Ti års akademisk samarbeid

Dear Minister Mangena, Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is indeed a great pleasure, and honour for me, to open this conference on the occasion of the Oslo celebrations, that marks 10 years of academic cooperation between South-Africa and Norway. The program indicates that we will both be taking stock of existing cooperation and its background, as well as reflecting on how to take our cooperation further. I have noted with particular interest that the leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Professor Ole Mjøs, will give us an overview of the historical foundation of the relations between our countries.

At first sight, one might think that Norway and South-Africa are not the most natural partners in research, or any type of cooperation, being geographically located at opposite ends of the world map, with differences in geography, climate, resources and political landscape. On the other hand, there are similarities: Both countries are blessed with natural resources that help us prosper. South Africa has some of the world’s largest gold, diamond and platinum mines; Norway’s wealth is to a large extent based on petroleum, gas and fisheries. Our two countries, moreover, are gateways to the two Polar Regions.

Norway has a long tradition for academic cooperation with South-Africa. We supported students and university based organisations in their struggle against apartheid. In the early 1990s, Norwegian universities were invited to visit several South-African universities with the aim of laying the foundation for future cooperation in a post-apartheid South-Africa. In this way, the cooperation became more based on institutions, with instruments such as the NUFU-programme for development, education and research.

As for myself I come from the University of Tromsø, in the north, close to 70o – and even so I can tell you that the interest for contact and cooperation with your great nation was quite comprehensive in Norway at that time – and still is! In fact, in the early 90-ties I was a member of the NUFU-committee and we all looked eagerly to the opportunity to cooperate. I visited Cape Town and UWC/Faculty of Economics in 1994, to start up a cooperation programme between those two universities.

Today, the research cooperation between our countries is based on two platforms. The first is a bilateral agreement on scientific and technological cooperation that was signed by the Science Ministers from the two countries in 2002. Secondly, research is an important part of the broader development cooperation between our two countries. A business plan for research cooperation was signed in 2001, with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway and the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education in South-Africa. We are now in the second phase of the programme, which is set to expire in 2010. I think it is appropriate to give my compliments to these Ministries for being so forward looking that they invested in research cooperation. More than 15 % of the development aid from Norway to South-Africa goes to education and research.

This research programme is based on an equal basis platform, with joint applications from researchers from both countries, judged by their scientific quality by peer review. The goal is to develop long-term and sustainable research-cooperation based on equal partnership. In addition to producing research results, the programme shall contribute to capacity and competence building and racial and gender equality.

Norway and South-Africa were perhaps unlike partners, but they were brought together by a long tradition of cooperation and solidarity. The funding made available through the Norwegian budget for development cooperation also made a big difference. We can also say that in this case, the partnership has worked as it is supposed to work: What started as partnership based on solidarity and traditions, soon became a partnership based on cooperation and solid academic projects and led to strong and long-term relationships. This is indeed something to be proud of.

During the first phase of the research programme, which ended in 2005, 120 applications for funding were received, within eight thematic areas including health, HIV/AIDS, ICT, environment, energy and education. An external review in 2005 gave excellent rating to the programme, and it was decided to extend the programme into a second period, from 2006 - 2010.

The research cooperation under this programme has resulted in considerable scientific outputs. More than 30 books and 130 scientific articles in refereed journals have been produced during the first phase of the programme. Old partnerships have been strengthened and new ones created despite geographical distances. One example here is a programme cooperation in medicine between the northernmost university in Europe, the University of Tromsø, and the southernmost university in Africa, the University of Cape Town. Professor Mjøs, incidentally, has played an active role in this particular cooperation as a participating researcher.

36 universities and research institutes have benefited from the programme, 21 in Norway and 15 in South Africa. Many graduate students in both countries have benefited from exchange visits under the different projects to enhance their research training, the majority representing traditionally disadvantaged groups.

This morning, there was a meeting between civil servants from the two countries in the Ministry of Education and Research regarding our future cooperation, and possible priority areas. The deliberations during this conference will be an important input to our further discussions. In any case, our existing collaboration is a very good, and a natural point of departure for discussing our plans for the future.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The research cooperation between our countries reflects that research is international in its nature. Researchers have always been seeking the best and most relevant partners for their projects. Research plays an increasingly important role for technological progress and prosperity of modern societies. Consequently, international research cooperation has become more institutionalised and organised, and subject to national and regional strategies.

