About us - LEIDEN-DELFT-ERASMUS-EAST AFRICA RESEARCH NETWORK (LEARN)

Welcome to the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus-East Africa Research Network (LEARN), a international multidisciplinary community committed to fostering collaboration and driving impactful research on urban issues. At LEARN, we believe that research thrives on collaboration, bringing together academics, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society organizations drawn from Europe and Eastern Africa.

The network aims to strengthen interactions between science, policy, and society to co-create knowledge that is contextually relevant, evidence-based, and transformative, providing effective solutions for addressing pressing urban development challenges in Africa. It also seeks to contribute to theoretical underpinnings of urban research in Africa and the global contexts. Accordingly, LEARN serves as a knowledge co-production platform, enabling continuous open learning, collaborative research partnerships among diverse actors, and collective action for transformative urban development in Africa and beyond.

We are dedicated to ensuring that research translates into long-term impact, guiding policy decisions, and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our Mission

To foster coproduction of actionable, practical, and transformative urban research in Africa through interdisciplinary partnerships among various urban actors.

LEARN Membership

LEARN brings together academics, policymakers, and civil society actors from (Eastern) Africa and The Netherlands, with the primary focus of fostering the coproduction of actionable, practical, and impactful urban research in Africa.