erafrica projects 2014

ERAfrica is funded under FP7Project number: FP-226154 I Programme: Capacities I Instrument: Coordination Actionhttp://www.erafrica.eu

ERAfrica New Knowledge Partnerships

8.29 Million €17 Projects 65 Institutions

Interfacing Challenges

New Knowledge Partnerships

Renewable EnergiesNew Ideas

18 Participating Countries

The Projects

Finland

GermanyBelgiumNetherlands

France

Switzerland

Austria

Turkey

Egypt

Ethiopia

Burkina Faso

Cote D‘Ivoire

Kenya

South Africa

Norway

Portugal

Madagascar

Ghana

‘New Knowledge Partnerships’ - the slogan of ERAfrica points out its central message: Africa and Europe acting as equal partners in a new approach towards joint funding in S&T. ERAfrica aims to serve as a model for future cooperative ventures between Africa and Euro-pe and offers a new opportunity for joint research and innovation partnerships.

On January 15, 2013 Funding Parties from 15 African and European countries launched a joint call for projects in three thematic fields encompassing three types of collaborative activities:

• Renewable Energies: funding projects addressing renewable energy topics.

• Interfacing Challenges: funding projects which are conducted at the interface of key societal challenges where African and Europe-an collaboration stands to have added value.

• New Ideas: funding outstanding idea-driven projects generated in a bottom-up approach where the emphasis is placed on clearly evidenced originality and novelty of the idea, approach or expec-ted outputs.

• Collaborative Research: joint undertakings by consortia designed to produce new knowledge through scientific research.

• Collaborative Innovation: joint undertakings by consortia desi-gned to bridge the gap between the outcomes of research projects and commercialisation.

• Capacity Building: joint undertakings by consortia designed to assist relevant organisations to improve their capacities and/or their enabling environment for research and innovation

With a total amount of € 10.7 million available for funding the call generated 124 proposals of which 106 eligible proposals involving 560 organisations requested an amount of € 64.8 million.

ERAfrica – The ProjectsERAfrica generates great interest in the research community and meets its aim of promoting equal partnerships.

In October 2013 the group of experts of the ERAfrica Review Commit-tee met in Madrid to critically review the results of the peer reviews of project proposals performed by external evaluators and to consolida-te the results. The results of their meeting were rankings of proposals for each theme. With this information at hand the Group of Funding Parties then met in Bad Honnef, Germany, in November and selected 17 projects to be funded, 10 in the Interfacing Challenges theme, 5 in the New Ideas theme and 2 in the Renewable Energies theme. These selected projects represent a total amount of € 8.29 million and 65 institutions from 18 countries will jointly work together in these projects.

With the possibility of combining different collaborative activities within projects the majority of the projects will be active in Collabora-tive Research, nearly half of them plan activities in Capacity Building and nearly a quarter of the projects plan activities in Collaborative Innovation.

As 9 African institutions and 8 European institutions have the important role of project coordination the overall picture shows that ERAfrica indeed lives up to its aim of true partnerships.

More information on each of the 17 projects selected for funding is provided on the following pages. The descriptions were written by the project partners. Whereas some projects are already underway others are yet to be started after completing the contracting process.

AMENET – The African Melioidosis Network: improving health through an integrated microbiological, clinical and environmental research approach

Type of activity: Collaborative Research Project, Capacity Building Project

Keywords: Melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Environmental microbiology

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Infectious diseases and hygiene; Diagnostics and laboratory medicine

Duration: 24 Months

Lead Partner: Université d‘Ouagadougou / Burkina Faso

• Partner Institutions:

• National Laboratory for Agricultural Development Support (LANADA) / Côte d Ivoire

• Universitymedicine of Greifswald KöR, Friedrich Loeffler Institute of Medical Microbiology / Germany

• Bernhard-Nocht-Institute of Tropical Medicine, Germany

• Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research / Ghana

• University of Antananarivo / Madagascar

• Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Medical University of Vienna / Austria

Cooperating countries: Austria, Burkina Faso, Côte d Ivoire, Germany, Ghana, Madagascar, Netherlands

Total financial volume: 297.248 €


Summary:

Although described more than a century ago, the worldwide distribution of the environmental bacterial pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei is still unknown. The same is true for the epidemiology of the severe and often fatal disease melioidosis caused by this pathogen. In subtropical and tropical parts of the world, where the disease is recognized to be endemic (e.g. Southeast Asia), it has been shown that appropriate diagnostic methodologies and increased awareness of melioidosis are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. Although the disease has been reported to occur in parts of Africa for decades, the true epidemiology of African melioidosis and the environmental distribution of B. pseudomallei, which is classified as a category B bioterrorism agent, are almost entirely unknown. The history of melioidosis has shown, that highly endemic situations with significant human suffering and economic loss may go undetected, unless appropriate measures are undertaken. This program aims to set up an African research network dedicated to the epidemiology and characteristics of the neglected disease melioidosis and its causative agent B. pseudomallei. As a starting point, this research network will focus on regions in West Africa and Madagascar where the disease is known to exist. This initiative is based on an interdisciplinary approach

combining expertise from various scientific disciplines such as environmental microbiology, molecular microbiology, infection biology, clinical infectious diseases and infectious disease epidemiology.

The program primarily aims

(1) to determine the incidence and prevalence of melioidosis in humans and animals,

(2) to determine the environmental distribution of virulent B. pseudomallei in the different African regions and to characterize the pathogenic potential of these African bacterial strains,

(3) to identify factors associated with the presence of B. pseudomallei in the environment and thereby the risk to acquire infection, and

(4) to develop strategies for early treatment and preventive measures.

The “African Melioidosis Network” integrates microbiological, clinical and environmental research aspects with human capacity building. We anticipate that the results of this research network will contribute to health improvement for the indigenous population and will promote topically related projects in the future.

ASAFEM – Antibiotics and anti-quorum sensing compounds from African fungal endophytes inhabiting medicinal plants and cultures of macromycetes


Keywords: Fungi, Antibiotics, Biodiversity

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Industrial biotechnology; Biodiversity research

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Egerton University / Kenya

Partner Institutions:

• Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH / Germany

• Technische Universität Berlin / Germany

• University of Kwa Zulu Natal / South Africa

• Université catholique de Louvain / Belgium

Cooperating countries: Belgium, Germany, Kenya, South Africa



Summary:

Multi-drug resistant (re-)emerging bacterial pathogens, rapidly evolving viral pathogens and the increasingly immune-suppressed population are posing new global health challenges. This problem is compounded by the fact that the development of antimicrobial compounds has stagnated for years. Due to these challenges mainly posed by pathogens in human clinical medicine, it is important to return to natural products drug discovery. This has the potential to provide a readily renewable, reproducible source of novel bioactive compounds. It is recognised that for some microorganisms, their competition and survival strategies are not only related to the production of bactericidal and fungicidal compounds which inhibit microbial growth.

