Advancing Science, Innovation, and Global Partnership for a Shared Future

The Africa-Europe Science Collaboration and Innovation Platform (AERAP) is a global forum uniting stakeholders from Africa, Europe, and worldwide to shape a common vision for science and innovation as catalysts for sustainable development, shared prosperity, and inclusive growth.

Recognizing that today’s most urgent challenges — from climate change and food security to global health and digital inequality — are deeply interconnected, AERAP provides a structured platform where academia, industry, and the public sector come together to define and drive research priorities across a wide range of scientific and technological fields. AERAP fosters groundbreaking discoveries and technological advances through this collaborative framework that build resilience, strengthen societies, and enhance global competitiveness.

AERAP’s mission resonates strongly with the goals of the United Nations’ Financing for Development (FfD4) process, which underscores the need for innovative, inclusive, and sustainable financing strategies to support global development priorities. Science, technology, and innovation (STI) are recognised as fundamental enablers of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and AERAP actively advocates for their integration into the global financing architecture.

In this context, AERAP contributes to advancing the UN’s broader vision articulated through the Pact for the Future and the forthcoming Global Digital Compact by promoting digital inclusion, knowledge equity, and scientific cooperation as vital elements of a more just and sustainable world economy.

Through a dynamic network of researchers, innovators, policymakers, funding agencies, and investors, AERAP develops and continuously updates collaborative agendas, particularly in frontier fields like radio astronomy and digital innovation, to better align scientific efforts with both local realities and global priorities. By fostering dialogue, facilitating knowledge transfer, and catalyzing investment in research and innovation ecosystems, AERAP ensures that science serves not only as a tool for discovery but as a bridge for cooperation, empowerment, and transformation.

Our goals are:

• Build and strengthen research and innovation capacity across Africa, Europe, and globally,
• Drive forward digital inclusion and responsible innovation,
• Enable cross-border knowledge sharing and technology transfer,
• Mobilize strategic investment in science to power inclusive and sustainable development,
• Champion the critical role of science in achieving the SDGs and shaping a fairer, greener future for all.

AERAP’s foundation stems from the European Parliament’s Written Declaration 45 on Science Capacity Building in Africa, a commitment echoed by the African Union’s Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.407 (CXVIII).

AERAP convened the side  Investing in Science Infrastructure at the FfD3 in Addis Ababa on 14 July 2015.

Today, as the global community seeks to revitalise international cooperation and realign development financing toward the SDGs, AERAP stands as a committed actor in mobilising science, technology, and innovation to create opportunities, bridge divides, and secure a better future for all humanity.

Programme

Opening Segment (10 minutes)

Welcome and Session Introduction (Moderator – 3 minutes)

Framing Remarks: The Strategic Role of Science, Innovation, and Financing for Sustainable Development (Keynote – 7 minutes)

Representative from the South African Department of Science and Innovation or the European Commission (DG RTD).

Session 1: Mobilizing Strategic Investment for Research and Innovation (20 minutes)

Focus: Why investing in science matters for achieving the SDGs and building resilience in Africa and globally.

• Vincenzo Lorusso, DG RTD, European Commission (7 minutes)
• Eudy Mabuza, Senior Science and Innovation Representative, South Africa (7 minutes)
• Muhammad Sharif, Advisor Science and Technology, ICESCO (6 minutes)

Session 2: Strengthening Research and Innovation Ecosystems (30 minutes)

Focus: Case studies and opportunities in agriculture, energy, health, and digital innovation.

• Petronella Chaminuka, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa (5 minutes)
• Sampson Mamphweli, SANEDI (5 minutes)
• Mapula Mahlangu, SANEDI (5 minutes)
• Glenda Grey, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) (5 minutes)
• Busisiwe Ntuli, Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa (5 minutes)
• Evelyn Gitau, Science for Africa Foundation (5 minutes)

Session 3: Science Diplomacy and Global Cooperation for Development Financing (20 minutes)

Focus: Building bridges between research, finance, and international development priorities.

• Lise Korsten, African Academy of Sciences (5 minutes)
• Mosoka Fallah, Chief Scientist, Africa CDC (5 minutes)
• Thandi Mgwebi, National Research Foundation South Africa (5 minutes)
• Andrea Konstantinidi, Africa Europe Foundation (5 minutes)

Closing Segment (10 minutes)

• Emerging Priorities and Call to Action (5 minutes)
• Aletha De Witt, AFAS, South Africa

Moderator Closing Summary and Next Steps (5 minutes)

Tie back to FfD4 and future AERAP initiatives.

Registration coming soon