DAAD AvH Alumni Conference, Cape Town 13-15 April

From 13 to 15 April an Alumni Meeting of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) in partnership with the University of Cape Town will be held in Cape Town under the title "Change by Exchange: Higher Education and Research Transformation in South Africa and Germany".
Around 130 DAAD and Humboldt alumni as well as partners from BMBF cooperation projects in South Africa and Alumni of the Goethe-Institut will be present at the opening event of the Alumni meeting in the UCT Smuts Dining Hall on Friday, 13 April.

During the conference, the DAAD and the Humboldt Foundation will highlight the contribution of their programmes to societal transformation processes and the role of universities and research institutions therein. Emphasis will be placed on the sustainable alumni work and on institutional partnerships. The exchange of experiences in the transformation of the university and research systems in both countries in the last two decades will continue on Saturday during five workshops. Optional excursions on Sunday, among them to the District Six Museum and the Cape Town Science Centre will add to the reflection on changing societies.

The President of the DAAD and of the German Rectors' Conference Prof. Margret Wintermantel and the President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Prof. Helmut Schwarz will join the conference on Saturday. Highlight of the programme will be a plenary discussion about higher education and research co-operation including the German Federal Minister of Education and Research Prof. Annette Schavan and the South African Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor on Sunday.

In the presence of the participants of the DAAD AvH Alumni Meeting, the two Ministers will open the German-South African Year of Science 2012/13 on Monday, 16th April.

For more information, please click on the official press release and the final programme of the Alumni Meeting.

German South African Year of Science 2012/13

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung - BMBF) and the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) are paying tribute to many years of successful scientific and technological collaboration with the joint Year of Science. Germany has a lot to offer in the area of technology and applied sciences. The country at the "Cape of Good Hope" is, in turn, unique as a research location. Be it for water, climate, energy, biodiversity or health – the issues that people are working on around the world are concentrated in South Africa.

The German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013 aims to expand the research cooperation between Germany and South Africa and pave the way for sustainable innovations. It is designed to stimulate international collaboration between young researchers in particular. Under the motto "Strengthening Research Partnerships for Innovation and Sustainable Development", the Year of Science will highlight, though not exclusively, the following themes:

• Climate change (including sustainable resource management – as natural resources, water, agriculture – biodiversity, renewable energy, green energy, marine and polar research)
• Human capital development (vocational training, science education, women in science)
• Bioeconomy (including biotechnology, food security)
• Urbanisation/ megacities (infrastructure, energy, water supply, telecommunications)
• Astronomy
• Health innovation
• Social sciences and humanities

In addition to the scientific community, it is geared toward political decision-makers and companies, students, educational facilities and people in the general public with an interest in science. Within the framework of an ideas competition, the BMBF and DST are funding promising initiatives and activities.

A joint website in German (www.deutsch-suedafrikanisches-wissenschaftsjahr.de) and English (www.germansouthafrican-scienceyear.co.za) will present the highlighted issues along with event dates and news starting 13 April. Anyone interested is invited to actively take part by publishing their event in the official calendar of the Year of Science and joining the German-South African Science Network.