September 2020

Supported by the European Commission, the Africa Europe Innovation Partnership(AEIP) is an initiative which aims to accelerate innovation across Africa and Europe. AEIP events are concentrated towards two main groupings, namely tech hubs (incubators, accelerators, design labs) and technology transfer actors.

Through the AEIP partnership, SARIMA participated in the  4^th AEIP event. The virtual event ran from June 23^rd to July 9^th 2020 directed toward technology transfer. With the theme of “Building Tenable Technology Transfer from Africa and Europe, the event consisted of a public policy forum, a capacity upgrading training for TTOs, and a community of practice meeting by invitation.

SARIMA has active participation in the discussion panel, members are encouraged to check out the upcoming collaborative funding opportunities below.

The event was opened with a number of the keynote address from Dr Riina Kionka, EU Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa; Mr Daan du Toit, Deputy-Director General International Cooperation and Resources at the Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa; Mr Maria Cristina Russo, Director for International Cooperation DG Research and Innovation, European Commission; and Dr Mahama Oeudraogo, Director of the African Union’s Department of Human Resources Science and Technology.

upcoming collaborative funding opportunities. A number of these have since closed for applications, but the following are still open:

France:

French South Africa Tech Transfer Bridge Programme  https://za.ambafrance.org/

Young Enterprise Initiative call for 2021 to be announced. https://www.veifrance.com/

Germany: Open Access Hub to fight COVID-19 https://saira/eco/open-access-covid-10/

CAPACITY UPGRADING- SARIMA delivered the training session

The AEIP partnered with SARIMA to provide training to the African TTO community.  Training topics were selected based on a needs assessment conducted by the AEIP.  These included

• Managing Impact of Research
• Intellectual Property Basics,
• Overview of establishing a TTO and Agreements and managing conflict of interest in technology transfer

Thirty participants from across Africa were selected to participate in the capacity sessions.

Overall, the capacity upgrading sessions were very well received by the participants.  SARIMA’s involvement on this initiative was a great opportunity to increase its visibility across the continent, make new connections and potentially grow our membership. We also demonstrated our value as a strategic capacity building partner in the innovation ecosystem.  We look forward to working with AEIP on future interventions.

Written by Janine Chantson SARIMA Committee Member Chief Director: Technology Transfer and Innovation Support, North-West University

and Zimasa Sobuza, Project Manager, SARIMA