February (2009)

Contents

27 February 2009 - ACP S&T Programme Proposals Deadline Two Weeks Away

Reminder: The deadline for the ACP S&T programme hard-copy proposals is 13 March 2009. For more information visit the ACP S&T programme website - click here.

27 February 2009 - Next ST-EAP Workshop

The next Science and Technology-Europe Africa Project (ST-EAP) workshop will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 26 and 27 March 2009. The main objective of the workshop is to heighten awareness among participating European Seventh Framework Programme researchers of the potential for researchers in Africa to participate in FP7. Visit the ST-EAP website for free registration. Contact Zethu Mkhondo for more information or to download the workshop's brochure click here.

26 February 2009 - Botswana to Launch $100 million Innovation Hub

Finnish company, Technopolis Plc, and Botswana-based Variety Investments (Pty) Ltd have won the bid to assist Botswana's Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology in the creation of its innovation hub, taking the form of a local science park near Gaberone.

Research Africa recently quoted Botswana's current minister of finance and development planning, Baledzi Gaolathe, as having said in his 2009 budget presentation that the hub "will provide a platform where technology-driven and knowledge-intensive industry, researchers, higher-education institutions, and the public sector can work together to foster innovation and new businesses."

The Hub is set to cost approximately $100 million. Work on Phase 1 is expected to be completed next year.

24 February 2009 - Date and Venue for Next TWAS General Conference Announced

The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, TWAS, has announced that its 11th General Conference and 20th General Meeting will be held in Durban between 20 and 23 October 2009. For more information, visit TWAS - click here.

23 February 2009 - Next EuroAfriCa-ICT Awareness Workshop

The next Awareness Workshop of the EuroAfriCa-ICT project will take place on 2 and 3 March 2009 in Kigali, Rwanda. The workshop aims at promoting cooperation opportunities with the European Union (under FP7 as well as other instruments) and developing contacts with local ICT communities. A preliminary agenda is available - click here.

Similar workshops have been regularly organised in sub-Saharan Africa from March 2007 onwards and will be organised in the coming months. For further information, check the EuroAfriCa-ICT website - click [here.Registration is required.

For more information, contact EuroAfriCa-ICT.

23 February 2009 - The Latest News and Information on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy

For the latest news and information on the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, go to Europafrica.org - click here. The Europafrica.org team have also produced a useful diagram visually explaining the Strategy's implementation. To view the diagram, click here.

19 February 2009 - 2009 African Science Communication Conference

Johannesburg is the host city for the 2009 African Science Communication Conference, which is being held at the Gallagher Convention Centre between 18 and 21 February 2009. The conference aims to raise awareness about the importance of increasing the public understanding of science and technology. There are currently two blogs tracking the conference's progress: the SciDev.Net blog and the Word Press.com blog. To visit the website of ASCC 2009 click here.

19 February 2009 - Call for Proposals for the EDCTP

The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) welcomes project proposals as a response to the following calls:

Title: Senior Fellowship
Available funds: € 2.4 million
Number of projects to fund: 12
Open to application: 1 February 2009
Deadline of application: 1 June 2009
Description of the grant scheme:

Through this call, EDCTP intends to identify and support senior researchers capable of building and leading research groups at sub-Saharan African institutions that will be internationally competitive and capable of winning grants from international funding bodies. This grant is both available for researchers already working in Africa as well as those looking to return to the continent (re-entry grant). For this grant scheme EDCTP aims to contribute to building sustainable capacity through training and networking with linkage to the EDCTP supported regional Networks of Excellence in sub-Saharan Africa. A maximum of one Senior Fellowship per disease per region will be supported.

Title: Establishment and Strengthening of African National Ethics Committees (NECs) or Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)
Available funds: € 500,000
Number of projects: to fund: 10
Open to application: 1 February 2009
Deadline of application: 1 June 2009
Description of the grant scheme:

EDCTP wishes to promote the establishment and strengthening of National Ethics Committees (NEC) and Institutional Review Boards (IRB) that are competent and independent. The NECs and the IRBs are encouraged to establish themselves administratively and financially so as to ensure sustained optimal function beyond the EDCTP funding. Strengthening of NEC or IRB aims at making them operational and gives support to their ongoing functions. Networking and training is encouraged and supported. Additional support in the form of online literature access, documents, access to websites on ethics and GCP will be facilitated. In countries where NECs do not exist, the local institutional review boards are encouraged to contribute to the formation of a NEC. Where neither NECs nor local IRBs exist, the EDCTP will encourage national recognised institutions or scientists affiliated to an established in-country institution to be contracted to initiate the formation of the NEC.

For more information, contact Dr. Uta Strasser of the International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research at the Project Management Agency of the German Aerospace Center.

19 February 2009 - The Cultural Aspects of Innovation

Professor Andrew Jamison of Aalborg University in Denmark will be presenting a seminar in South Africa entitled "The Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Including "Grass Roots" Innovations," on 5 March 2009 in conjunction with South Africa's Human Sciences Research Council. The seminar can be attended by videoconference, for those based in Pretoria, Durban or Cape Town. For more information, contact Arlene Grossberg. The RSVP date is 2 March 2009.

