Session dedicated to the AU-EU Innovation Agenda highlighted at the 6th African Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation

The session "Partnerships in Action: Bridging the funding gaps to deliver on the AU-EU Innovation Agenda" is part of the program of the 6th African Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum (ARSTIF), promoted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which will focus on access to funding for young innovators, with the participation of international and regional funding institutes.

This session will take place in a hybrid format, in Addis Ababa and online, next Monday, April 22, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (WEST), allowing for reflection on strategies to mobilize resources effectively, meeting the objectives set out in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, with a special focus on addressing financing gaps.

The AU-EU Innovation Agenda represents the new political pillar of cooperation in R&I between Africa and Europe, based on close collaboration over the last three years under the auspices of the EU-AU High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology, and Innovation (HLPD-STI), one of the science policy dialogues in which FCT ensures Portuguese representation.

Nine months after the adoption of this Agenda, the main objectives of this session are (i) to provide a platform for stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue and exchange views on addressing financing gaps in the context of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda; (ii) to identify good practices and innovative approaches to mobilize resources, support innovators, and maximize the impact of financing initiatives; (iii) to promote collaboration between institutions, innovators, and funding entities to increase the effectiveness of efforts to achieve the objectives of the Innovation Agenda; and (iv) to generate recommendations and insights to inform policy development and decision-making processes, both regionally and internationally, by boosting AU-EU cooperation on research and innovation.

The session will feature high-level representatives from the EU and the AU, including the Co-Chair of the EU Delegation to the African Union, Laurent Bochereau, and AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mohammed Belhocine, as well as the team leader of the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC), Angela Sarcina, the director for Multilateral Cooperation in Africa at the Department of Science and Innovation, Republic of South Africa, Mandry Ntshani, the Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation at the National Council for Scientific Research and Technology of Algeria, Mokhtar Sellami, and the Co-Chair of the AU Development Agency, Lukovi Seke.

Registration for ARSTIF, including the session "Partnerships in Action: Bridging the financing gaps to deliver the AU-EU Innovation Agenda," is open at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_85uz2SfSTwe9qY3ZcBBlAQ#/registration