National ICT Research Capacity and Priorities for Cooperation - Republic of Namibia
National Priorities
National ICT Research Priorities include: Digital Content, Technology-enhanced Learning, eGovernment, eHealth, eAgriculture & Fisheries including Water; Entrepreneurship, Mining & Geosciences, Biotechnology, Logistics and Space Science.
Key areas for research cooperation include: Digital Libraries and digital preservation (Indigenous Knowledge), Technology Enhanced Learning; Digital Content; ICT for Environmental Sustainability (Services & Climate Change Adaptation) and Energy Efficiency.
National Research Capacity
The table below provides an overview of universities with ICT/Engineering Course
| Institution | Location | Total Students | ICT/Engineering Department(s) | ICT/Engineering Teaching Staff | Post-Graduate Programmes (Masters) |
| University of Namibia | Windhoek | 13,000 | Department of Computer Science | 13 | Masters of Science - Information Technology |
| Ongwediva | Engineering and Information Technology | 8 | - | ||
| Namibia University of Science and Technology | Windhoek | 1,100 | Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial
|
46 | Masters in Information Technology |
| International University of Management | Windhoek | 696 | Information Technology and Systems Management | 27 |
Research in Namibia is predominately carried out within the two main Higher Education Institutions:
University of Namibia
- Depts include: Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology - Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering; Faculty of Health Sciences; Faculty of Agriculture; Multidisciplinary Research Centre - Science, Technology, Innovation Division & Social Sciences Division
- Research areas include:
- Health - Research on malaria elimination, Epidemiology and active case detection of malaria in Engela district;
- Faculty of Science - Bio prospecting of Namibian ethno botanicals for anti-HIV activities, Application of biotechnology towards conservation of different Namibian endangered species, Application of semi martingales to finance;
- SANUMARC - Aerosol robotic network group, Scientific committee on Oceanic Research, Spaces programme;
- Domestication of marama beans, Mixed cropping or intercropping of drought adapted pearl millet, sorghum and other crops with the flood adapted rice crops (ogongo);
- Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources - Community Conservation Fisheries in KAZA Project (EU funded project), Impalila Tourism Fisheries Management of the Kasaya Channel, Sikunga Conservancy Tourism Fisheries Management (MCA funded projects), Development of a Fisheries Management Plan for the Okavango River (SAREP funded project), Improved Knowledge of Aquatic Knowledge Systems supporting Fisheries, Development of Integrated Strategies for Sustainable Fisheries and Improved Fisheries Management (SASSCAL funded project), Zoobenthes Survey in the Walvis Bay (Walvis Bay Municipality funded project
Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)
- Depts include: Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial
- ICT Research Groups include: 7 Clusters: Indigenous Knowledge Management Systems (IKMS), Dependable Advanced Network Systems (DANS), Marginalised Community Development (MCD) inlcuding Virtual and Augmented Reality systems for Museums (heritage) and Entertainment systems, Smart Communication Systems (SCS), Digital Forensic & Information Security (DFIS), E- Participation (EP), Business & Policy Analytics (BPA), Focus Areas include: Big Data, Indigenous Knowledge, SMart and Secure Environments, Digital Transformation
- Research areas include:
- School of Information Technology - Community-centred localisation; Mobile Futures Lab; Mobile Content and Applications for Entrepreneurship Development; Forensic Computing and Security Research Group; Health Informatics Research Cluster; Mobile Sensor Data Processing
- School of Engineering - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency; Water Resource Management; Manufacturing Systems; Mining Sustainability and Environmental Impact; Windhoek and its Environs-Architectural Perspective
- School of Health and Applied Sciences - Health and medical sciences research
- School of Natural Resources and Tourism - Development and application of spatial technologies and appropriate tools; Ecosystems services and biodiversity; Land, Agriculture and Water; Wildlife and Tourism
- School of Economics and Finance - Managing implication on the use of technology in higher learning institutions; Analysing the socio-economic impact of investing pensionable funds in economic development activities; A small macro-econometric model for Namibia
- School of Humanities - Exploring Agency for survival during a crisis; Bridging the gender gap: African feminism; Conflict management
- Centre for Cooperative Education - Human Resource Development (Pedagogy and e-portfolio development); National Strategy/Policy for Cooperative Education
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Institute - Low Cost National Wind Resource Assessment in Namibia; Investigating the Effectiveness of Introducing Energy Shops; Solar Power; Improvement of Regulations; Auditing and Energy Marketing Services; Green Rating Tools; Techno-socio-economic Survey of Energy Efficiency; Energy System Model for Namibia; Regulatory Framework for Renewable Energy Procurement Processes
International University of Management (IUM)
- Depts include: Faculty of Information Technology & Systems Development (ITSD), Software Development Department (SDD), Network & Security Department (NSD), Information Technology Department (ITD)
ICT-39 Priority Themes
Based on consultation with stakeholders and additional information collected during the IST-Africa Horizon 2020 Training Workshop in October 2016 the following thematic areas are considered to be important in the context of the ICT-39 Call:
| Thematic Areas | Topics | Partners |
