National Research Foundation participation at the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA2023)

National Research Foundation participation at the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA2023)

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is participating in the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA)[1] event hosted by the South African Department of Science and Innovation and the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SDCfA) in Pretoria from 06 to 08 December 2023 at the CSIR International Convention Centre and NRF Building in Pretoria.

The SFSA2023 theme is Igniting Conversations About Science-People Partnerships, Priorities for the Decadal Plan. The programme will focus on a number of themes, which include the Future of Society: Technology and democracy; Enhancing STI Capabilities for Africa’s Development; Economic and Science Diplomacy; Science Communication/Journalism; Innovation-shaping the Industry of Tomorrow; Building Human Capabilities in STI; STI-enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Development and Shaping Humanity; and Social Justice.

SFSA2023 aims to enable a dynamic and robust public debate on the interface between science and society to stimulate reflection on the NRF’s work nationally, regionally, and globally. The forum will additionally host exciting exhibitions showcasing the vibrant science of the African continent along with international partners.

The NRF features strongly in the SFSA 2023 programme[2] through sessions related to the SFSA2023 themes, exhibitions, and collocated side-events and strategic meetings submitted by various NRF structures, facilities, and hosted programmes in collaboration with relevant prominent external stakeholders. Some of the NRF contributions are as follows:

Sessions

  1. Pitfalls of AI
  2. Future Implications of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science: The case of sub-Saharan Africa
  3. Empowering Change: Enhancing global change research impact on society for sustainable development through partnership
  4. Approaches for Innovative Capacity Building Programmes to Support South Africa’s Just Energy Transition
  5. Introducing u’GOOD: A research programme centring young people and relational wellbeing in the Global South
  6. Policy Hackathon on the Co-creation of Policy Solutions for Transformative Innovation
  7. Promoting Diverse Career Pathways for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers
  8. Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) and Awardees Forum

Exhibitions

  1. South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRF-SARAO)
  2. South African Astronomical Observatory (NRF-SAAO)
  3. South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON)
  4. RIISA
  5. The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (NRF-SAASTA) which will showcase SET careers information and NYS opportunities.

The SFSA2023 programme will commence with side-events at the CSIR International Conference Centre and NRF Building from 04 to 06 December 2023. The two-and-a-half-day programme will bring together scientists, government officials, industry leaders, students and representatives from broader civil society, not only from South Africa and the rest of the African continent, but also international partners.

Registration for the SFSA2023 is still open on the following link:

sfsa.co.za/registration

#NRF@SFSA

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