Program

https://www.sfsa.co.za/programme

Overview

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is joining members of the scientific community at the Science Forum South Africa, being held in Pretoria, South Africa from 6-8 December 2023. 

The objective of the Forum is to ignite a vibrant discussion on the role of science in society, between all stakeholders, the scientific community, government, industry and civil society at large.

More than 1 500 participants will gather in Pretoria for discussion and debate under the theme Igniting Conversations About Science – People, Partnerships, Priorities for the Decadal Plan.

AAS Event at Science Forum South Africa

Join the session AAS is hosting at the Forum.

Science Transformation; Working towards shared equipment platforms and networks

Date: Thursday 7 December 2023

Time: 11h00-12h30 SAST (GMT+2).

Programme Moderators: Prof Lise Korsten (President of the AAS) & Prof Kenneth Ozoemena (Vice President Southern Africa AAS)

Global shifts towards open knowledge and infrastructure sharing are driving initiatives to align African researchers with global expertise and facilities. To mitigate the underlying anthropogenic processes, political action is overdue and should be informed by science drivers. The science community is increasingly called on to collaborate in areas such as the archival of molecular samples and sharing infrastructure such as biobanks. These are considered “future-making and memory institutions” as they provide for the integrity, authenticity, availability, and or confidentiality of molecular and/or viable samples and associated data for current and future research. Consortiums and big equipment platforms or networks have been established that provide access to, training and collaborative research incentives. The purpose of this forum is to unpack possible networks and initiatives that can potentially be linked to support capacity development and infrastructure sharing to enhance African Science Excellence.