Instead they use a more sophisticated approach of targeting competitor bacteria communication systems (quorum sensing, QS). To exploit this, we will study whether endophytes and macromycetes (mushroom-forming fungi) contain these QS inhibitory molecules. This will first be assessed qualitatively and then the QS potential of target extracts will be quantified using bacterial biosensor systems. This approach is more likely to yield novel compounds for further analysis and are of great interest. Our project aims to isolate antimicrobial compounds from endophytes and macromycetes.

The endophytes will be isolated from medicinal African plants. Led by renowned taxonomists, mycological forays will also be conducted in Africa, focusing on genera and families that are prolific metabolite producers. Notably, the vast fungal biodiversity of Africa still remains untapped with regard to its exploitation for bioactive secondary metabolites. The fungal extracts will be screened for antimicrobial and anti-quorum activities. The most active extracts will be subjected to a bioassay guided fraction and purification of the bioactive compounds. The most promising hits will be fermented in large scale to produce suficient quantities of lead compounds for pharmacological studies. The existing contacts of the German partners to Pharma companies will be used to establish partnerships.

The African partners will be trained to gain expertise in field work, fungal taxonomy, microbiology, pharmacology and analytical chemistry. Capacity building will be accomplished through postgraduate training, fully in the scope with the CBD/ABS. Our project will ultimately allow talented young African researchers to graduate from European universities. It aims at establishment of long-term collaborations between leading European and African scientists. The project plan is fully in-line with important R&D goals of the European community aiming at the sustainable exploitation of biodiversity (Bioeconomy).

ConneSSA – CONNEcting knowledge, scales and actors; An integrated framework for adaptive organic resource management targeting soil aggradation and agroecosystems’ resilience in SSA

Type of activity: Collaborative Research Project

Keywords: Resource efficiency (resources, materials), Responsiveness of soils, Applied remote sensing and geoinformation services for integrated regional planning, Research for protection against climate impacts and adaptation to global change

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Resource efficiency (resources, materials); Obtaining and managing resources, resource substitution

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: University of Eldoret /Kenya


• Kenyatta University / Kenya

• University of Ouagadougou / Burkina Faso

• Nangui Abrogoua University / Côte d Ivoire

• Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) / France

• Centre International de Coopération Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD) / Burkina Faso

• Universität Hohenheim, Inst. for Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics/Subtropics (UH) / Germany

• KU Leuven Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (KUL) / Belgium

• Wageningen University, Farming Systems Ecology Group / Netherlands

• FIBL / Austria

Cooperating countries: Austria, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Côte d Ivoire, France, Germany, Kenya, Netherlands

Total financial volume: 1.050.107 €


Summary:

Sustainable intensification of smallholder agriculture is fundamental to food security, poverty reduction and conservation of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Soil degradation is a major driver of poor agricultural productivity. This implies low resource use efficiencies, including fertilizer, water and labour inputs, and entails low resilience of food systems to climate variability. Effective measures for rehabilitation (or aggradation) of degraded soils rely on organic amendments and agronomic practices that increase soil organic matter. However, variation in social and biophysical contexts across SSA underpins the need to target aggradation measures to the local context, including locally available soil amendments. In particular, there is an urgency to improve diagnosis of soil-related fertility constraints (‘responsiveness of soils’). Optimization of the use of organic resources further needs to take into account trade-offs in resource availability and human well-being at different spatial and temporal scales. (Re)allocation of organic resources may simply transfer nutrient depletion from one site to another, while changes in labour requirements may disproportionally affect certain social groups (e.g. gender-related).

This project builds on the premise that integrated solutions for sustainable land use, combined with local adaptation of soil fertility management are urgently needed to address

the challenges associated with smallholder agriculture in SSA. We aim to develop a generic knowledge network that connects (it:connessa) scales and actors towards adaptive soil fertility management and agroecosystems’ resilience. The project objectives will be addressed in three interrelated Work Packages (WPs): aggradating degraded soils and enhancing resource use efficiencies (WP1), exploring diversity and optimizing trade-offs (WP2) and linking local capital and science for innovation (WP3). We will concentrate activities in focal sites that represent different agroecological contexts across East (Kenya) and West Africa (Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire) as well as social issues (e.g. population density, proximity to urban areas). The project will capitalize on existing projects and novel analytical capacity for diagnosis of soil responsiveness and contribute to a better understanding of pathways for soil aggradation. Existing data and research trials will support model adaptations required for trade-off analysis at different spatial and temporal scales. Tools for participatory scenario evaluations will be shared and adapted to the local context. Finally, the project will recommended policies and practices for local adaption of organic resource management. ConneSSA will foster integration of scientific disciplines and creates important added value to existing research and stakeholder networks at the focal sites. Training of young scientists and scientific networking warrants effective use of human capacity and project resources.

EndoAfrica – Vascular endothelial dysfunction: The putative interface of emerging cardiovascular risk factors affecting populations living with and without HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.


Keywords: HIV-infection, ART treatment, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, air pollution, endothelial dysfunction

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Health systems research; Epidemiology

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch / South Africa


• Institute of Physiology, Medical University of Graz / Austria

• Centre for Environmental Studies, Hasselt University / Belgium

• Environment and Health Research, VITO NV / Belgium

• Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology / Kenya

• Department of Biology, Alassane Ouattara University, Bouake / Côte d‘Ivoire

Cooperating countries: Austria, Belgium, Côte d‘Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa



Summary:

Vascular endothelial dysfunction (EDy) is an early precursor of cardiovascular disease. Early detection of this event can provide clinical endothelioprotective intervention opportunities. Few studies have investigated the association between HIV-infection and antiretroviral treatment (ART), and EDy in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) populations. Various studies have been reporting increases in traditional cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension/diabetes mellitus/obesity/dyslipidaemia/smoking) in SSA populations, which could affect endothelial function. No data is available on the putative cardiovascular effects of environmental factors, e.g. air pollution in SSA populations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate EDy as a putative common pathophysiological consequence of two societal/health challenges in SSA, namely emerging cardiovascular risk factors (HIV-infection, ART, and increased prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors), and air pollution exposure. This study will be conducted on populations in three SSA countries (South Africa, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire). The main study groups will be determined by the HIV and ART status of participants:

Group 1: Patients with HIV-1-infection, not yet on 1st line ART;

Group 2: Patients with HIV-1-infection on ART, and

Group 3: Participants without HIV infection (controls).

