Rhodes University has been drafted to take up key roles in various clusters of the newly launched Africa-Europe Clusters of Excellence, including co-leading the establishment of Water Resource Management for a Sustainable and Just Future Cluster.
Rhodes University has been drafted to take up key roles in various clusters of the newly launched Africa-Europe Clusters of Excellence, including co-leading the establishment of Water Resource Management for a Sustainable and Just Future Cluster.
The Africa-Europe Clusters of Excellence were recently launched at a summit held in Brussels, Belgium. Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela and the Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Strategic partnerships, Professor Joanna Dames, attended the launch.
The Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence bring together distinguished researchers from universities and research institutes across both continents, from African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and beyond the two networks.
Rhodes University and the University of Ljubljana were selected as co-leads to establish a Cluster of Research Excellence in Water Resource Management for a Sustainable and Just Future which includes the already established ARUA Centre of Excellence in Water (Dr Jane Tanner and Prof Nelson Odume from the Rhodes University Institute for Water Research), eight core African partners and three additional Guild core partners
Other Rhodes University academics are core partners in four other selected Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence. These are:
- Genomics for Health in Africa: Professor Ozlem Tastan Bishop (Director: Research Unit in Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology) and Professor Adrienne Edkins (SARChI Chair: Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Eukaryotic Response, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology).
- Nature Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Distinguished Professor Heila Lotz-Sisitka (SARChI Chair: Global Change and Social Learning Systems, Director: Environmental Learning Research Centre, Education Department); Professor Brad Ripley (Department of Botany), Professor Susie Vetter (Department of Botany), Professor Nelson Odume (Director: Institute for Water Research) and Dr Chika Nnadozie (Institute for Water Research).
- Sustainable Water and Land Resource Management for Human Well-being: Dr Jane Tanner (Institute for Water Research, Director ARUA Centre of Excellence in Water).
- Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Theoretical and Computational Thinking: Prof Ozlem Tastan Bishop (Director: Research Unit in Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology).
“Rhodes University is excited and deeply honoured to be part of this collaboration between and among research-intensive universities in the African and European continents. The challenges faced by humanity are simultaneously local and global in nature. They do not observe any political, geographic, social or economic boundaries. They require multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research approach and the summoning of the human talent across the globe,” Professor Mabizela said during the launch.
The Clusters are formed in the context of a clear and unequivocal support in the R&I sector, in Europe and Africa, to develop science collaboration equitably and sustainably, and the urgent demand from funders like the European Union to develop a more integrated approach that focuses on excellence and capacity-building. To this end, the Clusters are aimed to open up new dialogues with policymakers and funders in both continents and beyond, to identify ground-breaking solutions and create opportunities for investment in societal transformation.
The Africa-Europe Clusters of Research, led by ARUA and The Guild, addresses the inequity that has characterised research in relation to Africa, to the detriment of global science. The Clusters will develop new research paradigms and transform the joint capacities to overcome major health challenges, address climate change, strengthen technological transformations, and sustain societies facing conflict and change. They will help ensure that a common research agenda is at the heart of the African Union’s Africa 2063 strategy which envisages Africa’s transformation to a knowledge society. The Clusters also strengthen the capacity of research and innovation to make a major contribution to each priority of the European Union’s Global Gateway.
“The Clusters of Research Excellence proposals submitted and the collaborations that they represent were developed by our researchers. The willingness of our academics to collaborate on a wider global scale to address societal needs is to be applauded. The long-term vision of the Clusters of Research Excellence will ensure excellent and impactful research and I look forward to their future development,” Professor Dames said.
These strategic partnerships are aligned with the Institutional Development Plan (2023-2028) to strengthen Rhodes University’s standing as a research-intensive university and build research capacity not only at Rhodes University but also among all partners.
The South African delegation that attended the launch included Rhodes University, University of Stellenbosch, Wits University, University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town and University of KwaZulu-Natal.