Boosting EU-Africa ST&I cooperation
To date, the Africa-EU relationship has been a fruitful one at both policy and implementation levels. The focus has now shifted to improving ST&I for mutual benefit. Against this backdrop, the EU-funded CAAST-NET PLUS (Advancing SSA-EU cooperation in research and innovation for global challenges) project seeks to support and strengthen ST&I cooperation between the two regions. It builds on the results of its predecessor CAAST-NET, which began in 2008 soon after the Joint Africa-EU Strategy was adopted. To achieve its aims, the project is strengthening bi-regional ST&I cooperation in health, food security and climate change via policy analysis and multi-stakeholder networking activities. It is also promoting formal and informal policy dialogue practices and providing hands-on support to bi-regional research partnerships and networks. During the first year and a half of the 48-month project, partners evaluated ST&I cooperation for the 3 global challenges mainly based on support received by the EU's Framework Programmes. Results will lead to a series of reports containing recommendations and future scenarios for bi-regional involvement. The other main work activity involved advancing Africa-EU cooperation by informing on opportunities under Horizon 2020 – Europe's biggest ever research and innovation programme – and bolstering Africa's growing network of Horizon 2020 National Contact Points. To this effect, training sessions were held in 9 African countries that attracted nearly 700 African academics, researchers and policymakers spanning 23 countries. CAAST-NET PLUS is fostering new and distinct multi-stakeholder partnerships to confront the profound challenges facing Africa and Europe. By identifying and sharing opportunities for mutual aid through networking and communication, a high-level ST&I policy dialogue will emerge for more effective research and innovation cooperation.
Keywords
Africa, ST&I, 'science, technology and innovation', global challenges, Horizon 2020
