Application Deadline:
July 6, 2022. 0:00 CET
Format
hybrid program (online and in-person modules)
Online Teaching dates:
September 7-10, 2022 (3-4 days)
In person program starts:
Sept 25, 2022 (7 days)
In person program ends:
October 3, 2022
Location:
Germany (Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia)
Costs:
The scholarship covers course participation, flight costs, as well as
accommodation and travel costs during the in-person module in Germany.
Eligibility:
Participants of the MENA Digital Summer School will be particularly
successful graduate students and young entrepreneurs between the age of
20 and 40, who show particular promise in their respective fields of
endeavour.
Applicants shall be nationals of the following states and currently reside in
their country of origin or another state of the MENA region (Middle East &
North Africa): Mauretania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan,
Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Iraq, Djibouti,
Comoros, member states of the GCC). Participants are expected to apply
with a project idea for digital innovation.
Aim
The MENA Digital Summer School is a hybrid seminar on digital
transformation targeting aspiring innovators from the MENA region in the
field of digital transformation. The course aims at providing MENA relevant
best of class learning. It uses cases and business contacts that will enable
digital managers of the region to develop their transformation projects,
initiatives, and policies successfully. MENA DSS brings together like-minded
people from different crafts and professional backgrounds.
The course will include practical modules on data management, machine
learning, strategic planning, design and management methods,
transformation management, technical foresight, smart cities, as well as
tackling socio-economic issues of digitization in the MENA region. Moreover,
field visits to communities and sessions with experts and leaders in the
spheres of business, politics, economy, culture, academia, and media in
Germany are offered. The course will also provide electives that relate to the
projects/aspirations of the participants (e.g. MENA-platform strategies,
digital culture, women in tech-networks, and more).
The seminar is organized by the Candid Foundation and supported by the
Chancellery of the State of North Rhine Westphalia, Einstein Centre Digital
Future in Berlin, FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany’s leading distance
learning university and the Digital Arabia Network (DAN), a lab for the digital
future of the Arab world, which extends from the MENA region to the
European diaspora. Parts of the program are contributed by the Center for
Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Bochum.
Background
Alongside anthropogenic climate change and global population growth, the
digital transformation of the world’s economy is a universal challenge that
requires innovative, cooperative and multilateral solutions – all the more so
in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Challenges caused by
the digitization of economies and automation already exacerbate existing
faultlines in the region. They already have a detrimental impact on the most
vulnerable groups in the labour market, such as women and young people.
Our summer school aims to address the challenges of digitization in an
innovative, interdisciplinary and forward-looking way to educate and inspire
experts on digital transformation, by putting the students and their projects
in the foreground.
The summer school is chaired by the digital transformation expert, economist
and political scientist Prof. Ayad Al-Ani and Daniel Gerlach.
Al-Ani, a former executive partner with Accenture, is an associated member
of the Einstein Center Digital Future and teaches at Stellenbosch University,
Cape Town and Basel University, Switzerland.
Daniel Gerlach is a German Middle East expert, political analyst and director
general of the Candid Foundation. The Candid Foundation is a privately
chartered think-and-do-tank in Berlin specialising in intercultural dialogue,
media, and technological innovation.
Courses will be taught by high-profile lecturers in academia, applied science
and executive management. They will encompass local (MENA related)
context and content and provide a collaborative atmosphere among likeminded individuals.
Applicants
• Participants of the MENA Digital Summer School will be particularly
successful graduate students and young entrepreneurs between the
age of 20 and 40 who show particular promise in their respective
fields of endeavour.
• Bachelor’s Degree and/or 3 years of relevant working experience
• Excellent knowledge of the English language is expected (TOEFL of
105+ or equivalent, proof upon request)
• CV
• filled out application form
• photo for the purpose of identification
• This is a highly selective two-stage admission process. Applicants
passing the first stage will be invited to a short online interview on
July 7-8. Admission cannot be guaranteed even if candidates fulfil all
legal requirements. Even in case of an admission, the Candid
Foundation cannot guarantee a visa and does not assume any
liability or warranty