Project phase

To conduct the projects, the ASA Programme cooperates with different partner institutions ranging from nongovernmental organisations, foundations, implementing organisations of the German Development Cooperation institutions to municipal authorities, businesses, and universities. Participants work together as part of international project teams with other participants.

Participants acquire new experiences, expand their skill sets, and learn new perspectives on their fields of expertise through their respective projects. They also broaden their understanding of how local issues are connected to global structures and receive training in international contexts.

The topics of the projects are diverse: health, environmental protection, IT, culture, artisanal crafts, education, and more. In previous years, participants developed solar-powered bicycles in Windhoek, Namibia and Berlin, Germany. They produced a podcast tackling questions of migration and flight from conflict zones with school children in Greifswald, Germany and Pomerode, Brazil. They created a puppet show on climate change in a team with members from Berlin, Germany and Chittagong, Bangladesh.

The projects focus on sharing experiences within the team and with partner institutions, becoming familiar with new perspectives, and collaborative learning. The ASA Programme and the partner institutions expect participants to actively and constructively work with all team members.

Applicants residing primarily in Germany should visit the German website to learn more about additional fields of activities and programme formats.

Partner institutions working in the field of activity Sustainable development and global partnership (ASA) form part of a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organisations pursuing the goal of global sustainable development through diverse strategies. These projects are conducted at NGOs, foundations, in grassroots initiatives, and implementing organisations of the German Development Cooperation, among others.

Participants from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America or South-East Europe go through all phases of the programme in collaboration with German participants. These international teams spend a total of six months completing their project phase, with three months spent in Germany and another three months spent in a country in Africa, Asia, Latin America or South-East Europe.

ASA participants can contribute to international research projects that address social justice, resource distribution and scarcity, or planetary boundaries through the field of activity Innovative research and applied science for sustainability (ASA Academia). The aim is to foster commitment to global sustainability in the applied sciences and to enrich the development policy aspects of participants’ academic commitment through practical experience.

Some of the projects occur in businesses that embrace principles of sustainability, thus enabling participants to combine foundational research with practical experiences in an ideal manner.

The project phase lasts a total of six months, with three months spent in Germany and another three months in a country of Africa, Asia, Latin America, or South-East Europe.