In the overwhelming majority of empirical research disciplines (including many application domains with an obvious developmental relevance), sound research mandatorily requires a very solid statistical methodology, both for the data collection and for the data analysis. The general objective of the present JOINT project is to improve endogenous statistical education and research capacities in the South, and to contribute there to significant progress in a broad range of application domains through a sound use of statistical methodology. For this purpose the project firstly aims at developing statistical training and consultancy facilities for non-statistical practitioners. Secondly, for statisticians, it aims on the one hand at developing course materials and building teaching staff capacity for master programs in statistics, and, on the other hand, at contributing via mentoring programs to the development of PhD holders in statistics into fully-fledged independent researchers and successful supervisors of PhD theses.