Transcript New stakeholder forum convened to define priorities for

African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
Building mutually beneficial African-European research and
innovation partnerships
Presentation by Takalani Nemaungani
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Background and Context
• Radio Astronomy on Agenda of South Africa - EU Bilateral
Summit - September 2011, 2012 and 2013
• Promoting African-European Research Infrastructure Initiative
(PAERIP) – EU FP7 funded initiative. Final recommendations
communicated to the European Commission and made
available to relevant AU and NEPAD structures
Context
• Joint Africa-EU Strategy includes 8th partnership initiative on
Science, Information Society and Space (launched in October
2007 in Lisbon and Joint Action Plan 2011-2013
• Priority 1 : Capacity Building for implementation of AU’s S&T
Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) – currently under review
• Expected outcomes include improved pan-African
infrastructure and facilities for R&D; development of STI
evidence-based Africa-EU policy making
AERAP
• AERAP is structured around a network of key
stakeholders who come together in regular meetings to work
on developing and updating agendas for radio astronomy
cooperation
• The agenda has been developed through dialogue with
industry, research institutes and the public sector from across
EU Member States and African nations
• It is aimed at better aligning the priorities of the radio
astronomy community with the instruments of the researches
with those of industry.
The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
• Objectives
• Bring together key African and European radio astronomy players from
policy, funding, research and industry research sectors
• Support participants to develop and update agendas for bi-regional
African-European radio astronomy cooperation
• Strengthen research and innovation in Europe and Africa
• Improve knowledge transfer between the continents
• Stimulate competitiveness across both continents
• Identify and encourage, and facilitate access to, funding opportunities
for Africa-EU radio astronomy cooperation
• Leverage EU-Africa collaboration in radio astronomy as a platform to
support broader global partnerships
Snapshot of available instruments
• European Development Fund (11th EDF next cycle 2014-2020)
• EU Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI)
• Research funding (Horizon 2020 to be launched soon)
• Researcher mobility, staff exchange and education programmes
• Africa-EU Infrastructure Trust Fund
• EIB, AfDB, etc
• Philatronphic (e,g Ethiopia), Foundations, Venture capital, etc
The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
• Activities thus far in Brussels:
• AERAP Helpdesk: supported FP7, ACP funding applications
Date
Event
29 May 2012
Workshop on Leveraging New Funding Opportunities for
African-European Radio Astronomy Partnerships
6 September 2012
Workshop on Human Capital Development – Researcher
Mobility and Training Programmes
9 October 2012
Workshop on Renewable Energy Solutions for Radio
Astronomy
14 November 2012
Workshop on Infrastructure Investment and Technology
Development including Scientific Instrumentation for Radio
Astronomy
6 and 7 March 2013
Workshop to discuss the Draft AERAP Framework
Programme for Cooperation
18 and 19 June 2013 Workshop to elaborate options for implementation of
AERAP Framework Programme for Cooperation
The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
• Activities thus far in Africa :
• AERAP Helpdesk: supported FP7, ACP funding applications
Date
Event
27 September 2012
Workshop on Human Capital Development in Pretoria,
South Africa
23 October 2012
Presentation at the Africa SKA Working Group Meeting in
Pretoria, South Africa
14 November 2012
African Ministerial Committee on Science and Technology
(AMCOST) Senior Officials Meeting in Congo-Brazzaville
22 November 2012
East Africa Astronomy Workshop in Uganda
26-27 June 2013
Workshop on EU-Africa Research Infrastructure Cooperation
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
8 July 2013
Progress Update Report at the Africa SKA Working Group
Meeting in Pretoria, South Africa
17 July and 02
August 2013
Workshop and Presentation at Astronomy Town Meeting in
Cape Town, South Africa
The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
• Participants
•
ASTRON (Netherlands Institute for Radio
Astronomy)
•
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique,
France
•
CICGE-University of Porto , Portugal
•
Coriant (formerly Nokia Siemens Networks),
Germany
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IBM, Netherlands
•
INAF Institute for Radio Astronomy, Italy
•
Institute for Astrophysics Andalucia,
Spain
•
Institute for Telecommunications, Portugal
•
International Programme in the Physical
Sciences, Sweden
•
JIVE - Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe
•
Omnisys Instruments, Sweden
•
Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden
•
Leiden Observatory, Netherlands
•
Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy,
Germany
European Industrial Engineering SRL, Italy
Gestamp Solar Steel, Spain
Ghana Space Science and Technology Centre
Ghent University, Belgium
Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd., United Kingdom
The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
• Participants
•
NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific
Research)
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RadioNet
•
Rhodes University, South Africa
•
Science & Technology Facilities Council, United
Kingdom
•
SKA South Africa
•
SKA Organisation, United Kingdom
•
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
•
University of Groningen, Netherlands
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University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
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University of Leeds, United Kingdom
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University of Manchester, United Kingdom
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University of Nairobi, Kenya
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University of Oxford, United Kingdom
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University of Zambia
•
VIA-SKA, Spain
AERAP Framework Programme for Cooperation
Purpose and Evolution
AERAP’s objective: define and implement priorities for radio
astronomy cooperation between Africa and Europe in order to
implement the Written Declaration 45/2011
Step 1: Thematic Workshops in 2012
Step 2: Preparation of draft Framework Programme with
input from all AERAP stateholders
Step 3: Discussions with AERAP Group in European
Parliament for endorsement: Implementation
AERAP Framework Programme for Cooperation
• Thematic priorities:
Research
Infrastructures
Instrumentation
Research and
Development
Support for
Global Projects
Human Capital
Development
ICT and Big Data
Renewable
Energy
Astronomy as a
Tool for Science
Education
Public Outreach
Background – Objectives – Key Actions
AERAP Framework Programme for Cooperation
• Key actions (selection):
• Develop content delivery networks for global distribution system
of science data and better data streaming
• Pilot training programme for engineers and technicians to
maintain and operate the Africa VLBI network
• Development of cloud based techniques as applied to radio
astronomy problems such as the search for pulsars and transients
• Form an international centre for radio astronomy education and
training
• Develop innovative ways of teaching astronomy by means of eScience technologies
Achievements: AERAP
• Allowed us to provide input to the review of current instruments and
strategies in the two continents
• Profiled and elevated radio astronomy cooperation between the two
continents at highest to lowest levels
• Brought closer together key stakeholders in radio astronomy and
assisted in building new partnerships especially for the AVN
• Facilitated proposal submissions to FP7 and ACP calls (shortlisted on
ACP)
The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform
• Next Steps
• Following completion of stakeholder consultation, Framework
Programme presented and accepted by AERAP Group in the European
Parliament
• AERAP Framework Programme presented to Joint Expert Group (JEG8) of the Africa-EU Science, Information Society and Space Partnership
• AERAP Framework Programme become instrument for
operationalizing radio astronomy as priority focus area for Africa-EU
cooperation in 2014-2020
Thank you for your attention!
Further information on AERAP:
www.aerap.org
Contact:
[email protected]