NetCDA

European Academic Network for Capacity Development in Climate Change Adaptations
in Africa

About NetCDA

The BMBF-funded project NetCDA aims to strengthen academic education on climate change adaptation strategies in Africa. The project is run by nine German partners in a project consortium in close collaboration with the graduate school programme of the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).  

Since 2010, WASCAL is dedicated to capacity development and strengthening the research infrastructure related to climate change. The academic education of young professionals in association with the German counterparts is a pivotal component of their work.

Over the next two years, the collaboration project NetCDA aims to:

  1. support WASCAL doctoral students in continuing and successfully completing their research work, including the supervision by German partners and research visits at the German partner institutions for up to six months
  2. strengthen the implementation of a German network of WASCAL graduate schools
  3. initiate an academic network that unites climate change researchers from Europe and Africa who are active in education.

Interested in learning more about NetCDA, the consortium, and our West African partners? Then please have a look at our About section. You will find the latest news about our activities in our “News” section.

News Blog

New Open Access Paper: Life on the dry side: a roadmap to understanding desiccation tolerance and accelerating translational applications

Nature Communications, 2025

We are pleased to share a newly published open-access article in Nature Communications, co-authored by WASCAL student Wassila Ibrahim Seidou.

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of desiccation tolerance—an adaptation that allows organisms to survive extreme dehydration. By synthesizing current knowledge across evolutionary, ecological, physiological, and cellular levels, the authors propose a roadmap to improve research practices, fill key knowledge gaps, and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.
With potential applications in agriculture, biotechnology, conservation, and health, the paper highlights the importance of coordinated efforts and standardized approaches in this emerging field.

🔗 Access the publication here:
Life on the dry side – Nature Communications

Congratulations to Wassila and the authoring team on their research!

New Open Access Paper: Handling the Costs of Climate Change toAfrican Health Systems

A team at the International Climate Change Information and ResearchProgrammehttps://www.haw-hamburg.de/en/ftz-nk/programmes-and-networks/iccirp/ andInterdisciplinary Expert Centre on Climate Change and Health...

Selection process for Batch 6 WASCAL students in final stages

The selection process for Batch 6 of WASCAL students is nearing completion, with some universities already in the process and others in the final stages. The programme aims to train young scientists from the West African region and strengthen research capacity in...

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