Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
Between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe

About Us

Our goals, news and track record

 

History

The Network for the Coordination and Advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa-EU Science and Technology Cooperation (CAAST-Net) was a project funded by the European Commission for the period 2008-2012. It is the predecessor project to CAAST-Net Plus - our foundation.

We're building a story about CAAST-Net here to accompany a list of key CAAST-Net outputs.

Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Write to enquiries@caast-net-plus.org. 

Ambitions

The Portuguese capital of Lisbon played host to an historic meeting in the European winter of 2007. Heads of State and Governments from Africa and the European Union gathered together to agree a new pact – the Joint Africa-EU Strategy.

Under this new bi-regional framework eight so-called partnerships made up the priority areas, from peace and security (Partnership 1) to migration, mobility and employment (Partnership 7). Partnership 8, as it came to be known, carried a specific mandate to advance bi-regional collaboration in the domains of science, information society, and space.

The CAAST-Net project launched very soon after the Lisbon Summit, in Entebbe, Uganda. As shown in the first of many CAAST-Net group photographs, the kick-off meeting brought together representatives from the network’s 18 partner organisations from across Africa and Europe. Africa and Europe in a global context.

CAAST-Net was conceived against the background of a global consensus that capacity in science and technology is essential to economic competitiveness, sustainable development and poverty reduction. - Description of Work: CAAST-Net (Grant 212625)

Kick-off...

CAAST-Net Kick-off Meeting 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Image credit: Leo Pekkala]

Organisations represented at the kick-off meeting included many of Africa and Europe's national science authorities, as well as professionals from the then newly formed *Research Africa business (the only private sector organisation in the CAAST-Net consortium). 

The convening offered an opportunity for new working relationships to be forged, new ideas to be explored, new friendships to be struck. 

An increase in the quality and quantity of bi-regional cooperation in science and technology between Europe and Africa, targeting areas of mutual interest and benefit through greater use of instruments under the FP7, as well as through other instruments of international cooperation, and through lobbying for greater synergy between R&D and development instruments. - CAAST-Net Goal Statement

Distinctive about this grainy black and white photograph is the uprightness of all the partners as they pose, their summer shirts, the sense of expectation and purpose.

One of the first CAAST-Net pamphlets

Outputs

CAAST-Net work over the period 2008-2012 consisted of interventions across six areas of activity: 

  • Area 1: Understanding Africa-Europe S&T cooperation activities

  • Area 2: Investigating the relationship between S&T and development

  • Area 3: Supporting high level policy dialogues between Africa and Europe

  • Area 4: Building partnerships for Europe-Africa S&T cooperation through engaging with stakeholders

  • Area 5: Engaging with Africa’s Regional Economic Communities 

  • Area 6: Supporting FP7 participation 

Underpinning this work were a range of project coordination, management and communication activities. 

Read the final CAAST-Net technical report summary

Key CAAST-Net Reports

CAAST-Net partners produced a great number and variety of reports and presentations - from event concept and recommendation papers, to papers of a more analytical nature. Their common thread? Coordinating and advancing science, technology and innovation cooperation between Africa and Europe, for mutual benefit. 

A small number of key reports (by year) are listed below. 

2013:

2012:

2011:

2010:

2009:

Visit the CAAST-Net Archive

The Network

The Network was a bespoke newsletter published by *Research Africa for CAAST-Net in 2010 and 2011 as part of piloting the development of an Africa-EU science and technology cooperation platform. Its goal was to disseminate news, events and funding opportunities to CAAST-Net stakeholders. 

CAAST-Net Bulletin

Across 15 issues The CAAST-Net Bulletin showcased the activities of the network to readers across Africa and Europe. Through contributions from a wide variety of cooperation professionals, the publication also served to connect these activities to a broader community of policies, projects and programmes, and organisations.

The early issues of the publication reflect a project coming to terms with its mission, structure and terminologies. The later issues show a project adapting continuously to its external environment. Work-in-progress.  

Outcomes

The CAAST-Net project brought together researchers, politicians and policymakers from Europe and Africa around the table and encouraged exchange on a particular theme. They returned to their places of work, enriched in their knowledge, in their mutual trust and technical and cultural understanding, thanks to these periods of discussion with their equivalents from Africa or Europe. - Dr Andrew Cherry, CAAST-Net Coordinator

Read full interview with CAAST-Net project coordinator, Dr Andrew Cherry, posted on the EU's Horizon 2020 website. 

This content was produced by *Research Africa for CAAST-Net Plus. To report an error, write to enquiries@caast-net-plus.org. To learn more about us, go to www.researchresearch.com/africa. ​

Disclaimer: CAAST-Net Plus is funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n0 311806. This document reflects only the authors’ views and the European Union cannot be held liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

 
CAAST-Net Plus is funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement 311806
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