In Norway, there is a general political consensus on the importance of our participation in international research cooperation. Such cooperation ensures quality and relevance of Norwegian research, enables our scientists, research institutions and industry to take advantage of knowledge and technology from abroad, and makes it possible to share risks and costs. Not least, international cooperation helps us address and find better solutions to global issues while sharing knowledge more efficiently. Our society is now clearly confronted with challenges that no single country, industrial sector or scientific discipline can tackle alone. Increasing energy requirements and climate change are two such challenges.

To face the challenges confronting modern societies, both South-Africa and Norway have ambitious research goals, aiming to increase investments in research, focusing on the quality of research and on research based innovation. International research cooperation is indeed a part of this strategy. Mr, Mangena, I must say that I am impressed by the many steps your country has taken in order to face the challenges of Globalisation and the knowledge economy. The reform of your science and innovation system, by establishing one research council in 1999, and the new Department for Science and Technology in 2002 are but two examples. It also looks like you will be reaching your target of investing 1 per cent of your GDP in research by 2008.

Given South Africa’s research strength in many fields, Norway can benefit from knowledge generated in your country. One example is health and medicine. Due to increased travel and population movements, we are facing the challenge of dealing with tropical diseases that were largely non-existent in our country. Through our cooperation we are able to benefit from your experience in this field. Similarly, your researchers are in the forefront when it comes to HIV/AIDS research, and we share your objective to find solutions for this global problem that affects us all.

Another important element in international research cooperation is cooperation on the regional level. I noted with interest that the heads of state of the African Union made a solemn undertaking to put science and technology to the service of development, and pledged each country to devote 1 per cent of its GDP to supporting science and research by 2010. I understand that South-Africa backs this strategy wholeheartedly, and is also a motor for regional cooperation in science, technology and innovation, both South-South and North-South within the African continent.

Norway also puts great emphasis on regional cooperation, and has participated in the EU’s Framework Programmes for Research for more than twenty years, and became an associated country to the programmes through the EEA-agreement in 1994. Norway is fully committed to making the most of the European research efforts, and to contribute to capacity building in less advantaged regions, both in Europe and in the rest of the world. And we are very well aware of, and impressed by South Africa’s role and obligations in order to strengthen development in the entire South-African region.

The fact that South Africa and the European Union enjoy a privileged partnership marked by longstanding political, economic and development cooperation ties, is also a good basis for our bilateral cooperation. The opportunity for South African researchers to participate fully in the EU’s Framework Programmes for Research allows them to cooperate with researchers from Norway. The statistics from the sixth framework programme show that Norwegian and South-African researchers participated together in 22 projects, mostly within the thematic areas "environment", "food quality", "ICT" and "international cooperation". As mentioned, the goal of our current bilateral cooperation is to build lasting partnerships that can receive funding from ordinary national and international sources. Our participation in the EU’s framework programme is a sign of quality and relevance of our research and our cooperation. Both South-Africa and Norway have ambitions to be an active participant in the seventh framework programme. I think we should work towards high common participation as well.

The International Polar Year is another platform where we join forces on the international arena. Our countries are both gateways to the poles. Therefore, the IPY is an important arena for bilateral cooperation. I am glad to see that South-Africa is also taking an active part in the IPY, and that we are involved in several common projects. This will be a fruitful platform for continued cooperation on polar relevant issues. The Norwegian Polar Research Institute is situated in my hometown so I have heard a lot about IPY!

As part of celebration of ten years of successful academic cooperation, former Minister Øystein Djupedal announced during Minister Pandoor’s visit to Oslo in August, the establishment of four research grants in order to focus on questions related to gender and education. The grants, each 100 000 kroner, will go to two South-Africans and two Norwegians who want to visit the other country in order to learn, research, network and write about a topic related to gender and education.

The name of the winners will soon be announced!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sometimes it is valuable, and important, to look back and take stock of where we are, in order to see where we want to go. Therefore, this seminar is an important event in order to give input to our future academic cooperation. The Oslo Celebrations has also been a fantastic cultural event, that started this summer with the wonderful Princess Magogo opera. This seminar marks the end of these celebrations. I wish you all good luck with the seminar, and the final celebrations.

Dr Magena and dear guests!

Thank you for the attention!