The Africa Charter goes to Brussels
6 November - 7 November
Professor Isabella Aboderin will join other higher education leaders in Brussels for this major event which focuses on the Africa Charter and how European institutions, university networks and funding bodies can get involved.
The Africa Charter: Advancing transformative research collaborations between Africa and the rest of the world
6-7 November 2024, Brussels
A two-part, interactive workshop in Brussels on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 November 2024, convened jointly by the University of Bristol and the Coimbra Group Global Partnerships Working Group, with the support of the University of Bergen, to present and discuss the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations.
The Africa Charter, co-created by Africa’s major higher education constituencies, is an Africa-centred framework for advancing a transformative mode of research collaborations that will serve to uphold the continent’s place in- and foster a more equitable- global system of scientific knowledge production. It was co-facilitated by the University of Bristol’s Perivoli Africa Research Centre. The Coimbra Group was amongst the first signatories, which now number more than 100 Institutions.
Wednesday 6 November
The 1st part of the workshop on Wednesday 6 November from 10:00-19:30 at the Fondation Universitaire (Rue d’Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels) will combine plenary sessions with small group discussions on the relevance and translation into practice of the Africa Charter’s 10 principles in the evolution of Africa-Europe research collaborations. It will conclude with a networking reception.
Thursday 7 November
The 2nd part on Thursday 7 November from 09:00-14:00 at Norway House (Rue Archimède 17, 1000 Brussels) will explore the implications of the Charter’s 6 aspirations for change in higher education policy and regulatory architectures, for the further shaping of Africa-Europe R&I policy and funding, including within the AU-EU Innovation Agenda as well as in the EU framework programmes for R&I. It will conclude with a networking lunch.
The event will be relevant to university Rectors and Vice-Rectors, academics, and staff, policymakers and funders, and the wider R&I community from both continents. Further details are available here and in the attached draft programme, and registration is open here. We hope that you will be able to join us!