MoEST hosted IST-Africa H2020 Workshop focused on ICT-39 in Nairobi, 14 November
18 November 2014
IST-Africa organised a series of Horizon 2020 Workshops in Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi during November 2014, specifically focused on raising awareness of opportunities under the ICT-39 Call "International partnership building in low and middle-income countries" with a deadline of 14 April 2015.
Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) as the IST-Africa partner in Kenya organised the IST-Africa Horizon 2020 Workshop in Kenya on 14 November 2014. All relevant stakeholders were invited to participate to raise awareness of the opportunity for research cooperation at international level.
The workshop was well attended with 40 participants from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology; Egerton University; Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology; Kabarak University; KENET; Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI); Kenya Methodist University; Ministry of Education Science and Technology; Moi University; Mount Kenya University; National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI); Strathmore University; Technical University of Kenya; United States International University and University of Nairobi.
Each organisation presented their current research capacity and areas of most interest for International Cooperation. This was a very interesting exercise at national level as the participants learnt more about research that is ongoing in both different institutions and other departments within the same institution. As a result the participants identified clusters of activity around specific themes where there could be more collaboration.
Areas of thematic interest identified include Agribusiness, eAgriculture, Business Process Outsourcing, Cyber Security, Digital Repositories, Disaster Management, eInfrastructure, Entrepreneurship, eHealth / mHealth (Health Information Systems, Image recognition, bioinformatics, health diagnosis, early warning systems for malaria, diagnosis of TB, research on traditional medicines, platform for screening and managing non-communicable diseases), Mobile Computing, Sensors and Technology-enhanced Learning.
Dr Eric Mwangi, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology as Master of Ceremonies, welcomed Paul Cunningham & Miriam Cunningham, IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd, Ireland / IST-Africa Initiative; Dr. John Ayisi, Ministry of Education Science and Technology; representatives from Kenyans Higher Education Institutions and research centres, distinguished guests and participants to the IST-Africa Horizon 2020 Workshop
The Opening Remarks from Prof. Collette Suda, Principal Secretary was read by Dr. John Ayisi. Dr Ayisi highlighted the importance of Science, Technology and Innovation to support innovation, creativity and competitiveness throughout the economy; deliver cutting edge science in all scientific and technological areas; to support efficiency in the public sector and modernisation in education and energy; and to address societal challenges and support quality of life and an aging society. It is clear from recent developments that there is an ongoing requirement for policy dialogue and for international partnerships. The previous IST-Africa Horizon 2020 workshop in Kenya in January 2014 trained over 150 Kenyan researchers. On behalf of Prof. Suda, Dr Ayisi thanked the IST-Africa coordinators for supporting the Ministry in delivering this training workshop, which is focused primarily on ICT-39 Call - engagement with Africa. MoEST hopes that through this event Kenyan researchers will fully participate in projects submitted to ICT-39, which closes in April 2015. In his closing remarks, Dr. Ayisi highlighted that we live in competitiveness society, Kenyan researchers need to take this opportunity seriously and come to the fore front.
Paul Cunningham (IIMC/IST-Africa) provided an overview of the IST-Africa Initiative and the significant resources that are available to support research cooperation. Paul highlighted that Kenya had secured over €12.3 million euro in research funding through participation in 68 projects under FP7 and cooperated with more than 400 European and Associated Country organisations. This provides an important baseline for cooperation under Horizon 2020.
Dr Eric Mwangi (MoEST) provided a comprehensive overview of Horizon 2020 and the main differences between FP7 and H2020.
Paul Cunningham presented the ICT-39 call followed by interactive brainstorming and group work. Following an interactive discussion it was considered to be important to that capacity building is included as a component and sustainability is considered. Important research priority areas identified in the context of ICT-39 for Kenya include eHealth / mHealth, eAgriculture, Technology-enhanced Learning, ICT for Transport and Energy. The participants found this discussion very interesting as a way identify key stakeholders that should be consulted, how to address end-user engagement and build an implementation team for inclusion within a wider consortia for International cooperation.
Jacob Njagih (MoEST) presented the participation rules and instruments under H2020 to provide a clear framework. Miriam Cunningham (IIMC/ IST-Africa) presented the steps to consider when preparing a proposal and associated budget. Miriam also outlined the evaluation process and basic IPR rules.
The participants found the workshop to be very stimulating. They learn a lot about what research each institution is undertaking as well as learning about H2020 and specifically ICT-39. The brainstorming and group work outlined a path to follow when preparing concepts for proposals.
Dr Eric Mwangi closed the workshop thanking the participants for their active participation and thanked IIMC for preparing the materials and supporting the Ministry to deliver the workshop. MoEST looks forward to supporting the community in the coming weeks and months in relation to proposal preparation.
Click here to download the full workshop report.
ICT-39 Focus
Scope: The aim is to launch a set of targeted collaborative research projects addressing the requirements of end-user communities in developing countries. Specific technological targets could include for example co-design, adaptation, demonstration and validation (e.g. pilots) of ICT related research and innovation in relevant thematic areas addressed by Horizon 2020 including Content Technologies and Societal Challenges.
Activities under this objective should be led by a clearly defined user need/market opportunity for the technology being adapted; they should in particular include requirements of developing countries, and where possible, have the potential for wider impact by involving a number of countries from the same region. Proposals should be submitted by a complementary partnership with a particular focus on the participation of relevant developing country innovation stakeholders and end-user community representatives (e.g. relevant public, private, education and research, and societal sector organisations, Innovation Spaces and Living Labs).
Expected impact
- Development of relevant technology responding to specific needs and conditions of the target country.
- Reinforced international dimension of the ICT and Innovation aspects of Horizon 2020 and a higher level of international cooperation with low and middle income countries in ICT R&D and Innovation, focusing on areas that are beneficial to the target countries/region.
