SA and France seek scientific solutions to global challenges
France and SA are innovative hubs of science, technology and progress. Through successful scientific co-operation, the two countries are together tackling the pressing challenges of our time.
Initiated under the authority of Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor, the Science Forum SA taking place on Thursday and Friday is the foremost of its kind in Africa, where scientists, politicians and the private sector discuss the role of science and innovation in our societies.
The embassy of France in SA and the National Research Foundation organised a bilateral conference in celebration of 20 years of scientific partnership between France and SA.
The bilateral Protea programme is a partnership in which France and SA are putting resources together to fund excellence in science.
This conference coincides with a visit by French Nobel Prize laureate Prof Jean-Marie Lehn (1987, chemistry), who will take part in the science forum and visit partner institutions in SA, such as the esteemed iThemba LABS, a national research facility on nuclear science.
The Protea programme provides the platform to create bilateral teams working in fields as different as nanotechnology, HIV/AIDS, the environment, ecology, energy, biotechnology, space and social sciences. Protea enables teams to achieve outstanding results that are published in international peer-reviewed journals and used by policy makers to evaluate risks, such as respiratory inflammation risk maps for industrial and urban pollution sources and integrated approaches to the remediation of the environmental impacts of mining activities.
Started in 1997 and cofinanced by the National Research Foundation and France’s ministry of Europe and foreign affairs, this programme has supported almost 100 research projects, each fully financed over a two-year period.
I am proud to say that our shared research teams have worked tirelessly over the past 20 years to tackle major challenges through the development of innovative solutions. As an example of our success, let us consider challenges in access to water, shortages of which have become severe in SA.
Recently, researchers from the University of KwaZuluNatal and the French Research Institute investigated the role of water movements in the global carbon cycle in the Thukela Basin, which deal with challenges in water scarcity, water quality, food security and climate change.
Overgrazing by cattle has been shown to have drastic consequences for water pollution and availability, food production and climate change. The bilateral team identified ways to restore the degraded grasslands by rethinking the use of land to prevent land degradation and rivers running dry.
The Thukela Basin is the ideal area for exploring challenges faced by rural communities. In an area where social and economic problems are acute, huge potential for job creation and economic growth exists.
France, through its scientific partnerships with SA, is committed to seeing rural communities thrive.
Another example of research conducted through the Protea programme is the study of meteorological events, atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the Indian Ocean. The aim is to mitigate climate change effects in Southern Africa and better understand related health issues such as infectious disease outbreaks and cardiorespiratory diseases.
THE PROTEA PROGRAMME HAS SUPPORTED ALMOST 100 RESEARCH PROJECTS, EACH FULLY FINANCED OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD
Researchers have tackled many other challenges, including food security, energy consumption cycles, the spread of diseases and sustainable energy use, to solve critical societal issues such as poverty, health threats, economic growth and environmental challenges.
All of these themes will be discussed at the conference.
Furthermore, our strong and vibrant partnership has allowed for the training of numerous students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing them with international experience and exposure through visits to France and presentations at international workshops.
As ambassador, it is heartening to see our scientists diligently uncovering and developing new ways to improve our planet and the quality of life. Large global networks of scientists are the only way forward to tackle the global challenges we all face.
The celebration of the Protea programme gives us the opportunity to showcase the high quality of scientific exchanges between our two countries. It will also allow us to identify priorities to tackle common scientific challenges for funding projects in 2018 and 2019.
Leaders of French research centres are in SA and plan to sign new agreements to further bolster our partnership.