GMES and Africa: 21-22 June 2021, 2nd Joint Workshop of G&A Network of Universities
GMES & Africa programme established in 2019 an operational network of Academia. This establishment is in line with the Programme Description of Action and the recognition of the importance of Academia in Research, Development and Innovation. Members met for the 4th time, online, to continue the discussions and exchanges
Since conceptualization, GMES & Africa made it a requirement that each eligible consortium must have an Academia institution as a key partner, particularly but not limited to the capacity building work package.
Among the lessons learned during the implementation is that Academia plays a key role in EO beyond capacity building. This is evident because two academic institutions are among the 12 consortia leaders (CSSTE and University of Ghana). Therefore,there is need to take initiatives that link together Academia in EO into a collaborative network.
Objectives of the Workshop
- Perform a review on the progress from previous discussions and come up with recommendations for the continuation of the Network
- Learning important lessons from other existing Networks of Academia
- Discuss the Sustainability mechanisms of the Network
The first day,
Participants were refreshed on the reports and recommendations from the previous meetings of the Academia.
- The 1st meeting was organized in Abidjan, from 29-31 May 2019 for the French speaking institutions
- The 2nd meeting was organized on 4-6 November 2019 in Lusaka Zambia for the English-speaking universities
- The 1st joint online meeting was held on 15 December 2020
The progress made were presented, as were the Learning Lessons From Existing Networks, Erasmus Mundus, Open Science Clubs by University of Ghana, the AUDA-NEPAD African Network of Water Centers of Excellence.
The second day included working groups to allow more focused discussions on subject matters, the strategy, the synergy. A polling exercise was launched to put in place an interim leadership committee of the Network, 1 per region (composed of 1 male and 1 female).
The interim leadership will run at least until the end of Phase 1 and it is expected to deliver the structure of the network, the terms of reference for the network and will participate in designing the GMES & Africa Hackathon event.
Participants agreed that the Guiding Keyword for the Network is "Innovative EO Services and Solutions", derived from the conviction that the focus of GMES & Africa is evolving from the products to services through innovation. The Network of Academia will carry this motto and advocate for the new focus.
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