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HSRC Annual Report 2016/17
Exploring European partners and funding opportunities at the European Development
Days (EDD) Conference in Belgium: June 2016
The CEO, DCEO: Research, and Director: Business Development and International Liaison met with Daan du Toit, Deputy
Director-General: International Cooperation and Resources and his team to discuss the following:
•
EU funding opportunities for the HSRC and in particular Horizon 2020;
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Support that the DST can provide for some of these funding opportunities;
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Potential links with European partners;
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Science Forum South Africa, 6–7 December; and
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Key upcoming events for potential collaboration (DST and HSRC).
HSRC Executives’meeting with European embassies – Pretoria: 16–17 August
Meetings were held with the Austrian, Belgian, German and Norwegian embassies, following the dinner hosted by the
Swiss Ambassador, Mrs Helene Artieda Budliger, reported previously. These meetings addressed the research priorities
identified by research programmes and matched with the relevant countries.
SA Science and Innovation Ecosystem: 25 October 2016
In response to a request by the Ambassador of Switzerland, Mrs Helene Artieda Budliger, the HSRC, together with
the University of Pretoria and the NRF, co-hosted a special event aimed at creating a deeper common understanding
amongst a broad sector of the science and innovation ecosystem community.
The event took form in a highly interactive“World Café”, which created dialogue between numerous senior level leaders
and executives across multiple sectors, including the private sector (frommultinational through to start-up), government,
academia, science councils and civil society. The World Café provided a platform for open, forthright engagement to
identify specific viewpoints and recommendations for the enhancement of a collaborative, innovative science ecosystem.
Science Forum South Africa: October 2016
The HSRC was invited, together with all other related entities, to serve on a steering committee established by the
DST’s International Co-operation and Resources Department, to assist in the planning of the upcoming science forum.
Co-hosting MOST School with UNESCO: 14–17 February 2017
The HSRC and UNESCO signed a partnership agreement in 2016, with one of the outcomes being the hosting of a
Management of Social Transformation (MOST) School. Close to 50 participants, among them government officials,
representatives of civil society organisations and community-based organisations, academics and researchers attended
the school on Sustainability Science in Cape Town, South Africa.
The school aims to build partnerships between policymakers, civil society and academics, and provide a space for
exchange between all actors involved in social transformation and environmental protection.
Exploratory visit to Europe: 27–31 March 2017
The HSRC undertook an exploratory visit to Europe to position and promote the Council and seek potential collaboration
and partnerships. The delegation visited Switzerland, Germany and Belgium to build on and consolidate relations with the
embassies of these counties based in South Africa and to gain ongoing support for the social sciences and humanities.
Anticipated outcomes included new opportunities for staff exchanges, the sharing of technical expertise, as well as
possible joint projects and funding opportunities within the context of the HSRC’s focus on poverty and inequality.
PART C: Governance