Mobility café for doctoral researchers FEB 22 2018 Motolani Agbebi Doctoral researcher, University instructor

Few words about me Name: Motolani Agbebi I work at the Faculty of Management (JKK) as a University Instructor in administrative sciences and as a doctoral researcher. Research Interests: Sino-Africa relations and its implications for Africa’s development , Human capital development in Africa, Capacity building in the SME sector, Strategic Human resource management in Multinational corporations. 11/7/2018

Mobility period abroad 1: CHINA My experience Host Institution: Centre for African studies, Peking university, Beijing, China. Mobility period: 16 September – 13 October 2015 Funding: UTA Bilateral teacher exchange 11/7/2018

11/7/2018 Plan to go on mobility at least twice during PhD study Explore my research questions and data collection possibilities Establish connections and develop network of researchers in the area of African studies and Sino-African relations Identified a Professor with expertise in Sino-Africa relations Explored opportunities/agreements with universities based in Beijing Confirmed university had an agreement with Peking University, Beijing Emailed potential host and proposed research visit After some communication, he agreed to host me Funding options discussed with Int’l office Mobility arranged, arrived in Beijing One month visit- Several Interviews conducted, meetings, organized research seminar Came back, filled out mobility report, received certificate Remained in contact, contact still valuable. 11/7/2018

Mobility period abroad 2: SWEDEN My experience Host Institution: Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden Mobility period: 3 April – 2 May 2017 Funding: NAI Scholarship (Travel expenses, accommodation and 200 SEK daily stipend) Application deadline: 1.10, Notification of scholarship: 29.11. 11/7/2018

11/7/2018 Plan to go on mobility at least twice during PhD study Make use of the NAI resources and library to write paper 3 and 4 and sketch out thesis summary Establish connections and further develop network of researchers in the area of African studies and Sino-African relations Applied for NAI scholarship for researchers based in Nordic countries I was granted the scholarship, which included accommodation, travel expenses and a daily stipend I was given a host within the research institute Communicated with the host prior to visit Mobility arranged, arrived in Uppsala One month visit- Accessed library resources, had research meetings with host, participated in research seminars, and other events hosted by NAI Concluded paper 3 – proceeded to submit to journal, partly finalised 4, thinking of returning for writing summary. Remained in contact, contact still valuable. 11/7/2018

Mobility period abroad 3: UK My experience Host Institution: Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. Teaching Visit period: 01-08.11.2017 Funding: Erasmus+ staff mobility for teaching (travel expenses, accommodation and daily allowances) 11/7/2018

11/7/2018 Plan to go on mobility at least twice during PhD study Further develop my teaching skills and experience Re-stablish connections and further develop network of researchers in the area of management and International Development Establish research collaboration with researchers at IDPM Secured an invitation during a summit held in Birmingham during summer, 2017 Discussed with my supervisor and international education coordinator, Laura Lalu Proceeded to get a written invitation from host at IDPM, Dr Farhad Hossain An Erasmus+ teaching staff agreement was drafted by Terhi Nieminen at JKK, signed by both JKK and UoM Completed a travel plan and made necessary arrangements Teaching programme and other activities was agreed upon prior to visit Mobility arranged, arrived in Manchester 1-8.11 Engaged in teaching, carried out tutorials, participated in departmental seminar, attended a PhD viva, had meetings on potential research collaborations and publications. Possible Erasmus teaching visit to UTA by researcher from UoM next autumn Working on joint journal article with a fellow researcher at UoM 11/7/2018

Issues to consider Finding accommodation Making contact/finding a supervisor in your host institution Making the most of your mobility 11/7/2018

Conclusions based on my experience Support and funding available at UTA has been very instrumental in my mobility periods abroad International mobility is achievable with adequate planning and resources. Mobility has enabled me to build useful networks, that are in turn essential for a successful career in academia Mobility has so far positively impacted my performance and productivity. It has given me an exposure to international research environments and thus enhanced my international experience Being exposed to research and focus areas of other researchers has given me a few research ideas I plan to explore in the future. The positive effects of mobility outweighs the perceived negatives or challenges associated with mobility. 11/7/2018

Research mobility for doctoral researchers course Doctoral school course offered in the autumn semester Practical and results oriented course Main aim of the course is to give practical tools, information and support to enable participants embark on research mobility. This course is for you if you would like to understand the need, importance and practicalities of research mobility during this early stage of their research career be aware of and able to identify opportunities available to undertake international research mobility know of the different sources of funding available and how best to access them. know the do’s and don’ts when applying for research mobility funding, grants and scholarships. https://www10.uta.fi/opas/teaching/course.htm?id=36206 11/7/2018

You can change the world only if you know how it works. THANK YOU You can change the world only if you know how it works. 11/7/2018