Next week, academics from ARUA and a number of British universities will meet to discuss closer research ties. Here, the University of Leeds describes one of the international collaborations it is involved with.
The ARUA VCs met between 24 and 26 April 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting was hosted by Prof Phil Cotton on behalf of the University of Rwanda.
The biggest problems facing the world today will not be solved by researchers from a single discipline, a single university, or even a single continent.
The key is collaboration, where researchers can come together and share ideas about how to resolve those intractable issues that shorten lives, hold back economic development and impact on wellbeing: climate change, food security, disease and rebuilding communities ravaged by conflict.
If we as academics want to make a real change, we need to forge links with colleagues outside of our own disciplines and across borders.
That’s why I will be in Ghana in just under two weeks’ time – to meet academics from the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) to discuss future research partnerships.
In just under two weeks, academics from ARUA and eight British universities will meet in Ghana with the aim of forging a new chapter in research collaboration.
University of Glasgow played host to the Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, on 11th March 2019. The visit to University of Glasgow was at the invitation of the Dean for Global Engagement (Africa and Middle East), Professor Paul Garside. It was planned to facilitate follow-up discussions after the earlier meeting of ARUA Vice Chancellors and the Russell Group of Vice Chancellors in London last October. The Russell Group is currently chaired by Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice Chancellor of University of Glasgow. In a tweet, Professor Muscatelli welcomed Professor Ernest Aryeetey to University of Glasgow.
The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) will host an international conference and workshops on 18-20 November 2019 under the theme “Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Defining a Role for Research Universities”. Interested persons are invited to learn more about the meeting by clicking here.
The joint launch of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Materials, Energy and Nanotechnology (ARUA CoE MEN) and the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Migration and Mobility (ARUA CoE M&M) took place on the 15th November 2018 at the University of the Witwatersrand. For ARUA CoE MEN, the launch was preceded by a nearly day-long workshop.
The umbrella organization for managing research in the United Kingdom, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) in setting up the latter’s 13 Centres of Excellence. Following the signing of the MoU in September 2018, UKRI invited ARUA Vice Chancellors to meetings with UKRI Senior Management to discuss the scope of the partnership. The visit was also for the purpose of meeting with the Russell Group Vice Chancellors in London to discuss possible collaboration between the two networks. The visit took place on 24-25 October 2018.
The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) launched two new Centres of Excellence on 6th September 2018 at University of Lagos. The launch of the two centres, ‘Unemployment and Skills Development’ and ‘Urbanization and Habitable Cities’ coincided with the bi-annual meeting of ARUA Deputy Vice Chancellors (Research) hosted by University of Lagos. The launch ceremony was presided over by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. All the DVCs attending the bi-annual meeting were present. Also present were various regional experts and academics working in the areas of the two Centres.
The last three days of February 2018 saw a fascinating meeting unfolding at the Elilly Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The hotel was the venue of a meeting of representatives of 13 of the 16 ARUA universities.