Strengthening research cooperation between Africa and Europe – A guide to collaborative action for science and policy

The Scientific Coordination Office Bavaria-Africa has produced a guidance paper for research collaborations between Africa and Europe.

The Scientific Coordination Office Bavaria-Africa has produced a guidance paper for research collaborations between Africa and Europe. The guide summarises the discussions at the ‘Cooperation Lounge Africa-Europe: Science meets Politics’, which took place on 10 and 11 December 2024 at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union in Brussels. It offers recommendations for researchers, policymakers and funding organisations to improve the conditions for cooperation between Africa and Europe and to strengthen research and innovation of global significance.

Science policy for collaborations between Africa and Europe

More than 130 participants from various fields of research and politics emphasised the need for close collaboration between Africa and Europe to tackle global challenges, such as climate change, jointly. 

They highlighted the following key requirements for research collaborations between Africa and Europe: 

• Co-creation and shared leadership responsibility between African and European partners in research and innovation projects;
• Integration of inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives;
• Legal, political, and financial frameworks that support collaborations;
• Funding regulations that consider the local conditions for financing and accounting modalities of projects;
• Better administrative support and reduced bureaucracy for projects;
• extended deadlines for the submission and implementation of cooperation projects;
• a personal and structural paradigm shift to achieve more sustainable and equitable cooperation.

The guidance paper outlines specific suggestions on how institutions and individuals in Europe and Africa can take action to strengthen project development, calls for proposals, project management and a more sustainable and equitable cooperation.

We would like to thank all participants in the event who contributed their experiences to the creation of this document, which can serve as a basis for further steps to strengthen cooperation between Africa, Europe, and Bavaria.

Dowload the guidance paper.