Today, in the European Parliament, Maria da Graça Carvalho held a meeting with representatives of ISC- Intelligence in Science.
The purpose of the meeting was to inform Ms Carvalho of some of the Africa related projects ISC is engaged with and some key aspects of science capacity building, including human capital, technological development and technology transfer in Africa.
ISC Intelligence in Science is working to support scientific capacity in Africa through international partnerships, with particular reference to the hosting of global research infrastructures.
Under the conclusions of the November 2010 Africa-EU Summit, science, innovation, technology transfer and the promotion of a knowledge based society are all recognised as drivers of social and economic development. These outcomes are mirrored by the African Union's recent endorsement of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope project, with the intention of cementing Africa's commitment to contribute to global scientific excellence and enterprise. Europe's own efforts to stimulate greater scientific activity and cooperation with Africa were recognised in the 26 October 2007 European Parliament Declaration on Science with Africa [0001/2007]. Accordingly, ISC would like to build on these processes to explore avenues of scientific collaboration between the EU and Africa.