Contents

31 October 2008 - IST-Africa 2009 Conference

Hosted by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the IST-Africa 2009 Conference and Exhibition will take place between 6 and 8 May 2009 in Uganda. Part of the IST-Africa Initiative, which is supported by the European Commission under the ICT Theme of Framework Programme 7 (FP7), IST-Africa 2009 is the fourth in an Annual Conference Series which brings together senior representatives from leading commercial, government and research organisations across Africa and from Europe, to bridge the Digital Divide by sharing knowledge, experience, lessons learnt and good practice and discussing policy related issues. The call for papers can be downloaded here.

30 October 2008 - More E-Learning for African Education

President of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, Catherine Brachignac, attended the opening of the 29th General Assembly of ICSU in Mozambique. In an interview with SciDev.net journalist, Carol Campbell, Brachignac advocated for a greater emphasis on e-learning for education in developing countries. For the full article, click here.

30 October 2008 - Search for the Latest FP7 Calls

CAAST-Net aims to support African participation in the European Union's multi-billion euro research platform, the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7). To keep up to date with the latest FP7 calls, go directly to the relevant page on the CORDIS website - click here.

30 October 2008 - ACP Science and Technology Programme Online

The ACP (African, Pacific and Caribbean countries) Science and Technology Programme has launched an information website. A joint ACP-European Union project, the programme is funded by the EU and will be implemented by the ACP Secretariat. "The Programme shall contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals 1, 7 and 8 by targeting poverty eradication, focusing on building and enhancing strong scientific and technological capacity to support research, development and innovation in the ACP region, and enabling the identification and formulation of activities or policies that are critical to sustainable development."

28 October 2008 - Several African Countries Request UNESCO Assistance

According to Research Africa In Brief (24 October 2008), seventeen African countries, including a number of sub-Saharan states, have asked for assistance by UNESCO in reviewing their STI policies over the past year. These include Botswana, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others.

28 October 2008 - TWAS Celebrates 25th Anniversary in Mexico City

The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) celebrate a quarter-century of work this year. However, as much as there are achievements to be jubilant about, executive director Mohammed H. A. Hassan writes in Science (Vol. 322, No. 5901) that some developing countries are still lagging behind when it comes to their science capacities. "A quarter-century later, advances in biology, materials science, and information and communications technologies, among other fields, have further split the global scientific community into three worlds: the North, the surging South, and the stagnant South." To read Hassan's full editorial click here.

28 October 2008 - New Challenges for South African S&T Ministry Post-Mbeki

Former managing editor of Research Africa, Linda Nordling, reflects on the state of the South African science and technology ministry in the post-Mbeki period in a recent article written for science and development news agency, SciDev.net. Nordling argues that although the precentage GDP (gross domestic product) contribution to S&T has increased since the end of apartheid, much work has to be done to prevent that country from losing hard-fought ground. To read the full article click here.

22 October 2008 - Download African Network of Scientific Institutions Annual Reports

The 2007 annual report of the African Network of Scientific Institutions is available for download from the ANSTII website. The ANSTII 2007-2011 strategic plan is also available for download.

22 October 2008 - ESASTAP and HSRC Host FP7 Information Session

On 31 October, a three-city videoconference between Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town will be hosted by the Human Sciences Research Council in conjunction with the European-South African Science and Technology Development Advancement Programme (ESASTAP). The event is aimed at raising awareness among local researchers and institutions about FP7 funding in the thematic area of Science in Society for 2009. For those unable to view the live videoconference, the recordings will be posted on the ESASTAP website. Click here for more information.

16 October 2008 - EU Communicates New Strategy for International Cooperation in S&T

A European Union strategy framework outlining a series of principles for international cooperation in science and technology was released on 24 September 2008, on the back of a key report by the European Research Area Expert Group. To access the strategy framework document click here.

16 October 2008 - International Council of Science 29th General Assembly

Between 21 and 24 October, leading scientists from across the globe will meet in Maputo, Mozambique, for the 29th General Assembly of the ICSU. The focus of the meeting will be on finding ways for science and scientists to respond to social and environmental challenges, as well as on specific issues relevant to the scientific enterprise, such as management and conduct. The General Assembly is being held in a sub-Saharan African country for the first time ever. To visit the website of the ISCU click here.

16 October 2008 - AUC and EC Issue Joint Statement on Science

On 1 October 2008, in a joint statement issued by the European Commission and the African Union Commission, AU Commissioner Jean Pierre Onverhoun Ezin and EU Commissioners Janez Potočnik and Louis Michel agreed to bolster efforts to build Africa's science capacities. The 19 "lighthouse" projects identified in the statement for implementation, which include projects to address water and food security in Africa as well as internet connectivity, through enhanced science capacities, fall under the rubric of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy's 8th Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space.

Links
To access the statement click here.
To read a related story by SciDev.net editor-in-chief, David Dickson, click here.

14 October 2008 - EU Releases Guide to Funding Opportunities

On 30 September 2008, the European Union released the "Practical Guide to EU Funding Opportunities for Research and Innovation." According to the authors of the guide, it "was conceived in order to help potential beneficiaries of our programmes find their way through the three funding instruments and identify the most appropriate funding scheme for them. It provides a concise description of the three funding sources, explains how they can in practice be combined and provides policy makers with advice on setting up mechanisms at the national and regional levels to foster co-ordinated access to them."

To access the guide click here.

14 October 2008 - Capacity Africa 2008 Conference

The Capacity Africa 2008 Conference will take place between 14 and 16 October at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town. Known as "the essential Pan-African Wholesale telecom meeting," the conference brings together nearly 200 continental and world leaders in telecommunications for business, networking and information sharing activities. For more information, click here.

14 October 2008 - Aids Vaccine 2008 Conference Kicks Off in Cape Town

Leading Aids vaccine scientists, students, representatives from non-governmental organisations and journalists are to descend on Cape Town's International Convention Centre between 13 and 16 October for the Aids Vaccine 2008 Conference. A total of 90 travel scholarships were awarded to scientists from developing countries, including countries in Africa, for their participation. Click here to visit the conference's website.