Baseline investigations will include measurement of endothelial function using flow mediated dilatation,

screening for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia and smoking and measurement of air pollution exposure. Serum will be stored as nested case-control design for subsequent analysis of EDy biomarkers. Baseline investigations will be repeated at 12 and 24 months, and provision will be made for additional air pollution measurements to allow for temporal changes. Epidemiological studies will be underpinned by animal and in vitro investigations in which the direct vascular and endothelial effects and mechanisms of 1st line ART regimes will be explored. This study will provide novel data regarding the overall prevalence of EDy, and effects of HIV infection and ART on vascular endothelial function in SSA populations. Information will be gained on the prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors in SSA populations, and will reveal whether a relationship exists between air pollution exposure and EDy.

In summary, this study will be the first of its kind to investigate the proposed questions, and compare the results obtained in populations of three, regionally distinct SSA countries. In view of the clinical advantages of the detection of EDy, our study could help identify people who are at risk of developing adverse cardiovascular events. The study findings could be used to compile educational/awareness material for health care workers and patients on cardiovascular risk factors associated with HIV-infection and/or ART, as well as possible cardiovascular risk posed by exposure to air pollution.

FIBRE-PRO – Tailored fermentation for delivery of whole-grain and cereal fibre-rich products: promoting dietary fiber intake in Africa and Europe.


Keywords: Dietary Fibre, Fermentation, Health

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Biotechnology for nutrition and health

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: University of Helsinki Department of food and environmental sciences / Finland


• College of Biotechnology of the Portuguese Catholic University / Portugal

• University of Nairobi, Department of Food Technology and Nutrition / Kenya

• Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies, Département Technologie Alimentaire / Burkina Faso

Cooperating countries: Burkina Faso, Finland, Kenya, Portugal



Summary:

The need to promote consumption of whole grain and cereal fibre is an issue at the interface of both African and European societies due to their protective effect against chronic diseases. Studies consistently show that whole grain and cereal fibre protect against chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. A hindrance to consumption of whole grain and cereal fibre-rich products is there poor sensory properties e.g. texture compared to products made from refined flour. Therefore research on technologies to deliver acceptable high fibre whole grain products is highly essential. Much can be learnt from exchanging the traditions of whole grain processing and consumption in Africa and Europe that are largely based on fermentation. In Europe for example, rye sourdough breads are an important source of dietary fibre and the corresponding bioactive components. Similarly, fermented semi-solid cooked dough’s, porridges and liquid beverages made from indigenous whole grains such as sorghum and millet have a long tradition in Africa. The sorghum and millet-based products are also of current interest for production of novel gluten-free products.

This project, aims to explore the advantages of traditional fermentations methods of whole grain consumption and current knowledge of cereal bioprocessing in order to develop affordable and acceptable cereal fibre-rich products for both Africa and Europe. The project takes a multidisciplinary

approach, bringing together experts on food technology, food chemistry, microbiology and nutrition in Africa (Kenya and Burkina Faso) and Europe (Finland and Portugal). The current project focuses on studying tailored fermentation processes with carefully selected lactic acid bacteria, for whole grain wheat bread in Africa and whole grain gluten-free products made from sorghum and millet for Europe. The project begins with assessment of dietary fibre consumption and the role of whole grains or cereal dietary fibre in Kenya and Burkina Faso. To develop high quality whole grain products, starter cultures that efficiently deliver functional metabolites (exopolysaccharide, antimicrobial compounds) will be isolated, and characterised from traditional fermented products in Africa. Factors that will ensure enhanced production of the functional metabolites in model fermented whole grain matrices will be optimised. Consequently the potential starter cultures will be utilised to tailor fermented whole grain products. Emphasis in design will be natural, additive-free products with at least 6 % dietary fibre content.

The results obtained from this project will enhance knowledge on dietary fibre intake in the African partner countries, the properties of functional metabolites from the selected isolated starter cultures and their optimisation for whole grain and cereal fibre-rich products. The results obtained will be disseminated to the public, scientific and industrial community. Partnership with local authorities will be encouraged throughout the project.

FolEA – Contribution of cereal-based fermented foods to folate intake in European and African countries


Keywords: Biotechnology for nutrition and health, Biochemistry, Microbiology

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Biotechnolo-gy for nutrition and health

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) -UMR 204 Nutripass / France


• Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies / Département Technologie Alimentaire / Burkina Faso

• University of Helsinki – Department of Food and Environmental Sciences / Finland

• University of Pretoria – Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences / South Africa

• Addis Ababa University – College of Natural Sciences – Center for Food Science and Nutrition / Ethiopia

Cooperating countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Finland, France, South Africa



Summary:

Folate (vitamin B9) is involved in vital functions of cell metabolism. Inadequate dietary intakes lead to deficiencies, which induce important health problems, ranging from megaloblastic anaemia, cardiovascular risks, to neural tube defects. Folate deficiency is commonly observed in developing countries, but also in many industrialized contexts.

Even if the most important natural source of dietary folate is leafy vegetable, cereals can greatly contribute to folate intakes. Indeed, they contain non-negligible amounts of folate, and are frequently consumed. Some countries have established mandatory food fortification with synthetic folic acid, but despite the observed beneficial effects, concerns exist over the possible adverse effects in some subpopulations in case of large-scale fortification.

Another solution to improve the folate content of cereal-based staple foods would be to use in situ fortification by fermentation. In addition to the advantages presented by fermentation (increase in sanitary and nutritional quality), this process is an ancestral way of preserving food products and is a sustainable process (low effluents production and little energy consumption). The production of folates by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) during food fermentation has been validated in dairy products but the data on cereal based fermented foods (CBFF) are scarce. Furthermore, the bioavailability of natural folate forms (vitamers) has been rarely studied, especially in African foods.

