Celebrating five years of the COST partnership between the EU and South Africa

Join us for a special side event celebrating five years of partnership in international scientific networking between the European Union and South Africa at the Science Forum South Africa 2024.

This milestone event will highlight the achievements and impact of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) on fostering collaboration in interdisciplinary research and innovation across Europe and South Africa.

The COST Programme provides opportunities for researchers and innovators to strengthen research capacity and to address scientific, technological and societal challenges. The COST Actions, collaborative research networks, bring together researchers and innovators to work on a topic of their choice for four years.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders, share insights, and explore future avenues for participating in COST activities. Through discussions and presentations, the session aims to showcase how COST has facilitated groundbreaking projects and strengthened the scientific community. Don’t miss this chance to connect, reflect, and inspire the next chapter of collaborative research.

AGENDA

08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and registration
09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome remarks and setting the scene
09:10 – 09:20 | Remarks by the European Commission/EUD
09:10 – 09:40 | South Africa and COST association partnership
09:40 – 09:50 | Q&A
09:50 – 10:20 | South Africa’s participation, priorities and support instruments
10:10 – 10:20 | Q&A
10:20 – 10:50 | Tea break
10:50 – 11:10 | Testimonial #1 Historically Disadvantaged Institution Participation
11:00 – 11:20 | Testimonial #2 Established Research Office’s participation
11:20 – 11:40 | Testimonial #3: Emerging Researcher’ Participation
11:40 – 11:50 | Q&A
11:50 – 12:10 | Panel: Lessons learnt and the way forward in the partnership
12:10 – 12:20 | Q&A
12:20 – 12:30 | Closing Remarks
12:30 | Lunch