June (2009)

Contents

24 June 2009 - Vacancy: Administrative and Financial Manager

The African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) invites applications for an Administrative and Financial Manager. Applications close on 5 July 2009. For more information click on the relevant language - English and French.

12 June 2009 - African Union Scientific Awards - Update

The closing date for the African Union's Regional Women Scientists Awards has been extended to 31 July 2009. Two awards, worth $22,000 each, are available. To download an application form, click here.

The African Union's Continental Award is open to both outstanding male and female African scientists. The closing date for this award is 9 September 2009. Two prizes, each worth $100,000, will be awarded to successful candidates. To download an application form, click here.

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9 June 2009 - CAAST-Net Hosts FP7 Information Day in Praia

This first CAAST-Net FP7 information day was well-attended by CAAST-Net partners, researchers from the region and government representatives, including the EU ambassador to Cape Verde. Participants originated from the Cape Verde islands, Mozambique, Angola, Germany, Finland, Portugal and South Africa-a sum total of 48, of which 42 were drawn from Africa.

The event was co-organised by the Cape Verde Directorate for Science (DGESC) and Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology). FCT and DGESC are the co-leaders of CAAST-Net's Work Package 5.

The event was conducted with the intention of raising awareness about opportunities for collaboration under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), as well as to provide specific information to researchers in the region about the scope of African participation in FP7.

Proceedings were kicked-off by the welcome addresses of José Bonfim of FCT, and the Cape Verde Secretary of State of Higher Education and Science, Octávio Tavares. In particular, Bonfim briefly contextualised the purpose of the workshop in terms of CAAST-Net's broader objectives, while Tavares emphasised the value of research cooperation in terms of providing, what he termed, "innovative responses to the challenges of development." Tavares also noted the importance of a strong relationship between research and business communities in terms of fostering innovation and competitiveness in Cape Verde. This was especially important given its "poor natural resources and climate vulnerability," he said.

The first set of presentations were conducted by representatives of Portugal's O Gabinete de Promoção do 7º Programa-Quadro de I&DT (the agency responsible for the promotion of FP7 in Portugal), via director Virginia Corrêa and colleague Ana Mafalda Dourado. These presentations introduced participants to FP7, its main specific programmes (Cooperation, People, Ideas, Capacities), the function of National Contact Points (NCP) and NCP networks, as well as the process of responding to calls, finding partners, consortium formation and proposal writing.

In a supplementary presentation aimed at providing historical context, Bonfim outlined a brief history of participation of third countries, and particularly African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, in FP6. Bonfim also touched on barriers to cooperation, including mobility and communication.

The importance of networking was also highlighted as a means of fostering the bi-regional research connections needed to facilitate the writing of joint proposals.

"What African researchers must bring to the table is what European researchers don't have," said Bonfim. "This is essential to a winning FP7 proposal." The second set of presentations focused on the forthcoming calls under specific thematic areas under FP7 Cooperation: Health; fisheries, agriculture, and biotechnology; energy; the environment (including climate change); and, finally, the Marie Curie Actions, under the People programme. Dr. Anne Pflug of the Project Management Agency of the German Aerospace Center, briefly highlighted the proposed forthcoming "Coordinated Call for Africa" as a potentially worthwhile opportunity for researchers in Africa to participate in FP7.

"There are good opportunities for Africa under FP7," said Bonfim to participants at the event's close. "However success depends on the interest of individual countries. This workshop is intended to disseminate information to encourage the participation of African researchers."

In his closing address, Arnaldo Brito, director of the DGESC, encouraged all participants to understand FP7 in order to optimise the possibilities for research cooperation under its various programmes. "We must know the FP very well and take advantage of the opportunities that exist."

Two similar events are envisaged for East and Southern Africa in the coming months.

2 June 2009 - Nominations Invited for Outstanding African Scientist Awards

The following call, under the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, is open. Nomination forms should be submitted to the EDCTP by 31 August 2009. To download a nomination form click here. See the excerpt below taken from the website of the EDCTP as well as the link below for more information.

"The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) invites nominations for the 2009 EDCTP awards to outstanding African scientists. These EDCTP-funded awards recognise outstanding Africans scientists working on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Nominations are now invited for the first set of awards which will be extended at the Fifth EDCTP Forum in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 to 14 October 2009.

The awards are open to anyone working in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria within the scope of the EDCTP programme of clinical trials, capacity development, and networking. The award consists of a certificate of recognition together with a cash prize of 10,000 Euros for one junior scientist (under 30 years old) and 20,000 Euros for one senior scientist, and aim at fostering research activities of the winners. The funds could be used on activities such as: support for short study periods at other institutions, library research, collection of data for baseline studies or facilitation of travel for attendance of pertinent conferences or meetings." For more information click here.