Initiation of cooperations in the field of public health research between African and German scientists: funding organisations in Africa and Germany call for poster submissions.

(19.01.21) Some 70 scientists from Botswana, Germany, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe were originally due to meet in May 2020 in Maputo/Mozambique for a public health symposium to discuss communicable and non-communicable diseases and health systems research.
Unfortunately, the meeting had to be cancelled due to the corona pandemic.

Instead, the researchers met virtually in October 2020 to exchange views on the pandemic-related situation in their countries and discuss how COVID-19 is affecting science and research in southern Africa and Germany. They also talked about key topics for a virtual public health symposium that is expected to take place in March 2021 where scientists will have the opportunity to develop ideas for joint research projects.

In order to familiarise themselves with the expertise, research interests and project ideas of other participants prior to the virtual meeting, the funding organisations in the respective countries called for participation in an “African-German Scientific Exchange in the Field of Public Health”. Interested researchers now have until 31 January 2021 to submit structured posters, with the aim of creating a basis for contact and dialogue between project partners. In addition, the posters will enable better and more effective preparation and use of the symposium on the part of both the participants and the funding agencies, allowing collaborations to be established even if interaction at the symposium is not possible for technical reasons.

The Public Health Initiative now forms part of a well-established series of events and calls for proposals organised by the DFG together with its partner organisations in Zambia (National Science and Technology Council) and Mozambique (Fundo Nacional de Investigação). The partnership was initially established at the Zambia Science Conference in October 2016, after which a series of agricultural science workshops were held with the involvement of the three countries. Due to the great interest shown by researchers in cooperation, this in turn resulted in a joint call for proposals followed by co-financed bilateral and trilateral project funding.

The success of these events eventually led to research funding organisations in other countries in Southern Africa expressing an interest in joining further subject-specific initiatives. Researchers from Botswana and Malawi were also able to participate in a symposium on solar energy in Lusaka in November 2019. Since promising discussions and project ideas were initiated again at this event, a call for proposals was published in March 2020 to initiate international cooperation projects in the field of solar energy.