The fight against vitamin deficiency is an “interfacing challenge”. It is related to food security, health, but also biodiversity. The objective of this project is to evaluate the possibility of improving folate intakes by target populations,

by increasing the folate contents of traditional cereal staple foods through fermentation. Therefore, we will make use of the diversity of microorganisms naturally present in those food products. This project consists of 4 work-packages:

In WP1, an estimation of the contribution of CBFF to the cover of folate needs in the target populations will be calculated, for the five countries of the consortium (Finland, France, Burkina-Faso, Ethiopia, South-Africa) that represent various nutritional contexts.

In WP2, we will estimate the potential of folate production by the microorganisms involved in fermentation of our model foods. We will choose one CBFF per country of the consortium, among the most consumed. A combination of metagenomic and classical microbiological approaches will be used.

In WP3, the measurement of folate content will be assessed for the samples studied in WP2. This will allow selecting a few LAB strains (the most producing ones) to identify the produced vitamers and study their potential absorption during food digestion.

In WP4, the identified high folate-producing bacteria will be used to produce improved CBFF with high folate content. The consumer acceptability of those food products will be tested in each country. Finally, we will estimate the potential of using optimal CBFF to increase the folate intake by our target populations.

The success of this multidisciplinary project depends on the collaboration between complementary partners. This project will strengthen existing collaborations and will be an opportunity to initiate new collaborations between African and European partners. It will also allow the formation of young researchers.


INCAA – Innovative Conservation Agriculture Approaches: Food Security and Climate Action Through Soil and Water Conservation

Type of activity: Collaborative Research Project, Collaborative Innovation Project, Capacity Building Project

Keywords: Conservation Agriculture, Innovation Systems, Food Security

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Other environmental research; Innovative land use methods and land recycling technologies

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e. V. Müncheberg / Germany


• Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) / Kenya

• Universidade de Évora – Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (UE/ICAAM) / Portugal

• BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences – Centre for Development Research (CDR) / Austria

• Université Polytechnique de Bobo Dioulasso – Institut du Développement Rural (UPB – IDR) / Burkina Faso

Cooperating countries: Austria, Burkina Faso, Germany, Kenya, Portugal


Summary:

The crucial challenge for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa is feeding a growing population while preserving the natural resource base of the agricultural system. In future, this challenge will be exacerbated by soil degradation and climate change. Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been promoted as a strategy that can improve yields, soils and effective water use. CA thus has potential to increase the resilience of farming systems facing the mentioned challenges.

However, CA has not moved from the invention to the innovation stage in Sub-Sahara Africa: the CA package is not meeting the farmers’ needs (stable yields from the beginning), capabilities (labour requirements and burden) and opportunities (need of specific inputs). Overall, the attempt to transfer a technology in a conventional linear way from science to farm has been disappointing.

In view of this, the INCAA project is designed as an action research process that will target the challenging (and often missing) interfaces of science-driven technology and local realities in innovation systems. The overall objective of INCAA is to mentor and analyze a learning process that supports the innovation of CA in Sub-Saharan Africa.

INCAA partners with the ABACO project, and the CA networks of ACT and CIRDES that promote CA in Kenya, Burkina Faso and elsewhere in Africa. Building on the experiences of these projects, INCAA will

(1) map benefits and adaptations of CA in innovation systems around the partner projects;

(2) foster joined learning of stakeholders to test and validate CA tools; and

(3) develop learning strategies for an innovation process towards CA including institutional and individual dimensions.

To achieve this, INCAA will start from those who take the final decision on the fate of CA: the farmers. By assessing how farmers have actually adapted and implemented CA, we can derive lessons on the benefits and losses related to such CA modes for all stakeholders involved in the agricultural system. Looking at the social system constituted by these stakeholders, we will further the understanding of enabling institutional environments that support innovation towards CA. All lessons of these activities will be integrated into a structured process of capacity building involving partners from ABACO and CA Networks (ACT and CIRDES). Finally, INCAA will experiment with new forms and media that help to facilitate learning processes at science-practice interfaces. INCAA will improve the impact of the partnering projects and CA Networks. Furthermore, INCAA partners will contribute to the scientific discourse around CA and development innovation through publications. Targeting the audience of farmers and development practitioners, videos and manuals on CA benefits to be reaped and learning processes will be produced. INCAA brings together development stakeholders with interdisciplinary expertise in agricultural and social research for development.

innXchange – Increasing innovation potential by European-African cooperation

Type of activity: Capacity Building Project

Keywords: Innovation process, entrepreneurship education, academia-industry cooperation

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Language technology and man-machine communication

Duration: 24 Months

Lead Partner: University Maastricht / Netherlands


• University Pretoria / South Africa

• Strathmore University / Kenya

• Hochschule Furtwangen /Germany

Cooperating countries: Germany, Kenya, Netherlands, South Africa



Summary:

innXchange is a capacity building project aimed at strengthening entrepreneurial training and encouraging entrepreneurial thinking through the development of partnerships between academic institutions and commercial research organizations from Africa and Europe.

The goal of the project is to create a set of guidelines that serve as a guide for academic and industry researchers on how to:

a) Identify research problems with real-world relevance

b) Identify innovative solutions to those problems

c) Evaluate the potential of ideas in terms of technical innovation

d) Evaluate the potential of the ideas in terms of market demand and commercialization

e) Consider the relevance of IPR

f) Convert an innovation into a commercial product.

Accompanying research will elucidate strategies for the generation of innovation across all participating European and African countries.

To achieve the above goal, the following objectives are proposed:

1. Determine the state of the art with regards to innovation management at the participating institutions, placing emphasis on the way in which innovation is managed

in Europe and Africa, the similarities and differences of the European and African approaches, the significance of culture and context within the innovation process. (WP 1).

2. Conduct an “Innovation Camps” in each participating country, with the aim to create an initial set of innovation guidelines (a) - (f), as above, taking into account country differences, culture and contextual relevance. (WP 2).

3. Conduct “Innovation Creator” during which the initial guidelines will be evaluated and refined. The initial guidelines will be evaluated by using existing patents to create innovative solutions for solving a real country-specific challenge. The required changes and refinements, which will become evident in the practical application of the guidelines, will also be made. (WP 3).

4. Prepare a roadmap for future research. (WP 4).

The guidelines will first be developed in selected science disciplines. Science fields which have been identified to have a high innovation potential are Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) field, and the healthcare field. In both fields we observe a fast and highly dynamic development by interdisciplinary interaction; there is a strong link to ICT because of the rapidly growing amount of data generated for a patient.

