University of Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbabwe, June 2017

This "Kick-Off Workshop" was meant to get the fellows started as a group and thus set the bases of joint cooperation and mutual understanding for the next three years. Given that they were now no longer competitors but grantees facing more or less similar situations, as far as potentialities but also challenges brought forth by the fellowship are concerned, the fellows' in-group relations needed a re-adjustment.

The workshops should, right from the start, allow for exchange of experiences and mutual advice. Additionally, the fellows were introduced to administrative procedures in order to smoothen communication and cooperation between the coordinator and her staff and the fellows. Thus, there was an introductory part dealing with the basic demands, mutual expectations and desirable prospects during the course of the project.

Dr Plan Shenjere-Nyabezi and Dr Joseph Mujere hosted the meeting at their home university, when ten "Knowledge for Tomorrow" - fellows convened to meet in Harare. Some German partners and postdoc partners joined the group as well.

Professor Dr Brigitte Reinwald coordinated the workshop.

Dr Hanna Wielandt represented the Volkswagen Foundation.

Dr Dorit Battermann conducted the training units.

A panel  on "Objectives and Career Plans" gave room for personal anamnesis and prognostics at this early stage of the fellowship (Where do I stand now? What do I want to have achieved upon completion of my project?). Each fellow, respectively each tandem (fellow & German postdoc partner) prepared an input - optionally supported by a powerpoint presentation - which was followed by questions and comments by the participants. Those who had already started with field research or other project activities were able to share their experiences and progress with the group.

Two training units conducted by Dr Battermann on Sunday, 4 June, provided for vital information on project management and budgeting, cost calculation and accounting, all the more important as the fellows are facing various institutional frames to accommodate to - there are the funding principles of Volkswagen Foundation, as well as administrative handling at Hannover University and at their respective home universities.

Another training unit on stakeholder management took place on Monday, 5 June, likewise conducted by Dr Battermann. The focus was on identifying the various stakeholder groups that impact on and are of relevance to the projects, developing concepts of how to establish fruitful and sustainable relations of cooperation, and how to strategically deal with problematic constellations (institutional hierarchies, teaching workload etc.).

The last afternoon of the workshop was dedicated to discussing suggestions for other forthcoming workshops in terms of venues, thematic issues and formats.