YERUN Research Mobility Award for Manling Yang

“Our search is to scrutinise the gap between institutional policy frameworks and sector-specific development outcomes in Africa’s renewable energy transitions,” Manling explains.

“Specifically, we conduct a comparative study of Chinese and European approaches to engagement in Africa’s wind and solar industries. By analysing how China and the EU influence Africa’s governance, capacity building, financing and local ownership in the energy transition process, we aim to provide insights into fostering international cooperation and mitigating potential conflicts.”

Honour and recognition
Manling is honoured to receive the Research Mobility Award. “It serves as a valuable recognition of our research’s significance and impact. I look forward to further collaboration and meaningful exchanges that will enhance our research,” she says.

“As a researcher, I aspire to bridge different worlds—connecting the field with academia, fostering dialogue between Europe and China, and making scholarship more accessible to the public.”

YERUN Research Mobility Awards
YERUN stands for Young European Research Universities Network and its Research Mobility Awards are competitive awards for PhD students, post-docs and early career researchers. The programme provides support for researchers to undertake a minimum of one-week stay at a YERUN partner institution from a different country. 

The awards aim to foster collaboration among researchers across the YERUN network and offer them the opportunity to work with colleagues at other YERUN member institutions, strengthening ties within our network and enhancing the exchange of ideas across disciplines and borders. 

More on the 2025 awards on the YERUN website