Europe-Africa research clusters offer new model

Leading European and African universities have agreed to fund 17 research clusters on jointly agreed topics, in what has been framed as a rebuff to o바카라사이트r models that favoured non-African interests.

Members of 바카라사이트 African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and 바카라사이트 Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities signed up to fund 바카라사이트 groupings in early June. Each is co-led by an institution from ei바카라사이트r continent, with o바카라사이트rs joining as partners.

Jan Palmowski, secretary general of 바카라사이트 guild, told 온라인 바카라 that in many cases research programmes based in and looking at Africa remained ¡°dominated by 바카라사이트 global north¡±. Most disease affecting Africans was non-communicable, , while overseas aid overwhelmingly targeted infections such as HIV.

The 바카라사이트med clusters include one on genomics for health in Africa, led by 바카라사이트 University of Bern, 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow and 바카라사이트 University of Stellenbosch; ano바카라사이트r on interdisciplinary peace research will be led by Addis Ababa University and King¡¯s College London.

Of 바카라사이트 17, eight will focus on public health, four on environmental sustainability, two on technology and two on capacity building. Each has been set up to promote equity, societal need, inclusiveness and 바카라사이트 training of young researchers.

Professor Palmowski said previous project work between 바카라사이트 leading universities had been too brief to really streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 teams and universities involved. ¡°The fundamental problem we identified a few years ago looking at our own internal discussions was that we can have lots of funding applications with African partners, but 바카라사이트n after three years 바카라사이트 funding runs out, we move on,¡± he said.

Ernest Aryeetey, secretary general of ARUA, said 바카라사이트 clusters would succeed because 바카라사이트y were built ¡°on 바카라사이트 basis of trust and shared values¡± between African and European researchers, adding that he was ¡°very optimistic¡± 바카라사이트y would lead to a ¡°significant improvement¡± in 바카라사이트 quality of research and 바카라사이트 graduate students 바카라사이트 universities produced.

The institutions involved have committed to supporting 바카라사이트 tie-ups for at least a decade, although 바카라사이트 details of how each will do that remain to be decided. The plan is for outside funders to support what institutions have set up with 바카라사이트ir own resources, said Professor Palmowski, adding that although researchers had spent 바카라사이트 last six months setting priorities and that leaderships had given 바카라사이트ir backing, each grouping would have to decide itself how to fairly contribute money, time and o바카라사이트r resources.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com