{"id":2078,"date":"2024-07-22T07:56:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T07:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frontagnexus.eu\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2024-07-22T09:51:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T09:51:03","slug":"2nd-press-release-after-policy-stakeholder-engagements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frontagnexus.eu\/it\/2024\/07\/22\/2nd-press-release-after-policy-stakeholder-engagements\/","title":{"rendered":"2nd Press Release after policy-stakeholder engagements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bavaria and Africa strengthen research collaboration at “Cooperation lounge” event in Munich<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Bavarian Research Alliance<\/strong> (BayFOR) organised the \u201cCooperation Lounge Africa \u2013 Bavaria: Rethinking Collaboration in Research & Innovation<\/strong>\u201d, drawing more than 100 participants from politics, economy, and science to Munich. The event aimed to enhance cooperation between Africa and Bavaria in various fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her welcome address, Constanze Maier, Deputy Head of Unit International Relations, Development Cooperation, Africa and Middle East (excluding Israel) at the Bavarian State Chancellery, emphasised the importance of equitable collaboration between Africa and the State of Bavaria for fostering long-term partnerships. She highlighted the need for sustained relationships to address structural issues in collaborations, regardless of their nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Emmanuel Benjamin in “Cooperation Lounge Africa \u2013 Bavaria” event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A highlight of the event was the panel discussion titled \u201cFrom theory to practice: How to implement equitable and successful projects with African and Bavarian partners in R&I?\u201d Dr. Emmanuel Benjamin<\/strong>, affiliated with the University of the Bundeswehr Munich and Aglobe Development Center (ADC) in Lagos, Nigeria, emphasised the need for eye-level communication. He highlighted the practical challenges of collaborating with African partners, such as unstable electricity and internet connections, and stressed the need to acknowledge differing working conditions between Europe and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key issues identified during the event included visa challenges for African partners and funding asymmetries in research collaborations. Dr. Benjamin cited an innovative example from Egypt, where diplomatic passports are issued to scientists to alleviate visa issues. However, he noted that this approach only addresses symptoms, not the root causes of these political problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Emmanuel Benjamin in “Cooperation Lounge Africa \u2013 Bavaria” event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the event, Dr. Emmanuel presented the FrontAg Nexus <\/strong>and INCiTiS-FOOD<\/strong> projects, showcasing their objectives and goals. He effectively highlighted how these initiatives are aligned with broader research management strategies and are important in fostering sustainable collaborations across global networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structural issues are also evident in European research funding agencies, where funding regulations often create agency asymmetries between Africa and Europe. For instance, some research calls explicitly seek African partners but do not provide funding for their contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Emmanuel Benjamin in “Cooperation Lounge Africa \u2013 Bavaria” event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations <\/strong>(ACTRC) was discussed as a framework for rebalancing global science and addressing funding imbalances. The Charter seeks policy and regulatory changes among funders, proposing concrete actions such as revising criteria used by publishers and research assessment bodies to determine research quality and impact, and adjusting conditions imposed by funders on research calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on the ACTRC, please refer to the following links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n