The National Research Foundation (NRF) will participate in the fourth AERAP Africa-Europe Science Collaboration Forum, which will be hosted by the South African Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, next week. AERAP is an acronym for Africa-Europe Science Collaboration and Innovation Platform and the NRF is South Africa’s agency for the support and promotion of research, by means of funding, the provision of research facilities and human resource development.

“As South Africa’s premier science council, the NRF is at the coalface of science capacity building in the country,” pointed out NRF group executive: business advancement Dr Thandi Mgwebi. “We fund postgraduate students and researchers across our science system to ensure that they are enabled to conduct research. This research, in turn, has a direct impact on the lives of people in the country. It is research for public good, hence public institutions should be at the forefront of supporting it and creating an enabling environment. It is important that we share with our science counterparts across Africa and the world how our successes on this front come about. We also look forward to learning from the successes of our science counterparts.”

Mgwebi will lead the NRF delegation, which will also include NRF-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity acting MD Dr Albert Chakona. Other South African agencies will participate in a roundtable at the forum. These are – the Department of Science and Innovation, the South African Medical Research Council, the Agricultural Research Council, and the South African National Energy Development Institute.

AERAP is a stakeholder organisation created to define Africa-Europe science and innovation cooperation priorities. It embraces stakeholders from both academia and industry, and its aim is to identify the major advances in scientific research and technology necessary to impel socioeconomic development and competitiveness in both Africa and Europe.

The role of the Science Collaboration Forum is to provide a platform where the stakeholders interact with policymakers. The aim is to ensure that the latter create and maintain environments that will allow research to thrive, again in both Africa and Europe. The agenda for the fourth forum includes agrifood, astronomy, biodiversity, digital transition, genomics, green agenda, health, and research infrastructures.

“In addition to being a dynamic platform for engagements with policymakers, the forum provides great opportunities to foster new and support existing partnerships for the advancement of research in South Africa and our continent,” highlighted Mgwebi. “One of the aims of the forum is to improve scientific collaboration between Africa and Europe.”