June 2024 marks the first anniversary of the Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE) initiative, a groundbreaking collaboration launched by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities.

Bringing together top researchers from over 100 institutions across 42 countries, the initiative features twenty dynamic research clusters tackling critical societal and scientific challenges. Since its inception, CoRE has aimed to foster sustainable and equitable scientific partnerships between Africa and Europe, aligning with the African Union-European Union Innovation Agenda. The clusters address pressing issues such as health, climate change, technological innovation, and social development.

The initiative has already surpassed initial expectations. Many clusters have made significant progress in securing third-party funding and have become hubs of innovation and interdisciplinary discourse. These clusters often explore previously uncharted research areas, creating new fields of study. Demonstrating a commitment to nurturing future scholars, masterclasses for Masters- and PhD-level students have been launched.

Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary-General of ARUA, expressed his satisfaction with the initiative's progress, stating, "Clusters of Research Excellence are doing exactly as had been projected in the ARUA strategic plan (2022-2027). Active collaboration between African and European partners in an equitable manner was always the ARUA intention, and this is playing out very well with the CoRE. The current partnership to develop thousands of excellent PhDs will show the strength of well-structured collaboration in tackling some of the world’s difficult development challenges."

A significant highlight of the past year has been the enthusiastic participation of CoREs in ARUA's new PhD program, funded by the Mastercard Foundation. This program is crucial to achieving the initiative's long-term goal of developing innovative PhD training programs that enhance African scientific capacity. The PhD program aims to produce a new generation of highly skilled researchers who can drive scientific advancement on the continent and beyond.

Jan Palmowski, speaking on behalf of The Guild, noted, "Within only a year, the Clusters of Research Excellence have already exceeded our expectations by far. Now we need to find new ways to evaluate and communicate the progress we are making, to institutions, funders, and policymakers alike. The new logo will support us in this endeavour, as it expresses African and European connectedness within our global context and underlines the openness of the Cluster model beyond ARUA and The Guild."

The Africa-Europe CoRE initiative stands as a testament to the power of international collaboration in advancing scientific research and addressing global challenges.

 

Article by RB Correspodent

Photo/ARUA

https://arua.org.za/first-anniversary-of-the-africa-europe-core-initiative/