LOCLIM3 – Local climate change in 3 cities (Cairo, Nairobi, Istanbul) with different population, urban structure, land use classification and climate characteristics and compare different adaptation strategies


Keywords: Climate change, Urban Sustainability, adaptation, urban development, Sustainable Development

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Mineralogy; Climate research

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Cairo University, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning / Egypt


• Institute of Meteorology, FU Berlin / Germany

• Istanbul Technical University, Department of Meteorology / Turkey

• Jomo Kenyatta University Agriculture and Technology / Kenya

Cooperating countries: Egypt, Germany, Kenya, Turkey



Summary:

Cities face significant impacts from climate change, both now and into the future. These impacts have potentially serious consequences for human health, livelihoods, and assets, especially for the urban poor, informal settlements, and other vulnerable groups. Climate change impacts range from an increase in extreme weather events and flooding to hotter temperatures and public health concerns. Climate change is a serious challenge for cities around the world, particularly in developing countries where urbanization is happening at neck-breaking speed. It threatens to increase vulnerabilities, destroy economic gains, and hinder social and economic development.

The urban poor will bear the brunt of its effects since they live and work in informal settlements that are more exposed to hazards. Building resilience and adapting to climate change is increasingly a high priority for cities. Besides mitigation, on which efforts have largely focused in the past, cities should today play a larger role in adaptation.

This study on climate change adaptation in cities is intended to offer mayors and other city officials, in developing countries, practical guidance on how to respond to the challenges of climate change adaptation in their cities. It provides a comprehensive overview of key climate adaptation

issues that are relevant to cities, offers examples of good practices and successful experiences, and is a useful guide to other available resources and policy tools on the topic.

In this study 3 different cities (Istanbul, Nairobi and Cairo) have been selected to be investigated. These cities have different population, land use, urban structure and climate characteristics. The first goal of this study is to estimate the local climate change in these cities till 2100 using the regional climate model COSMO-CLM and the second goal is to check different climate change adaptation strategies (landscape and land use changing, climate oriented urban planning and urban design as well as use of high albedo buildings, green roofs and green façade, etc.) using an urban model and present the results to the national stake holders. Comparison of the useful adaptation strategies in these three cities will be discussed and using city measurements, which will be done by the students, the accuracy of the urban model will be estimated.

All urban systems will face some vulnerability to climate change effects. These effects may disrupt or even destroy a wide variety of urban functions. Such direct effects do not exhaust the potential impacts climate change may have on urban systems. It is possible and indeed probable that urban features may exacerbate these impacts and the vulnerability of urban spaces.

SOCBIOAfri – Addressing societal challenges of biotechnology in Africa. Towards balanced innovation


Keywords: innovation, plant biotechnolgy, governance

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Cultural scien-ces; Plant biotechnology

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: University of Groningen / Netherlands


• National Biosafety Authority / Kenya

• North West University (NWU) / South Africa

• Ghent University / Belgium

• Université Libre de Bruxelles / Belgium

• University of Ouagadougou / Burkina Faso

Cooperating countries: Belgium, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Netherlands, South Africa



Summary:

The SOCBIOAfri project takes up key challenges formulated by the High Level African Panel on Modern Biotechnology in its report ‘Freedom to innovate’: that introducing biosafety frameworks into Africa requires the active engagement of the public, the development of educational and training facilities, and regional private-public cooperation and partnerships.

The project connects teams in Kenya, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Belgium and the Netherlands in investigating biotechnological innovation in Africa. It thereby addresses issues of policy development, technology regulation and capacitybuilding initiatives of relevance to all parties involved in biotechnology applications, including small-hold farmers and their organizations. The shared approach adopted by the project is derived from contemporary Science & Technology Studies (STS) and applies a co-evolutionary approach in which technological and societal innovations are analysed as co-determining processes.

SOCBIOAfri aims to contribute to research on privately and publicly financed biotechnology innovations in Africa, relating these to requirements for elaborating effective policy frameworks for biotechnology in Africa. It also aims to contribute to capacity-building in the analysis of biotechnology and in policy development. The project focuses on the interrelated challenges arising from the policy, economic and sociocultural aspects of biotechnology innovation in farming. Thus, it is highly interdisciplinary in design, with strong roots in relevant African academic and policy institutions.

Main research questions are:

What are the key differences between biotechnology-based agriculture projects in Africa as compared to current dominant agricultural farm systems in Africa with respect to the social (including socioeconomic) and environmental consequences?

What are the key differences between commercially/privately funded and publicly funded biotechnology projects in several African countries with respect to the role of and socioeconomic impact on stakeholders, the choice of crops, IPR, required farm systems, etc.?

What are the perceptions of stakeholders concerning the role of biotechnology in food security, food sovereignty, socioeconomic infrastructure and the environment? How can stakeholder (including smallhold farmers and local communities) interests and their views be represented in participatory decision-making procedures and innovation processes with respect to biotechnology policies?

What forms of biotechnology (with respect to social conditions and the kind of applications) can support local African agricultural practices?

During the project, mutual interaction and exchange of information will occur through international workshops in all participating countries, short stays by African researchers in Europe and the construction of a project website. African stakeholders will be involved through participation in workshops, interviews and surveys. The project will deliver peer-reviewed papers, trained African researchers, training frameworks for regulators and recommendations for policy and for scientific and technology innovation procedures.

Fruit fly – Detection methods for fruit flies of economic significance to fruit and vegetable production in Africa and Indian Ocean islands


Keywords: Fruit fly, Trapping, Identification

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Biological research and technology; Detection methods for agricultural insect pests

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Citrus Research International / South Africa


• Royal Museum for Central Africa / Belgium

• CIRAD / France

• National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) / Côte d Ivoire

Cooperating countries: Belgium, Côte d Ivoire, France, South Africa


NEW IDEAS

Summary:

Fruit and vegetable production in Africa and the Indian Ocean region are affected by a number of fruit fly species. Pest fruit flies cause direct yield losses and can restrict fruit and vegetable export due to quarantine restrictions imposed by importing countries to limit the spread of these pests. The use of insecticides for fruit fly control is limited due to low tolerance of residues in fruit and vegetables. As such, an integrated management approach which combines detection and control should be followed for fruit fly pests. The proposal therefore aims to develop effective and accurate detection methods for fruit fly pests in Africa and the Indian Ocean region.

