The ATPS is a trans-disciplinary network of researchers, policymakers, private sector actors and the civil society that promote the generation, dissemination, use and mastery of STI for African development, environmental sustainability and global inclusion.
The ATPS Phase VIII Strategic Plan for 2017-2022 has identified four strategic priority areas of focus during the period. These are: agriculture, food and nutrition; energy; climate change and environment; and health.
The ATPS network functions through National Chapters in 30 countries (27 African and 3 Diaspora chapters). The National Chapters operate under National Coordinators who provide intellectual and administrative leadership at country level.
Project Duration: 2017-2019
Grantor: Department for International Development (DFID), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and National Research Foundation (NRF).
Contacts: Dr. Nicholas Ozor, Executive Director, ATPS
Email: executivedirector@atpsnet.org
Project Director: Dr. Nicholas Ozor
Project Manager: Ernest Acheampong
Project Value: US$ 702,856
Project Description/ Background
The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) in Sub-Saharan Africa seeks to strengthen capacities of Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in Eastern, Southern, Central and West Africa in order to support research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to economic and social development. It is jointly funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF). The objectives (themes) of the SGCI are to strengthen the ability to participate SGCs to: i) manage research; ii) design and monitor research programmes, and to formulate and implement policies based on the use of robust science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators; iii) support knowledge exchange with the private sector; and iv) establish partnerships with other science system actors. Implementation of these objectives (themes) will be achieved through a number of modalities including customized regional training courses, individualized on-site training sessions, on-line training, webinars, and collaborative research. The SGCI works with Councils in Eastern Africa; West Africa and Southern Africa (see Box 1).
The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) and the Scinnovent Centre, have the mandate to implement the theme/objective IV of the SGCI – to establish partnerships with other science system actors. In this project, the ATPS in collaboration with Scinnovent Centre will organize and facilitate platforms for partnerships and networking through an Annual Regional Meeting (ARM) and Annual learning Forums (AFs) to enable collaboration and coordination among participating Councils, and with other science system actors. The ARM will be co-organized with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and will seek to feed into and support on-going regional STI initiatives being implemented by the regional STI organizations such as the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) in East African Community (EAC) and similar organizations in the other RECs. Similarly, the AFs will be co-organized with the African Union Commission/ New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUC/NEPAD) and designed to feed into continental level initiatives such as Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA 2024). Through a mix of innovative tools and approaches/ methods, the project will promote active participation, promote knowledge and information sharing and learning, disseminate best practices, and contribute to new knowledge as a global public good.
Key Objectives and Activities
The overall objective of this project is to build partnerships and networks among Science Granting Councils and other science system actors in order to achieve increasingly coordinated and networked Councils in SSA. The specific objectives are to:
The activities include:
Expected Outputs and Outcomes
The expected outputs include:
The expected outcomes include:
Project Reports and Outputs
Summary report from the 2017 SGCI Annual Forum, Livingstone_Zambia
Commissioned Research Grant and Terms of Reference
Summary Report_SGCI 2018 Annual_Forum and MEL Workshop
Summary Report from ARM in Ghana July 2018 26092018
New Approaches for Funding Research and Innovation in Africa (English Version)
New Approaches for Funding Research and Innovation in Africa (French Version)