WINDHOEK – The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) was last week host to an African summit in South Africa aimed at coordinating discussions on research funding, education and capacity building.
The summit held at Stellenbosch was hosted in partnership with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the German Research Foundation.
The main objective of the summit was to facilitate and coordinate deliberations and inputs on the main themes identified by the Global Research Council Governing Board for 2015.
“The success of this meeting will serve as a strategic platform to exchange information concerning operational strategies of the GRC Participants, discuss international collaboration and the role of cooperation among research councils on Research Funding for Scientific Breakthrough and Capacity Building for Research and Education and articulate the African position in this area,” said Dr Eino Mvula, NCRST chief executive officer.
The meeting included representatives from a large number of science granting councils and other important stakeholders. The summit focused on high-level open panel discussions by African heads of research councils, and an academic research symposium that encourages academic debate and aims at strengthening partnerships between African other global scientists.
The Global Research Council is a vital organisation comprising heads of science and engineering funding agencies from around the world, dedicated to promote the sharing of data and best practices for high quality collaboration among funding agencies worldwide.
Annually the Global Research Council hosts a summit after regional meetings across five regions, including Africa.
By Staff Reporter