Bi-regional STI Networks

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FP7-funded project Including Smallholders in Agricultural Research for Development (INSARD) sought to encourage dialogue between policymakers, farmers and researchers to find solutions to farmers’ needs. “Cooperating with smallholder farmers and involving them in the formal research would help to ensure its relevance in view of their needs and constraints. New technology can’t do much for smallholder farmers if it requires supplies they can’t obtain, investments they are unable to shoulder or a completely different type of soil, for example,” the European Commission’s website reports. The INSARD project was concluded in 2013. [Image credit: Flickr, DFAT]

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The Human Resources for Primary Healthcare in Africa (HURAPRIM) project, which ran from March 2011 until February 2015, brought together three European and five African countries to design interventions to address the scarcity of human resources in health (HRH). “Thus far, findings have shown that there are clear economic and political restraints affecting health workers' issues and demands. Bad work conditions, low salaries and a very high work load are also leading causes of declining HRH,” says a summary report about the project published on CORDIS, the European Commission’s Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS). To find out more about HURAPRIM, visit http://www.huraprim.ugent.be/drupal/. [Image credit: Flickr, NVinacco]

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The European Commission has released a summary report of the ERAfrica project. ERAfrica brought together African and European funding partners to jointly support bi-regional research and innovation projects. “By introducing a new approach to joint funding in S&T, ERAFRICA laid the groundwork for future cooperation between Africa and Europe. The project will strengthen African research capacities and improve the impact of research for development in Africa,” the report says. ERAfrica ran from 2009-2013. To learn more about the consortium and its results, visit http://erafrica.eu/. [Image credit: ERAfrica]

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A new method to speed up testing for tuberculosis has been developed by partners in the EU-funded project PATHSEEK. “The new method, published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, allows scientists to enrich Mtb DNA directly from patient sputum (mucus) samples. […] This means that the samples can be sequenced and analysed straight away, avoiding the need to spend weeks growing them in the lab,” according to an article published on the University College London’s website. The project’s approach is also being applied in the diagnosis of other infectious diseases, such as HIV, chlamydia and hepatitis. [Image credit: Flickr, Gates Foundation]

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A research cooperation project funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme has used existing know-how to enhance the food safety, sensory quality and nutritional value of a host of African foods. [Image credit: Flickr,  Xiaojun Deng]

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The FP7-funded CHAIN-REDS project, which aimed to establish a global e-infrastructure ecosystem for researchers and research groups, held its closing conference in March 2015. [Image credit: CHAIN-REDS]

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The Rainwater Harvesting Symposium 2015 will address policy, know-how, and training-related issues. “This symposium aims at identifying existing knowledge and stimulates the exchange of thoughts on ways to manage water resources so as to continue meeting the needs of both humans and ecosystems,” the event’s programme says. The conference is co-organised by the Rain Foundation, the Southern and Eastern Africa Rainwater Network, and the AFRHINET project, which is funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme. Its purpose is to convene policy-makers, academics, and water resource management practitioners. [Image credit: Flickr, Isoe Wikom]

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Scientists and industry specialists working on the recycling of minerals and metals from product waste streams are encouraged to apply to the third ERA-MIN joint call for 2015. ERA-MIN (Industrial Handling of Raw Materials for European Industries) is a project funded by the European Union that pools funding resources from its 18 member and associate partner organisations to implement activities of joint interest. The 2015 call addresses “all aspects of the non-energy raw materials value chain”, including: primary resources; secondary resources; and substitution of critical raw materials. Public policy, minerals intelligence education and international cooperation issues may also be addressed in conjunction with the call’s three technological areas. Proposals must be submitted by multi-country, multi-partner consortia adhering to ERA-MIN eligibility criteria, by 19 May 2015. [Image credit: Flickr, epSos.de]

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IST-Africa will hold its tenth technology research conference for ministers in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 6-8 May 2015. The agenda includes policy dialogues, international development, research cooperation, and community building. Stakeholders from the public and private sector will gather to discuss policy, exchange ideas, and explore areas of potential collaboration. The conference aims to offer support to the development of information science policy in Africa, and also promote, showcase and encourage international research and innovation in Africa. Malawi’s National Commission for Science and Technology is hosting the conference, with support from the European Commission and the African Union Commission. [Image credit: IST-Africa]

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The e-Infrastructures project, eI4Africa, has released a leaflet on its work to support e-Infrastructure development in Africa. [Image credit: eI4Africa]