 being given as a planning grant.

In a letter dated 9^th April, 2009 addressed to the Dean of School of Technology, Dr Hastings Libati, HED Programme Officer, Teshome Y Alemneh, said he was pleased to inform the School of the success for the application for funding.

Dr. Libati

" Higher Education for Development (HED) thanks you for your submission in response to the 2008 Request for Applications for ''Africa-US Higher Education Planning Grants, All applications were submitted to rigorous evaluation by a peer review panel comprised of a representative from USAID and Higher Education experts in international development and higher education with experience in Africa. As an outcome of the competitive review, we are pleased to inform you that the application you submitted with your lead US Institution has been selected forfunding," he said.

In an internal memo from Dr Libati, he said "the School of Technology together with our visiting scholar, Prof, Misra Santosh from Cleveland State University, submitted an application for American funding - grant The planning grant is to the tune of $50,000. lam pleased to inform you that out of the 300 applications that were successfully submitted, the Copperbelt University is among the top 20 that is funded. The funding will continue to a sum of about $300,000 as the project continues."

Dr Libati has thanked Management for the support rendered during the process of application.

Arising from the award of the Grant, a number of leadership and strategic planning seminars and workshops were lined up to acquaint the stakeholders with provisions of the grant The workshops, facilitated by Dr Robert Scherer Dean, School of Business at Cleveland State University and Prof. Santosh, Chair & Professor of Computer Science Department of Cleveland from the partner University, ran from 22 June - 25th June, 2009 and drew participation from deans, assistant deans, heads of units and faculty members.

Among deliverables of this grant include:

1. Training of 6 members of Staff from Masters to PhD,
2. Exchange of Students and Lecturers between the two partner universities.
3. To start the Masters Degree in Computer Science at CBU.
4. Establish a Centre of Excellence in ICTs at CBU

During the official opening of the leadership and strategic planning seminar, CBU Vice Chancellor, Prof, Mutale Mike Musonda, thanked the visiting delegation from Cleveland State University and commended them for having been instrumental in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Copperbelt University.

 In a speech read for him by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof, Juvenalis Tembo, Prof. Musonda said he was aware that the MOU signed sought to build partnership between Cleveland State University and the Copperbelt University with the primary focus of developing sustainable capacity in the areas of Computer Science, Information Technology, and Computer Engineering.

He urged participants "to appreciate that leadership training is a necessary foundation for the long term development of an institution, We should forever strive to move the institution forward and to accelerate its growth in order to remain relevant to the national aspirations, It's only an enlightened mind that can make a contribution in the modern era."