The specific objectives of this proposal are to

(1) determine the efficacy and sensitivity of different trapping systems for monitoring Afrotropical fruit fly pests,

(2) analyse the population genetic structure of key indigenous and exotic fruit fly pests in the Afrotropical region for a better understanding of their geographic ranges and dispersal patterns,

(3) develop identification tools for Afrotropical fruit flies and

(4) set up a standardised fruit fly detection system in Africa and the Indian Ocean region.

This proposal assembles a team of fruit fly experts from South Africa, Côte D’Ivoire, Belgium and France to address different aspects of fruit fly detection systems.

Efficacy of different trap and attractant combinations for fruit fly monitoring will be evaluated in different environments in southern Africa and Côte D’Ivoire. In addition, research will focus on identification of new fruit fly attractants from plant origin. Sensitivity of trapping systems for different fruit fly pests will be determined by mark-release-recapture methods. Trapping systems will be evaluated in areas of high and low pest prevalence, and in relation to environmental variables and fly physiological state. The population genetic structure of key fruit fly pests will be studied through molecular analysis of sample populations collected in different areas across Africa and the Indian Ocean region. The available reference libraries of DNA barcodes for molecular identification of African fruit flies will be extended by increasing taxon and geographical coverage of pest species. This will provide a more reliable system for fruit fly identification. A multi entry key will be developed to facilitate identification of fruit fly material obtained through monitoring activities. Early detection of fruit fly pests is important for effective suppression actions and is crucial for eradication of new exotic pests.

Findings from this project will be used to set up a standardised fruit fly detection system through the development of a fruit fly detection protocol for Africa and the Indian Ocean region. The dissemination of project outcomes will also entail scientific and semi-scientific publications, presentations at scientific and meetings with national plant protection officers as well as the grower community.

MAXess – Measuring accessibility in policy evalution

Type of activity: Collaborative Research Project, Collaborative Innovation Project

Keywords: Accessibility, Transportation

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Transport systems; ICT - Multimedia, Development of convergent ICT - Data communication

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: University of Pretoria / South Africa


• ETH Zurich / Switzerland

• Technische Universität Berlin / Germany

• University of Nairobi / Kenya

Cooperating countries: Germany, Kenya, South Africa, Switzerland


NEW IDEAS

Summary:

Although the complex interactions between land use and transport are often acknowledged and appreciated, the state of practice is to fall back on purely transport and mobility-related metrics when evaluating infrastructure investment decisions. Especially when there is large economic inequality among citizens, answering the questions: “who gets the infrastructure benefits?” and “who pays for the infrastructure?” become loaded and controversial.

In this project we propose a more comprehensive metric, called “accessibility” that takes both land use and mobility into account. The metric is calculated at a disaggregate individual and household level allowing not only for results to be aggregated to a variety of useful levels, but also that the spread of the metric’s distribution is measurable for the areas of the study area.

The project’s point of departure is the emerging body of knowledge regarding agent-based transport simulation and the associated synthetic populations. In the project we aim to rely on open and freely available data to ensure the use of the metric is duplicable everywhere, but especially beyond well-funded studies, i.e. citizens or NGO efforts.

As a decision support tool this project is significant in allowing decision makers to better evaluate how to spend the national budget in an inclusive manner, accounting for the economic and social heterogeneity of the population, and the transport mode variety. The resulting metrics will be made available through high resolution, open-source, adaptive maps that will allow decision and policy makers to intuitively and easily access the data to support their planning endeavours.

RDSControl – Stymieing infant mortality: effects of manipulating oxygen tension on lung development and lung vascular plasticity


Keywords: Infant mortality, Hypoxia, lung maturation

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Diagnostics and laboratory medicine

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Nairobi / Kenya


• Insitute of Anatomy, University of Bern / Switzerland

• Institute of Functional and Applied Anatomy, Hannover Medical School / Germany

• Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg / South Africa



NEW IDEAS

Summary:

Introduction

In preterm infants, hypoxia occurs subsequent to functional lung insufficiency especially deficient surfactant system and lung structure. Consequently, lungs react with increased permeability, development of hyaline membranes, consequent inflammation leading to respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), the leading cause of death in preterm infants). Mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen and surfactants, are the preferred therapeutic approaches. A clear relationship between hyperoxia, and development of severe systemic lesions such as retinopathy and chronic lung disease (CLD) has been observed. Preliminary data indicate that there is robust angiogenesis and accelerated blood-gas barrier (BGB) formation and thinning in chick chorioallantoic membranes (CAM) exposed to short-term hypoxia.

Main questions

This project will focus on the following fundamental aspects: i) Does the oxygen tension influence lung (and other organ) development in an age-dependent manner (within a plasticity window)? ii) What signaling molecules influence lung maturation resulting from the fusion of the capillary networks and could artificial intervention rebound the effects of hyperoxia and induce postponed vascular maturation? iii) Can manipulation of oxygen precociously shift lung developmental process, resulting in early BGB formation and early maturation of the surfactant system?

Approach and objectives

A familiarization meeting for the lead investigators will crystallize strategies for training of researchers and technicians, review log frames and important time lines. The objective will be to enhance capacity building while at the same time interrogating novel scientific ideas. There will be skills enhancement, infrastructure refurbishment and purchase of equipment. These approaches aim to establish a well prepared infrastructure and team ready to take on the experimental part.

Activities and outputs

Initial activities will involve infrastructure and skills enhancement by purchasing or refurbishing equipment and training. For the southern partners, this will result in important foundations for future units of research excellence. Animal experiments will be started in the four institutions with a judicious sharing of the tasks. Young rats and CAMs will be exposed to different oxygen concentrations during targeted developmental stages. Subsequently, qualitative and quantitative morphological analysis as well as molecular investigations will be performed to unearth the changes engendered by altered oxygen tensions. RDS will be mitigated in an unconventional way, by enhancing precocial lung maturation, including surfactant sufficiency and BGB maturation. At the end of the project we expect to have identified potential molecular targets that can be used for prophylaxis against RDS in addition to enhanced infrastructure and research skills.

Safe dairy – Health hazards caused by bacteria in traditional African fermented dairy products: Food safety and epidemiology


Keywords: Biotechnology for nutrition and health, Infectious diseases and hygiene, Public Health and epidemiology

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Biotechnology for nutrition and health; Public health and epidemiology

Duration: 24 Months

Lead Partner: ETH Zurich / Switzerland


• Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d‘Ivoire / Côte d‘Ivoire

• University of Nairobi / Kenya

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute / Switzerland

• University of Rostock / Germany

• Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique / France

Cooperating countries: Côte d‘Ivoire, France, Germany, Kenya, Switzerland


NEW IDEAS

Summary:

Fermented dairy products (FDP) play an important role for prolonged shelf life, microbial safety and general nutrition and in particular for the preparation of weaning food for children across Africa. FDP have a long tradition in many African regions, they are however often contaminated with foodborne pathogens including Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus and potentially Listeria spp. possibly through uncontrolled and unhygienic fermentation processes.

