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E-INFRASTRUCTURES FOR AFRICA: GATEWAYS TO THE FUTURE Conference
When and where
Date and time
Location
Hotel Bloom Rue Royale 250 1210 Brussels Belgium
Map and directions
How to get there
Description
The “e-Infrastructures for Africa: Gateways to the Future” Conference is jointly organised by the eI4Africa and iMENTORS EU/FP7 projects (both projects addressing Africa-EU cooperation in the field of e-Infrastructures). The event will be held under the aegis of the European Commission (DG CONNECT) and the African Union Commission.
CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
The conference will aim at discussing major developments and perspectives in the field of Africa-EU e-Infrastructure cooperation and at presenting the two projects’ main outcomes:
- The first ever Africa Grid Science Gateway
- Several African e-Infrastructure flagship demonstrators, including the Pharmacology Science Gateway, the TRODAN Data Repository, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, the Community Health Portal, and the Technology Transfer Alliance Science Gateway
- The results of the two surveys launched to examine the state-of-the-art of e-Infrastructure applications in Africa, as well as to assess their economic societal and environmental impacts
- The main outcomes of the four thematic workshops held in Africa over 2013-2014
- The launched program to deploy Certification Authorities across Africa
- The launch of the most comprehensive crowdsourcing data map providing insights into international cooperation and ICT investments in Africa for scientists, universities, research and education networks, and international donors
- The development of a decision-support system based on multiple stakeholders’ evaluations and impact assessments for on-going international aid projects and e-infrastructures
- A set of contextual factors which enable the assessment of ICT4D proposals ahead of their implementation by estimating their potential impact
- The role of open aid data in enhancing the coherence of international aid
- African progress towards establishing national and regional Research and Educational Networks (RENs)
CONFERENCE FORMAT
The Conference will feature various session types:
- Plenary sessions (featuring officials from the European Commission, the African Union Commission, Governments, and internationally acknowledged ICT experts)
- Presentation sessions (organised around the main conference themes)
- Discussions and debates sessions (offering participants the opportunity to actively contribute to the Conference outputs)
- Networking sessions (aimed at facilitating additional and informal networking opportunities)
CONFERENCE THEMES
With a wide range of themes to be explored, a comprehensive programme will ensure all participants are able to develop international, cross-cutting contacts and enhance their knowledge and expertise. Thematic sessions will focus on the following themes:
- Potential of e-Infrastructures for African Research and Education
- Research and Education Networks Deployment in Africa
- Science Gateways and e-Science platforms
- Flagship e-Infrastructure services in the Health, Environment and Education sectors
- Societal impact of e-Infrastructure applications
- African e-Infrastructures data mapping
- ICT investments in Africa
CONFERENCE AUDIENCE
Over 100 delegates are expected to attend this major event in the field of e-Infrastructures.
Among them: Policy-makers | Senior representatives from Governments | ICT project managers | Programme managers | Heads of research labs | Researchers | IT engineers | Lecturers and researchers from universities and the higher education sector | Managers of NGOs, professional associations, centres of excellence, trade unions, chambers of commerce, etc. | Industry stakeholders | etc.