Register to Attend the Africa-Europe Science Platform

AERAP, the Africa-Europe science platform, will organise a briefing on EU support for cooperation with Africa on science, R&D innovation and education for the period 2021 to 2027. The briefing will take place online on Wednesday, 18 November 2020.

In March 2020, the European Commission published a Communication titled: ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’, which sets out a new comprehensive EU strategy with Africa that will be built on five partnerships:

1. A partnership for green transition and energy access;

2. A partnership for digital transformation;

3. A partnership for sustainable growth and jobs;

4. A partnership for peace and governance;

5. A partnership on migration and mobility.

Science and research will be an important component in each of the partnerships. According to Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth: ”Research and innovation plays an essential role in our cooperation with Africa. In view of creating a knowledge society and economy, we need to further scale up this existing academic and scientific cooperation. This has to take place through mobility schemes for our researchers and innovators as well as through vocational education and training”.

Amongst other areas, the EU and the African Union (AU) are working on short, medium, and long-term Research and Innovation (R&I) activities to address the human health impacts and the more far-reaching socio-economic effects of COVID-19. These are:

1. Public health

2. Green transition (food, climate change and energy)

3. Innovation and technology

4. Capacities for science.

Speakers will include

• Maria Cristina Russo, Director for International Cooperation in Research and Innovation, European Commission

• Mahama Ouedraogo, Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology Department, African Union Commission

• Nienke Buisman, DG Research and Innovation (RTD), European Commission

• Thierry Barbe, DG Development and Cooperation (DEVCO), European Commission

• Graham Wilkie, DG Education and Culture (EAC), European Commission

• Mauro Facchini, DG Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS), European Commission

• Liliana Pasecini, Inter-institutional, International Relations and Outreach, DG JRC, European Commission

• Denis Dembois, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), European Commission

• Lora Borissova, Cabinet Commissioner Urpilainen, International Partnerships, European Commission

• Martina Hartle, Department International Research Cooperation and Science Diplomacy, Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research, Austria

• Jan Marco Müller, Science and Technology Advisor, European External Action Service (EEAS)

• Ronald de Bruin, European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)

• Maria João Pinto, Counsellor at the Cabinet of the Minister of Science, Technology and High Education

• Carlos Zorrinho, MEP, Chair, European Parliament Delegation to Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

• James Kasigwa, Chair of the African Union-European Union High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science and Technology, Uganda

• Marcel Tanner, High Representative for Europe, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)

• Jamal Mimouni, President, African Astronomical Society (AfAS), Algeria

• Juan Miguel González-Aranda, LifeWatch ERIC, EU-AFRICA Green Deal collaboration on Biodiversity & Climate Change, Spain

• Martha Phiri, Director for Human Capital Youth and Skills Development, African Development Bank,

• Daan Du Toit, DDG: International Cooperation and Resources Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa

Register for the event here.