Event Invitation: Finnish-SADC Research and Innovation Cooperation in Health and Nutrition, 4th December

FinCEAL Plus and SANBio/BioFISA II (co-funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), are organizing the above joint event in Helsinki on 4th December, 14.00 - 17.00 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Laivastokatu 22, Engel Hall. 15 representatives from projects funded by SANBio/BioFISA II will be visiting Finland over a 1.5-week period and will be present at the event. The aim is to bring together Finnish scientists and their counterparts from the Southern Africa Development region to broker new relationships, explore opportunities for collaboration and get first-hand information on different support mechanisms that exist for the development of these partnerships. Welcome! Registration for the event is now open.

Since 2009, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in South Africa and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) have supported the NEPAD/SANBio Network (Southern Africa Network for Biosciences) through the BioFISA programme1. With a joint contribution of EUR 7.82 million from Finland, South Africa and the participating member states, the second phase of BioFISA began in 2015 with a focus on:

• supporting an effective and dynamic regional research network, including the establishment of sustainable funding structures for collaboration;
• enhancing human and infrastructure capacity in the region; and
• supporting the development of innovative products within the priority focus areas of health and nutrition, including the development of entrepreneurial skill.

The Africa component of the FinCEAL Plus project has emphasized Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security and Health as priority themes. Having emerged from the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, support for research between the EU and Africa in these themes has seen a surge in funding from various schemes like H2020. Sustainable and strategic research and innovation cooperation between Finnish institutions and their African counterparts can only be achieved by engaging in areas of mutual interest and an understanding of the priorities for the two regions. In this regard, SANBio/BioFISA II and FinCEAL Plus are arranging a joint event on ‘Finnish-SADC Research and Innovation Cooperation in Health and Nutrition’. The event will bring together Finnish scientists and their counterparts from the SADC working in Health and Nutrition, to broker new relationships, explore opportunities for collaboration and get first-hand information on different support mechanisms that exist for the development of these partnerships.

You can view and download the preliminary documents from the links below

• Draft concept note and programme
• SANBio/BioFISA II portfolio of projects in Human Nutrition, Animal Feed and Cosmetics
• SANBio/BioFISA II porfolio of projects in Human and Animal Health

Register for the event by 27th November, through this link https://goo.gl/forms/2B34EjJ7Uz0bSvjq2