Africa-UniNet 2nd General Assembly_Nina Zuckerstätter OeAD-68

Austrian-African Research Network at Egerton University in Kenya

16th December 2022
by secretary

Agrinatura News

More than 150 participants from 20 countries attended the second General Assembly of the Austrian African-UniNet (https://africa-uninet.at/en/) at Egerton University in Nakuru, Kenya, from October 17 to 19, 2022. Besides many representatives, there was also a 12-member BOKU delegation (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna) with their Agrinatura members of the IDR-CDR (Institute and Cluster for Development Research), including Andreas Melcher and the former Agrinatura President Michael Hauser (ICRISAT Nairobi, currently on BOKU leave).

Numerous rectors and representatives of the 68 members of Austrian and African universities and research institutions, 26 of them from Austria and 42 from Africa, were present on site.

The Austrian-African Research Network (short: Africa-Uninet) was established in 2020 on the initiative of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Austrian Exchange Service (OeAD) and the (BOKU) under the then Rector Hubert Hasenauer. The network aims to support the cooperation between Austrian and African universities because experience shows that previous African graduates have embarked on successful careers in science, administration, politics and the arts in their home countries and have thus become essential multipliers and role models for cooperation.

The most important results of the three-day meeting in Egerton were an overview of the activities so far. About 40 projects from various disciplines are running, as well as an intensive discussion about further orientation and strategy (https://africa-uninet.at/en/about-us/about-africa-uninet). The participants agreed that the cooperation works excellently and is supported by great mutual appreciation, that the development potential is enormous, and that one would like to actively develop new funding opportunities to strengthen further university education, knowledge transfer and policy advice beyond the borders of Africa Uninet. The next Africa Uninet meeting will be held at the Academy of Sciences in Austria from September 13-15, 2023.

Austrian-African Research Network at Egerton University in Kenya

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