| eHealth / mHealth | Health Information Systems/Electronic Health Records; Mobile Applications to support reproductive health; Mobile applications to educate youth on health issues | University of Namibia (School of Medicine); Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Health and Applied Science); Ministry of Health; International University of Management |
| eAgriculture | Mobile Applications for farmers - animal tracking, tips on livestock and crop production | University of Namibia (Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources); Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences), Ministry of Water, Agriculture & Forestry (Directorate of Research & Training) |
| Technology-enhanced Learning | Distance Learning and eLearning solutions; Mobile and game applications for mathematics learning | University of Namibia; Namibia University of Science and Technology; International University of Management |
| eGovernment | Public Service Delivery | University of Namibia; Namibia University of Science and Technology |
Mapping to H2020 Themes
The mapping to Horizon 2020 Research areas is summarised below
| Horizon 2020 Industrial Leadership | Institution, Relevant Dept and Research area |
| Future Internet | Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Information Technology): Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust, Immersive Interactive Multimedia and Connected Enterprise |
| Content Technologies & Information Management | Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Information Technology): Learning, Interaction, Digital Preservation, Content Access and Analytics; Big Data Technologies' Advanced Data Mining, Machine Learning; International University of Management: Technology-enhanced Learning |
| Robotics | University of Namibia (SANUMARC): Aerosol robotic network group |
| Components and Systems | Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Information Technology): Technologies for IoT, Smart Integrated Systems, |
| Key Enabling Technologies: Micro - Nano- electronics and Photonics | Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Information Technology): Design, Production Technologies and Demonstration Actions to Validate Technology Developments and Innovative Business Models |
| Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges | Institution, Relevant Dept and Research area |
| Health | University of Namibia (Faculty of Health Sciences): Malaria; Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Health and Applied Sciences): eHealth and mHealth; International University of Management (School of Health Science) |
| Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture | University of Namibia (Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources): Crops, Fisheries Management; Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Natural Resources and Tourism): Ecosystems services and biodiversity, Land, Agriculture, Water |
| Energy | University of Namibia (School of Engineering): Renewable Energy; Namibia University of Science and Technology (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Institute): Wind Resources, Solar Power, Green Rating Tools, Energy Efficiency |
| Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials | University of Namibia: Water Management; Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Engineering): Protection of Environment, Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, and Ecosystems |
| Inclusive, Innovative and Reflective Societies | Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Information Technology): Indigenous Knowledge in relation to Cultural Resources; University of Namibia: eGovernance |
| Secure Societies | Namibia University of Science and Technology (School of Information Technology): Cyber Security and privacy |
| Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy | Namibia University of Science and Technology: Smart cities; |
Level of Research Maturity
Namibia like Botswana is a middle-income country also trying to diversify its economy and attract foreign direct investment. Namibia is gradually increasing the focus on research and started to build an international track record in collaborative research through participation in 11 FP7 projects.
Up to September 2018, Namibian organisations have been involved in 7 Horizon 2020 projects with research funding in excess of €580,000 across a number of thematic areas:
- SOCIETY, H2020-INT-INCO-2014 - RINEA (National Commission for Research Science and Technology)
- H2020-MSCA-RISE-2014 - PARTY (MSCA-RISE) - Polytechnic of Namibia
- H2020-SC5-2015-one-stage - HiTech AlkCarb (RIA) Geo-Africa Prospecting Services Cc; A. Speiser-Environmental Consultants Cc
- H2020-ICT-2016-INT - IST-Africa 2016-2018 (CSA) - (National Commission for Research Science and Technology)
- H2020-INFRASUPP-2016-1 - SEACRIFOG (CSA) - Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management
- H2020-MSCA-ITN-2017 - ANTHUSIA (MSCA-ITN-EJD) - Legal Assistance Centre
- H2020-MSCA-ITN-2017 - POEM (MSCA-ITN-ETN) - Namibia University of Science and Technology
There is a commitment to strengthen the research capacity within the country, and especially in facilitating the continued development of post-graduate programmes and involvement in cross-border research.
- The University of Namibia and Namibia University of Science and Technology are the primary research institutions in Namibia. An Information Communications Technology (ICT) Centre of Excellence was established at the University of Namibia in 2011 by Telecom Namibia. The centre is expected to boost ICT research and development in the country and to narrow the gap between academia and industry in Namibia's Telecommunications, Information and Technology sector.
- Namibia has launched a number of Joint Calls for Research focused on a number of themes including ICT with South Africa under their bilateral Science Technology and Innovation Agreement since 2011.