18 February 2009 - New Science Minister for Zimbabwe Sworn In

Heneri Amos Murima Dzinotyiweyi is the new science minister for Zimbabwe. He was appointed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and was sworn into office on 13 February 2009. According to a report by SciDev.Net, the new minister has "pledged to address the dire state of the country's research institutions and take steps to slow scientific brain drain." To read the full story click here.

13 February 2009 - The Fate of the African Union Commission

The African Union Commission - the secretariat of the African Union - will be restructured in July from a commission into an authority, according to a report by Research Africa In Brief. The Commission will cease to exist as such from July this year, when the authority will be launched, says the report. The nine focus areas of the authority will be "research, climate change, epidemics, poverty reduction, international trade, peace and security, transnational crimes, and foreign affairs."

Links
African Union

12 February 2009 - "The Future Begins Today," Says EU Climate Change Report

The European Parliament has passed a resolution "setting out clear objectives for EU climate change policy," the FP7 newsroom has reported. The resolution is entitled 2050: The Future Begins Today - Recommendations for the EU's Future Integrated Policy on Climate Change.

Links
EU Resolution on Climate Change
FP7 Newsroom

5 February 2009 - Final Evaluation Report on the FP6 INCO Programme

The European Commission's Directorate General for Research (DG RTD) have published the "Final Synthesis Report" for the evaluation of the Sixth Framework Programme International Cooperation (INCO) programme. To view the report click here and the report's annex click here. The reports can also be accessed via the CAAST-Net document library.

3 February 2009 - ACP Science and Technology Programme Deadline

The deadline for hard copies of proposals for the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States) Science and Technology Programme to reach Brussels is 13 March 2009. The Programme is funded by the European Union (from the IXth European Development Fund and the European Union's General Budget BL 21.031700) and implemented by the ACP Secretariat.

The Programme aims at achieving the following five results:

• Networks established or consolidated at intra ACP-level with linkages to international networks
• Capacity increased to assess research needs to facilitate the formulation and implementation of research policies
• Capacity and incentives increased to research network partners to prepare and submit project proposals to funding
• Research results better capitalized and disseminated
• Quality of research results improved

The expected activities of the Programme are:

Co-ordination and networking in applied research:

• Promote and strengthen networks inter-linking research institutes, researchers, civil society, business sectors and policy makers as well as "Centres of Excellence" and S&T consortia,
• Establish research frameworks with the aim of achieving a greater and more market-oriented use of ACP research resources
• Assess research and innovation needs on S&T at regional and sub-regional level and design dynamic databases indicating available expertise
• Organise public debates and consultations on research needs in relation with indigenous knowledge and interests (survey, focus groups, citizens' debates etc.) including capacity building for civil society groups on research issues

Instruments for collaborative research:

• Establish or consolidate intra ACP advisory or observatory bodies on research and innovation for sustainable development in order to collect, share and analyze information on the latest developments in S&T and their potential applications and provide advice to the policy makers and relevant S&T non-state actors
• Define and implement technical instruments for example design tax incentives for firms engaged with universities and research institutions, review and strengthen legislation relating to property rights, etc.
• Benchmark good practices and design 'models of research instruments' in order to promote the best modalities of industry-academia links and co-operation

Management of research activities and reinforcement of research quality:

• Define and promote peer review and evaluation procedures and indicators in order to increase quality and efficiency in regional and national S&T programmes
• Implement multi-stakeholder activities (publications, database building, ICT development, information management, consulting seminars, short-term training, etc.) in order to capitalize, disseminate and implement knowledge and innovations including target debates with civil society groups concerned
• Organise short-term training sessions at regional, sub-regional and country levels in order to strengthen and upgrade the competencies of the scientific community in the following areas: research methods, research fund management, managerial research capacities etc.

The ACP Science and Technology Programme will fund projects with a focus on:

• Quality health care: with special attention both to traditional and biodiversity dependent community medicines and to the developments taking place in biotechnology.
• Environmental research activities: addressing climatic variability, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, desertification and rising sea levels, as well as issues associated with upgrading and mainstreaming appropriate indigenous technology and establishing efficient mechanisms for access to and the adaptation of appropriate foreign technology.
• Energy: with special attention to renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, hydro and biomass energy.
• Transport: addressing transport congestion, air pollution and accidents.
• Agriculture and agro-industry: addressing food productivity and security, adding value to agro-products and encouraging a stronger participation by farmers in production and post-harvest management.
• Sustainable trade: in order to increase investments, encourage development in the private sector and improve the trading capacity of ACP countries. Attention will be given to the socio-economic impact of international trade agreements and protocols on sustainable development in ACP countries

Projects should run for between 12 months to 3 years and the total grant amount available is for between 350,000 euro and 1 million euro per project. It is necessary for the consortium to consist of a minimum of three organisations from at least two different ACP Member States. The number of non-ACP partners in a partnership cannot be greater than the number of ACP partners.

For more information visit the ACP S&T Programme website.