AERAP Roundtable on African Science Leadership and EU Research & Development Policy

Date: 21 October 2025

Africa–Europe Science Collaboration Roundtable

🤝 Hosted by the Africa–Europe Science Collaboration Platform (AERAP) in partnership with the Africa Europe Foundation (AEF)

📅 Date:                  Tuesday, 21 October 2025

🕒 Time:                  15h00 – 16h30 CET

📍 Location:          Africa Europe Foundation, 5–6 Square de Meeûs, 1000 Brussels

🔬 Building on a decade of joint efforts to align research and innovation with development priorities, the roundtable will convene stakeholders from both continents to identify practical pathways to strengthen cooperation in key areas, including:
🩺 Health
🌾 Food systems
💻 Digital transformation and Astronomy
⚡ Energy and Climate resilience

💡 Participants will discuss how to align the EU’s MFF 2028–2034, the Global Gateway, and Horizon Europe’s successor, ensuring that science and innovation are central to the next phase of the Africa–Europe partnership.

🧭 The dialogue will aim to generate recommendations for embedding science and innovation within the context of the AU–EU Summit, supporting the creation of enabling frameworks for joint research, equitable partnerships, and investment in scientific capacity.

🌐 By advancing dialogue between African and European actors within a global context—covering governance, financing, and technology transfer—the roundtable will contribute to shaping a renewed, mutually beneficial science partnership that underpins sustainable development and resilience on both continents.

✨ The event will also serve as a bridge between global processes, including the UN Pact for the Future and the outcomes of the UN Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), positioning science collaboration as a cornerstone of the Africa–Europe strategic relationship in a rapidly changing world.

PROGRAMME

15:00 – 15:10      WELCOME ADDRESS                                                                                     

Eudy Mabuza, Senior Science and Innovation Representative, Brussels Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, South Africa

Holy Ranaivozanany, Deputy Executive Director, Africa Europe Foundation

15:10 – 16:30  ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Moderator: Declan Kirrane, Managing Director, ISC Intelligence

Speakers (2 minutes interventions)

🔹 Vincenzo Lorusso, DG RTD, European Commission, Belgium

🔹 Martina Desole, European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL)

🔹 Yannick Legre, OPERAS Social Sciences Research Infrastructure, France

🔹Sophie Widmer, SwissCore, Brussels

🔹Liliana Pasecinic, European Commission, JRC

🔹Pilar Gomez, Programme Manager, ISC Intelligence

🔹Ilke Geleyn, Vito

🔹Lorent Bernard, Delegation of the European Union to the United States

🔹Saidou Madougou, Network of African Science Academies (NASAC)

🔹Sharma Subhalakshimi, Sciensano

🔹Victoria Reichl, KOWI

🔹Anita Mnisi, DSTI

🔹Brando Okolo, AUDA – NEPAD

🔹Lukovi Seke, NEPAD

🔹Lara Pandya, EDCTP, The African and European research partnership on infection diseases

🔹Tinyiko Ntshongwana, Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, South Africa

🔹Brigitte Decadt, BELSPO