South Africa

Political framework for scientific and technological cooperation

The partnership has developed very positively since the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in research and technology was signed in 1996. Cooperation includes a wide range of different research subjects. They are chosen at the binational commission meetings, which take place annually or every two years.

The Scientific and Technological Cooperation (STC) between Germany and South Africa is based on the intergovernmental agreement concluded on 12/06/1996 between the BMBF and the DST on collaboration in the fields of science, research and technology. The STC agreement governs the creation of a joint committee (Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee) and promotes collaboration in, among other things, carrying out joint research projects, use of scientific and technical institutions, exchange of information, joint events, and exchange and secondment of specialists. At the last Joint Committee meeting in June 2008 in Bonn it was agreed that Joint Committee meetings would be held annually (rather than every two years as previously). The next meeting is planned for summer/autumn 2011 in Germany. The findings of the Joint Committee form the political framework for collaboration between Germany and South Africa. 

Key areas of cooperation

In its specialist programmes, the BMBF mainly supports projects in fields related to sustainability, such as water, climate and the environment, energy and biodiversity. However, Antarctic and marine research are also important areas of cooperation. In addition to sustainability issues, the scientific and technological cooperation (STC) also focuses on technological developments in fields such as nanotechnology and biotechnology.

In addition, there are numerous bilateral collaborations and projects between universities, universities of applied sciences and non-university research institutions. In total, there are almost 100 collaborations between German and South African institutions of higher education. Several German research institutions, including the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG), are active in the field of applied research.

Joint study courses offered by South African and German universities receive administrative and financial backing from the National Research Foundation (NRF), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and third parties.

Highlights of bilateral cooperation

2010
Visit by His Excellency Minister Dr. Blade B. Nzimande of the Department of Higher Education from 8–9 March 2010 to Berlin to attend the round table discussion on the topic of ‘Skills Development and the Dual System: Possible Ways of Cooperation’, on which occasion he also dined with Minister Schavan of Germany. In the context of these discussions, Minister Nzimande expressed an interest in cooperating with BMBF in the area of vocational training. Reciprocal visits by representatives of BMBF were made to the Department of Higher Education in April and October 2010 for the purpose of exploring the possibilities for future cooperation.

On the occasion of the TWAS conference in October 2009 and at the request of the Namibian Ministry of Education, the Academy of Science for South Africa (ASSAf) and Leopoldina, the German National Academy of Sciences, announced that they would provide support to Namibia in establishing an Academy of Sciences and would jointly carry out activities during 2010 in pursuit of this goal.

Support for a film project
The global importance of biological soil crusts in various climate zones and the knowledge gained by studying them in Australia, Greenland, South Africa, Switzerland and Germany has been turned into the subject of a popular science film. This film (running time 52 minutes) was produced in cooperation with broadcasters ARTE and Hessischer Rundfunk and aired in spring 2011 (see ' the vulnerable skin of Planet Earth').

2009
The Third World Academy of Sciences' (TWAS) 20. General Meeting was held in Durban during October 20th - 23rd. The Meeting was financed by the South African Ministry of Research and the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). This was to signal the importance of the academies as independent counseling institutions for national governments and the German BMBF's interest in institutional co-operation with developing countries.

On October 26th and 27th, the second conference in the Dialogue for Sustainability framework took place. The conference's title and central focus was "Innovation for Sustainability in a Changing World"

Furthermore, the conference "Historical Memory" during October 29th - 31st adds the humanities to the portfolio of fields of cooperation between South Africa and Germany.

2008
In early February, Federal Minister Annette Schavan paid a visit to South Africa and Namibia with a high-ranking delegation of representatives from science and industry, including Prof. Matthias Kleiner, the President of the German Research Association, and Prof. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, the President of the Fraunhofer Society.

The six-day visit had the aim of strengthening cooperation between Germany and South Africa. The Minister visited the universities of Capetown, Stellenbosch and Johannesburg as well as various renowned research centres. She also met with high-ranking representatives of German and South African companies. In addition, Minister Schavan and her South African counterpart Mosibudi Mangena signed an agreement on cooperation in sustainability research. Annette Schavan also welcomed the German research vessel Polarstern (of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Reserch in the Helmholtz Association), which had just returned to Capetown after an Antarctic expedition.

2007
The successful presentation of the Max Planck Society’s Science Tunnel in Johannesburg from 18 May to 29 July 2007 was a highlight of German-South African cooperation in this year. In addition to the BMBF and the Department of Science and Technology, the project also received financial support from German and South African companies. The opening ceremony was attended by Minister Mosibudi Mangena, the then German Ambassador Harro Adt, and the guest of honour Prof. Theodor Hänsch, who had received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005. A further highlight was the South African research minister’s visit to Germany in August 2007, which included a meeting with Federal Minister Annette Schavan in Berlin.

2006
Germany took part in the International Science Innovation and Technology Exhibition (INSITE) in 2006, as it had already done in 2004. The German pavilion and the accompanying programme were organized in a joint effort by the DAAD and the BMBF.

Funding the cooperation with South Africa

The bilateral Scientific and Technological Cooperation with South Africa has developed continuously since 1996 (without calls for proposals). Funding is provided jointly with the NRF (National Research Foundation). Since 2009, German and South African partners can only apply to the IB or the NRF in response to a call for proposals, which is published once a year.

In many cases, these initiation measures have developed into large-scale projects such as BIOTA (biodiversity and sustainability), INKABA ye Africa (geology), IWRM projects (Integrated Water Resources Management), Megacities, and marine research projects.