AERAP session on Capital Market at the Science Forum South Africa, 24 November 2025

Exploring how Capital Markets can Leverage African Science Leadership in the EU’s MFF, FP10, and Africa-Europe Science Collaboration.

• Date: 24 November 2025
• Time: 12h30 – 14h30
• Registration here: https://form.jotform.com/253073620607553

This session will explore how capital markets can unlock and scale investment in African science leadership within the frameworks of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028–2034), the forthcoming Tenth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10). As Africa advances its research and innovation agenda under Agenda 2063 and STISA 2034, aligning scientific capacity with sustainable finance is critical. The discussion will examine how blended finance, development banks, and private capital can accelerate co-investment in research infrastructures, innovation ecosystems, and technology transfer.

By connecting science diplomacy with financial innovation, the session aims to define mechanisms for integrating science as an investable asset class within EU–Africa cooperation within a global context, advancing shared objectives of competitiveness, sustainability, and inclusion under the EU’s Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives and the UN’s Financing for Development Conference outcomes.

Agenda

12:30 – 12:40 — Opening Remarks
Setting the context: positioning science and innovation as investable assets within the EU’s MFF and FP10 frameworks.
Speakers:

• Eudy Mabuza, Senior Science & Innovation Representative, South African Embassy Brussels / DSTI

• Declan Kirrane, AERAP

12:40 – 12:50 — European Policy Outlook
How FP10 and the Global Gateway are mobilising finance for global partnerships in research and innovation.
Speaker:

• Laurent Bochereau, European Commission (DG RTD / DG INTPA)

12:50 – 13:00 — Mobilising Institutional Capital for Science and Innovation
How African pension and sovereign funds can partner with Europe under the MFF and FP10 to scale research-driven development.
Speaker:

• Lucky Pane, Public Investment Corporation, South Africa

13:00 – 13:10 — African Research Leadership and Market Integration
Building the pipeline from R&D to commercialisation: strengthening Africa’s innovation ecosystems.
Speaker:

• Kaven Naidoo, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

13:10 – 13:20 — Strengthening Africa’s Research Funding Architecture
How National Funding Agencies can align with the EU’s MFF and FP10 to expand continental scientific leadership.
Speaker:

• Sepo Hachigonta, National Research Foundation, South Africa

13:20 – 13:30 — Financing Science for Development
Innovative financing models and the role of regional development banks in science-based growth.
Speaker:

• Soneni Phiri, Southern Africa Development Bank

13:30 – 13:40 — Investing in Africa’s Digital and Innovation Infrastructure
Unlocking digital transformation as a foundation for innovation-led growth.
Speaker:

• Llanley Simpson, Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)

13:40 – 13:50 — Science, Food Security, and Sustainable Investment
Integrating science, agriculture, and finance to advance sustainable food systems under the EU–Africa Flagship initiatives.
Speaker:

• Conrad Rein, Crop Trust

13:50 – 14:00 — Africa’s Continental Perspective: From Policy to Investment
Harnessing continental policy frameworks to link African research excellence with international capital flows.
Speaker:

• Brando Okolo, NEPAD

14:00 – 14:30 — Open Discussion and Conclusions
Identifying actionable next steps to embed science-driven investment mechanisms in the MFF and FP10 frameworks.
Moderator:

• Declan Kirrane, AERAP

About AERAP

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 UN FfD3 in Addis Ababa on 14 July 2015 and again at the UN FfD4 (Financing for Development) in Sevilla in July 2025 where it was declared an official UN Sevilla Platform for Action.

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.