Experts say EU study complex

By Maureen Mudi

European Union (EU) research programmes for science and technology are not aligned to the needs of African researchers, experts have said.

Speaker at the EU-Africa stakeholders’ conference in Mombasa said on Wednesday the EU Research Framework Programme was complex to participate in.

"Compared with other sources of funding, the EU programmes are often prohibitive to administer, leading to limited networks and opportunities," said Dr Mandi Mzimba of Policy and Regulatory Affairs Discovery Health, South Africa.

Added Mzimba: "This dichotomy becomes quite pronounced in times of national fiscal restraint as it becomes difficult to justify diverting money from immediate social and welfare needs."

However, the participants said the programmes ensured African science is made sustainable by offering research opportunities to local scientists. "The governance, management and financial support provided by African governments for international scientific collaboration seems to be improving each year," said Mr Neil Runnalls, the project co-ordinator of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, United Kingdom.

Research findings

Other speakers advised the continent to put in place proper mechanisms to ensure scientific research efforts were successful.

Dr Marcel Nwalozie of West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development, Senegal, said without such measures, research findings would remain confined to scientific journals even when they are relevant to development goals.

"There is widespread agreement that African countries need to strengthen their capacity to carry out scientific research if they are to build a solid scientific basis for their development," said Nwalozie.

Ms Rose Rita Kingamkono of the Tanzania Commission of Science and Technology said there are co-operation agreements at political level, which provide the framework for concrete activities.

Ms Susanne Madders of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany, said the agreements are formulated on the basis of the respective bilateral technology co-operation policies of each country.

 

 

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