We have recently shown that African FDP are predominated by a novel dairy adapted Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius (Sii) in Kenya, Somalia, Mali, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire and likely in all Sahel area as also indicated by other studies. African dairy Sii regularly produced a bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) against other fermentative bacteria and Listeria spp. potentially enhancing food safety. The high prevalence suggests a pivotal role of Sii in traditional African dairy fermentations. Functional analysis and comparative genomics also suggest adaptation to the dairy environment paralleling that of the Western dairy species Streptococcus thermophilus. Therefore, a potential application as adapted African starter culture for enhanced food safety needs to be considered. However, Sii, a member of the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex (SBSEC), has been associated with human and animal

infections including endocarditis, bacteremia and colonic cancer. Sii itself may therefore represent a significant health risk to African populations through ingestion of FDP containing high numbers of viable Sii.

In this project, we aim to scientifically assess the potential health risk and safety of Sii isolated from African products in comparison with those of infected people to elucidate a potential epidemiologic link. The project will be based in Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire from where a large collection of data on food-related Sii isolates is available. Epidemiologic data will be obtained through a case-control study in regional hospitals in combination with the isolation of clinical Sii and SBSEC strains. Isolates will be genotypically characterized and subjected to subsequent screening for relevant pathogenic properties. Combined data obtained during this study will allow to further quantify the health risks for consumers and to provide necessary justifications for subsequent in-depth investigations and appropriate interventions to reduce health risks. Therefore, we aim to contribute to sustainable and adapted technological interventions to improve quality and safety of traditional fermented dairy weaning food considering infant as a target high risk population.

In conclusion, this project will significantly contribute to enhance quality and safety of traditional FDP in Africa through potential health risk assessment of the predominant dairy Sii and its application potential as adapted novel starter culture specific for Africa.

SAPDRY – Development of grain drying facilities that use super absorbent polymers and adjusting the properties of SAPs to optimize drying of grain and control of aflatoxin contamination


Keywords: Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), maize, drying, aflatoxin

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Production of a grain storage structure and aflatoxin determination sensor

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: University of Nairobi / Kenya


• ETH Zurich / Switzerland

• University of Kassel / Germany

• University of Venda / South Africa



NEW IDEAS

Summary:

Aflatoxin contamination in maize is documented to cause loss of life and post harvest losses in tropical climates. Aflatoxin contamination results when farmers who depend on direct sunlight to dry their grain are instead faced with rains during the harvest. This project addresses this problem by using super absorbent polymers to dry maize in places where it not possible to apply electricity or fossil fuel. This project is proposed as a follow up activity arising from a research project, funded by the Research Fellowship Partnership Programme (RFPP) that investigated the effectiveness of SAPs in drying maize and control of aflatoxin. The results clearly indicated that SAPs are effective for drying and aflatoxin control in maize. The proposed project seeks to apply the results to fabricate drying and storage structures and test the SAP for drying and control of aflatoxin contamination in maize using field scale experiments. The key objective is to produce a standard ready-to-use storage

structure that incorporates SAPs as well as solar heating and air convection to dry grain fast enough to forestall aflatoxin contamination. Several other activities are proposed to complement the overall objective of aflatoxin control. For instance, hydrogels are not specifically designed for drying and it is proposed to investigate the degree of cross-linking and other properties that may be optimised to maximize their water absorption potential. It is also necessary to investigate the electrical properties of grain contaminated with aflatoxin so as to provide data that may assist in the development of simpler meters to measure the levels of aflatoxin in maize and other grain crops. The facilities developed by the project will be patented and publications will be made in refereed journals. As part of capacity building the following activities will be carried out: joint supervision of Ph.D. and M.Sc. student, staff exchange programmes, equipment sharing, training courses in scientific writing, publication and specialized techniques of experimentation where the senior partners will mentor the other partners.

Ad-Pow-Gen – Development of an advanced high-efficient low-cost power-generation with minimum carbon emission from hybrid-fuel supplies


Keywords: Renewable energy sources, sustainable and clean technologies, efficient energy systems

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Other energy research; solar thermal energy, photovoltaic arrays, biomass energy, bio-fuel utilisation, hydrogen production and water desalination Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: International Research Institute Stavanger (IRIS) / Norway


• Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium

• University of Cape Town (UCT) / South Africa

• Fatih University / Turkey

• Ain Shames University (ASU) / Egypt

Cooperating countries: Belgium, Egypt, Norway, South Africa, Turkey

Total financial volume: 1.093.061 €

RENEWABLE ENERGIES

Summary:

To ensure sustainable development in Europe and Africa (ErAfrica), adequate energy services should be made available to satisfy the demand of electricity production. The distributed micro-generation concept of providing electricity to millions customers away from the national grid is becoming more attractive to utilities and municipalities and market of this technology is growing fast. Therefore immediate efforts should be made in ErAfrica for complete modernization of the energy system and the infrastructure providing energy services to facilitate the introduction of new generation systems into the local energy market.

The technical objective of the project is to pave the road for various sources of renewable energy (RE) and alternative fuel to be utilized in both bulk and distributed micro-generation (DMG) forms. The proposed system will consist of two major subsystems, which are: an advanced gas turbine power cycle to convert thermal energy into a mechanical energy and a high speed generator that would be driven by the advanced turbine for electric power generation. The project will use the Brayton power cycle gas turbine to convert the thermal energy produced from various thermal and mainly sustainable energy sources to mechanical energy. The resulting mechanical energy will drive the specially designed electric power generator.

This project can be considered as a base for a family of different / larger size Advanced High Efficiency gas Turbine (AHET) generators that can be made a commercially available product for the distributed generation market. A dual vane compressor which will boost the performance of the turbine if operated at high temperature will be designed. The expected specific fuel consumption of AHET will be lower than the specific fuel consumption for the combined cycle by allowing to add different sources or renewable energy. In this system, solar thermal energy will be utilized to heat the air delivered by the compressor in a specially designed heat exchanger before entering the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber will be provided with dual fuel burner, to burn both liquid and gas fuels. Several different sources of thermal energy would be utilized to operate AHET including biogas, natural gas, bio-diesel in addition to solar thermal energy. Due to the high efficiency of AHET, the emission is reduced significantly even if fuelled with NG. However, substantial reduction will be achieved through use of BG or BD in conjunction with solar energy. To maximize the system efficiency, the exhaust gas leaving the heat exchanger (in the case of large size systems) can be utilized to preheat the inlet air or for industrial thermal applications such water desalination.

