Latest issue of The CAAST-Net Bulletin online

Latest issue of The CAAST-Net Bulletin online

The July issue of The CAAST-Net Bulletin is now available for download by registered users of the CAAST-Net website.

This issue includes the regular Coordinator's Column, which has been written by the Africa regional coordinator of the Network for the Coordination and Advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa-European Union Science and Technology Cooperation (CAAST-Net), Eric Mwangi, to keep readers posted on its progress. Hambani Masheleni who is the science and technology senior policy officer for the African Union Commission (AUC) has written a letter about the inroads that the AUC are making in science and technology on the continent. Melissa Plath, the project coordinator for the University Partnership for International Development (UNIPID) based at the University of Jyväskylä, informs readers about upcoming science and technology events taking place in Finland.

Christina Scott, who writes for Research Africa as well as being science editor for South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper and presenter of the national radio weekly show Science Matters, has written about Naledi Pandor, the South African science and technology minister, singling out CAAST-Net's general assembly, held in May 2010 in Durban, South Africa, as an important international information and communication technology conference. A two-page photograph spread of delegates attending the CAAST-Net Assembly is also available for download.

Deborah-Fay Ndhlovu, senior journalist at Research Africa, explains the function of JEG8 as well as overcoming telecommunication obstacles in Africa. She also focuses on CAAST-Net's negotiating role with African regional economic communities. Two new African CAAST-Net partners, Eygpt and Nigeria, have also been profiled by Deborah-Fay Ndhlovu. She interviewed Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, the Coordinator for European cooperation at the Egyptian ministry, about Egypt's aim to establish a link between the African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST) and CAAST-Net. She also interviewed the chief technology officer for Nigeria's National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) about Nigeria's ambition to establish a West African communication link for CAAST-Net.

José Bonfim, Senior Advisor for the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology) in Portugal, has written about third country participation in the seventh Framework programme.

Inga Vesper, a German journalist who works for Research Europe and Research Fortnight in London, UK, has reported on European research universities demand to have a say in the next Framework programme, while Jerzy Langer, a former vice-minister of science in Poland and a member of the sixth Framework programme assessment group, writes that the Framework programme does indeed need to be simpler.

Gerard Ralphs, Project Manager at Research Africa, interviewed Daan du Toit, the Brussels-based European Union's representative at the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) about an initiative known as the "Longer Term Horizon-Scanning for Africa-EU S&T Cooperation," which is CAAST-Net's latest project led by the DST and the UK-based Association of Commonwealth Universities. Gerard Ralphs also explains more about the African-European Georesources Observation Systems project, which will receive funding from the European's seventh Framework programme until 2011.

Links
The CAAST-Net Bulletin
(Please note: In order to access the latest issue of the bulletin, you will first need to register as a user on the CAAST-Net website).