Africa–Europe: Investing in a Shared Scientific Future
Africa–Europe scientific cooperation holds the potential to strengthen research, advance innovation and address shared challenges. This programme brings together perspectives from science, policy, industry and finance to explore how partnerships grounded in African priorities can strengthen research and turn scientific discovery into lasting societal and economic benefits. From AI and shared research infrastructure to resilient health, food and water systems and innovation hotspots, discussions will examine how investment in people, institutions and enterprises can advance reciprocal cooperation and create lasting value locally.
Programme
10:00–10:30 | Africa–Europe: Investing in a Shared Scientific Future
Strengthening Africa–Europe scientific cooperation requires shared ambition, sustained investment and partnerships grounded in African priorities. This opening programme will explore how science diplomacy and long-term institutional partnerships can strengthen scientific capability and innovation, drawing also on lessons from African–US collaboration. It will consider the conditions needed to build trust and deliver lasting societal and economic benefits, with a focus on African leadership, reciprocal cooperation and locally retained value.
Moderator: Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam
Speakers: Lise Korsten, Immediate Past President, African Academy of Sciences; Amy Jamison, Co-Director, Alliance for African Partnership, Michigan State University
10:30–11:05 | Governing the Future: AI, Data and Foresight
Emerging technologies create opportunities whose benefits depend on decisions about infrastructure, standards, ownership and access. This session will explore how anticipatory governance can guide investment in AI, computing and trusted data systems. It will consider how open scientific collaboration can support African data sovereignty, responsible innovation and stronger participation in shaping technological futures.
Moderator: Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam
Speakers: Brando Okolo, Head and Senior Adviser for Science, Technology and Innovation, African Union Development Agency–NEPAD; Henry Danwawo Lamba, CEO, Schrödinger Technologie Ltd; Barend Mons, Founding Director, LIFES Institute; Dieter Kranzlmüller, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Leibniz Supercomputing Centre
11:05–11:40 | Shared Research Infrastructure, Talent and Mobility
Shared laboratories and major scientific facilities require sustained investment in operations, maintenance, technical skills and access. This session will connect physical infrastructure with researcher mobility and diaspora collaboration, treating the movement of expertise as part of research capacity. It will explore how scientific facilities can also support local suppliers, engineering capability and industrial development.
Moderator: Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam
Speakers: Youssef Moulane, Research Scientist in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University; Sibongile Muthwa, Vice-Chancellor, Nelson Mandela University; Andreas Kaufer, European Southern Observatory
11:40–12:15 | Investing in Resilience: One Health, Food and Water
Human, animal, plant and environmental health are closely connected, requiring scientific responses across sector boundaries. This session will examine investment opportunities in diagnostics, surveillance, biotechnology, water management and climate-resilient food production. It will consider how shared research capability and locally developed technologies can improve resilience while protecting affordability, ecosystems and public health.
Moderator: Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam
Speakers: Valerie Makoge, Senior Research Officer, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies; Lise Korsten, Immediate Past President, African Academy of Sciences; Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Jörg Steiner, Regents Professor and University Distinguished Professor, Texas A&M University
12:15–13:00 | Innovation Hotspots: Science, Enterprise and Capital
Innovation hotspots bring together universities, research organisations, entrepreneurs, industry, investors and public institutions. This session will examine how these connections can turn scientific capability into viable enterprises and locally anchored industries. It will consider innovation mapping, technology transfer, patient capital, procurement and regional market access as tools for identifying and developing investment opportunities.
Moderator: Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam
Speakers: Wesley Rosslyn-Smith, Director of the Centre for the Future of Work, University of Pretoria; Edem Adzogenu, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, AfroChampions; Bugge Holm Hansen, Director of Tech Futures & Innovation, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Closing synthesis: Lise Korsten, Immediate Past President, African Academy of Sciences; Erika Kraemer-Mbula, Professor of Economics, University of Johannesburg
