International Collaboration for Sustainable Development in Africa
Working towards sustainable development in Africa through collaboration between Europe and Africa, the working group aims to address common challenges, deploy resources in education, research, and service to society, and prioritize cooperation, inclusiveness, and joint responsibility. The action plan includes short-term initiatives focused on building trust, fostering genuine partnerships, and engaging African students in challenge-driven engineering education and entrepreneurship events.
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Working Group CLUSTER & Africa Laurens Rademakers Steering Committee Torino 23 September 2022
1 - Mission statement Answers Why? What? How? Values Starting point to talk with (potential) partners Avoiding problematic concepts ( decolonisation , eurocentric knowledge , etc.) WHY? Common challenges based on proximities between Europe & Africa Complex challenges require cooperation; critical role of science, technology, engineering Build a community of (academic) stakeholders Reciprocity: learn from each other, strengthen each other s capacities, joint responsibility 2 International Office
1 - Mission statement WHAT? Deploy resources in education, research, service to society Co-create forward-looking agenda in these fields Sustainable & symmetric partnership , open dialogue, relationship based on reciprocity, added value for all partners CLUSTER values: cooperation aims for multidisciplinarity, inclusiveness, diversity, transparency and joint responsibility Will be enriching for all partners and stakeholders 3 International Office
1 - Mission statement HOW? Research: set agenda together tap growing number of opportunities (e.g. E+, Africa Initiative, AU-EU Innovation agenda) go beyond project funding; sustainable relation (e.g. support doctoral schools) Education: Learn from each other; exchange diversity of perspectives on role of STI Student and staff mobility between Africa and Europe, joint programs, virtual exchanges Service to society: Involve (non-academic) stakeholders working in innovation ecosystems Jointly build experience in strengthening these ecosystems 4 International Office
2 Action plan Short term small, fast, flexible, steppingstones can grow into larger initiatives (also research) Build trust first, genuine partnership later Blended intensive program Inclusive & green principles; innovation in virtual learning African partners highly interested Proposal: BIPs with involvement of African students: enrichting experience for all Erasmus+ project (KTH Royal Institute of Technology): Challenge-driven engineering education to solve sustainable development challenges KU Leuven willing to lead; KTH partner; others invited Strict timeline Seed fund: Event on student entrepreneurship at KU Leuven (2023): participation of young African entrepreneurs Explore nature of innovation ecosystems (linkages between research entrepreneurship in African context) 5 International Office
3 Engaging African partners Pragmatic approach; no large mapping, simple criteriology Principles Universities with established engineering capacity Genuine interest and existing connections Regional hub function (transferring capacity to secondary universities) Easier to build consortia for larger projects CLUSTER as a lever Process Each CLUSTER partner presents one African partner (two, with some justification) Discuss Mission Statement and first projects with them (virtually, November) 6 International Office
4 Interacting with other WGs WG Entrepreneurship Emergence of clusters of innovation across continent Official development policies align around: Private sector development (PSD) Private sector 4 development (PS4D) Influx of funding: venture, structural development cooperation, AU-EU Innovation Agenda Linkages between entrepreneurship and research remain weak; CLUSTER can support 7 International Office
4 Interacting with other WGs WG GAST European Commission s heightened attention for cooperation with Africa: Global Gateway Africa Europe Investment (boost green transition, infrastructure, digital, capacities for science) AU-EU Innovation Agenda (consultation ongoing) Africa Initiative in Horizon Europe (consultation ongoing) MSCA: non-earmarked, but African participation encouraged Erasmus+ (25% of budget now for Africa both in ICM as in CB) Innovation ecosystems and digitalization (non-exhaustive) ENRICH (2021-2023, H2020): connecting innovation ecosystems in Africa and Europe AU-EU D4D Hub AEDIB/NET (bridging digital innovation ecosystems in Africa and Europe) Digital Innovation Hubs In Africa 8 International Office
5 Consultations, lobbying? CLUSTER is an operational network (a comparative strength) Concrete, small-scale initiatives, humble partnership : basis for sharing good practises also a basis for lobbying? EC calls being prepared (Africa Initiative, AU-EU Innovation Agenda, ) Should CLUSTER try to help shape calls? 9 International Office