HENERGY – ADVANCED HYDROGEN ENERGY SYSTEMS


Keywords: Hydrogen energy systems, Unitised Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cells, Hydrogen storage

Thematic area corresponding to criteria of ERAfrica: Other energy research; Hydrogen Energy Systems, Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Storage

Duration: 36 Months

Lead Partner: Institute for Energy Technology / Norway


• University of the Western Cape / South Africa

• Cairo University, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering / Egypt

• HYSTORSYS AS / Norway

• CMR Prototech / Norway

• Middle East Technical University / Turkey

Cooperating countries: Egypt, Norway, South Africa, Turkey


RENEWABLE ENERGIES

Summary:

The HENERGY proposal contributes to the thematic field “Renewable Energies” and aims to join the best efforts of the European and African scientific communities in targeting development of the advanced, integrated with renewable energy sources, high efficiency hydrogen energy systems. Their advanced performance will be achieved by:

• developmentofunitisedreversibleSolidOxideFuelCells(SOFC) / Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cells (SOEC);

• highreversiblegravimetricandvolumetricefficiencyofthe H storage systems; -thermal integration of hydrogen store and SOFC, SOEC and evaporator for the SOEC steam electrolyser;

• modellingandoptimisationofthesystemperformance.

Hydrogen stores will accommodate nanocomposites of the hydrides having large reversible H storage capacities of 4-7 wt. % H / 0.1 gH/L. Advanced performance of the H storage and supply system with be achieved by utilising composites of (Ti,V)H2 and catalysed MgH2 with nanocarbon additive decomposing from 300 to 550 °C. Using composite of (Ti,V), Mg and nanocarbon will prevent Mg from sintering at higher temperatures thus increasing cycle life of the H storage system. Application of nanocarbon additive will also improve thermal conductivity allowing high rates of hydrogen charge and discharge. Thermal integration between SOFC and composite (Ti,V)H2/MgH2-based hydrogen storage system will be achieved by fine tuning of the operating temperatures via selecting a ratio between MgH2 and (Ti,V)H2.

SOFC development will focus on the development of robust electrodes utilising improved electrode materials and stack design, as well as thermal integration. Modelling efforts will

focus on prediction of transient heat and mass transfer and the dynamic response of the hydride bed. It is important in the design and optimization of the H storage and supply system, and in tailoring the optimum operation parameters of the prototype energy system.

Anticipated advantages include:

• Highenergydensity/highpowerenergysystemsutilisinglow cost hydrogen gas;

• Significantlyimprovedenergyefficiency;

• Abilitytofinelytunetheoperatingtemperatures;

• Easystart-upoftheSOFCwithlessexternalpowerinput;when initial heating is provided by highly-exothermic H2 absorption in the titanium/magnesium-based nanocomposite.

The work is collaboration between the leading European and African research institutions:

Institute for Energy Technology, Norway (IFE);

Hydrogen Storage and Systems, Norway (HSS);

Prototech AS, Norway (PRO);

University of the Western Cape, South Africa (UWC),

Middle East Technical University, Turkey (METU)

And Cairo University, Egypt (CU).

The work will reinforce European and African competences in the field by educating young researchers

via performing collaboration activities. Such international collaboration will allow reaching a critical mass

of research through joint efforts of complementary scientific expertise thus ensuring overall success.

Finland

GermanyBelgium

France

Switzerland

Austria

SpainTurkey

Egypt

Kenya

South Africa

Portugal

The Beginning – The Consortium Austria KEF/OeAD – Commission for Development Research at the Austrian

Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research

Belgium CIUF/CUD – Inter-university Council of the French Community of Belgium/University Commission for Development

Egypt MHESR – Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Finland TEM – Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy

France IRD – Institut de recherche pour le developpement (Coordinating Institution)

Germany PT– DLR – International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research & BMBF – Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Kenya MOST-KE – The Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology

Portugal FCT – Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education – Foundation for Science and Technology

South Africa DST – Department of Science and Technology

Spain MICINN – Ministry of Science and Innovation

Switzerland SNSF – Swiss National Science Foundation

Turkey TÜBITAK – The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Finland

GermanyBelgiumNetherlands

France

Switzerland

Austria

Turkey

Egypt

Burkina Faso

Cote D‘Ivoire

Kenya

South Africa

Norway

Portugal

The Call – The Funding PartiesAustria BMWF – Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research

Belgium BELSPO – Federal Science Policy Office & CIUF/CUD – Inter-university Council of the French Community of Belgium/University Commission for Development & FNRS – Fund for Scientific Research & FWO – Research Foundation – Flanders

Burkina Faso Ministère de la Recherche Scientifique et de l’Innovation

Côte-d’Ivoire PASRES – Strategic Support Program for Scientific Research in Côte-d’Ivoire

Egypt STDF – Science and Technology Development Fund

Finland Academy of Finland TEM & Finnish Cultural Foundation & TEKES – Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation

France IRD – Institut de recherche pour le developpement (Coordinating Institution)

Germany BMBF – International Bureau IB of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research in Germany (Common Call Management: PT- DLR – International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research)

Kenya The Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology

The Netherlands NWO-WOTRO – Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research – Science for Global Development

Norway The Research Council of Norway

Portugal FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology – Ministry of Education and Science International Relations Department

South Africa DST – Department of Science and Technology

Switzerland SNSF – Swiss National Science Foundation

Turkey TÜBITAK – The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Imprint:

Commission for Development Research at the OeAD-GmbH (Office)Ebendorferstrasse 71010 Vienna; Austria

Published: August 2014

Editors: Dr. Mattias Larsen, [email protected] Weissgram, [email protected]

Graphic design: Urban Grünfelder, Peter SachartschenkoERAfrica is funded under FP7Project number: FP-226154Programme: CapacitiesInstrument: Coordination Action

The sole responsibility for the content of of this flyer lies with the authors and does not representthe opinion of the European Union. Neither the authors nor the European Union are liable for any use made thereof.

erafrica projects 2014

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