Windhoek
The governing board of the Global Research Council (GRC) selected Namibia to host the Africa Regional Consultation of the GRC this year.
The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa have been competitively selected as co-hosts of the Africa Regional Consultation of the GRC.
The summit, which will be held in Windhoek in November, is expected to attract a number of heads of research councils from major research funding agencies from Japan, the United States of America and Europe. These include, among others, the heads of the Japanese Society of the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the National Science Foundation (NSF) of United States of America and the German Research Foundation (DFG).
These engagements will inform the 2016 annual GRC meeting to ensure a true African voice at this increasingly influential meeting.
This was announced by the Chief Executive Officer of NCRST, Dr Eino Mvula, who stated: “The emphasis of the summit will be to construct a strategic and value-added programme through representation of all science granting councils in Africa, including dedicated and focused discussion, a high-level open panel meeting by the African heads of research councils and an academic symposium to encourage scholarly debate and strengthen partnerships among African scientists.”
Mvula added that the conference would be a form of networking with scientists from other parts of the world, adding that in 2014 NCRST and NRF of South Africa successfully co-hosted the 2014 GRC Africa regional meeting in Stellenbosch, South Africa in preparation for the 2015 GRC annual meeting which was held in Tokyo, Japan from on from 26-28 May 2015.
Mvula participated at the GRC annual meeting in Tokyo, where he was part of the roundtable discussion on building education and research capacity in Africa for sustainable development. The regional consultation, in parallel with five others taking place around the globe, has as its primary aim to facilitate and coordinate deliberations and input on the main themes identified by the GRC Governing Board for 2016, which will sit in New Delhi, India in May 2016.
Topics for discussion by heads of research councils from around the world in May 2016 will include issues affecting women in the scientific workforce and how to promote interdisciplinary research.
Formed in 2012, GRC brings together heads of research councils to compare notes on common challenges and discuss cooperation.