Organisation

Third African Regional Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Deans of Science, Engineering and Technology - Uganda

COVIDSET 2009

With the organisation of this third edition of the Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Deans of Science, Engineering and Technology (COVIDSET), the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions, ANSTI, is affirming its commitment to make this forum of African leaders responsible for university training and research, an important and regular platform for exchange, debate of ideas, capacity-building and design of concrete actions to improve the impact of high-level training and research on Africa's development.

The theme of COVIDSET 2009, feeds on the logic of the first two previous conferences, which were held on the issues of education, specifically the "State of Science and Technology Training Institutions"(COVIDSET 2005) and "Science and Engineering Education for Sustainable Development"(COVIDSET 2007). COVIDSET 2009 aims at dwelling on the issue of science and technology research and its deployment to serve society.

While most scholalrs widely agree on the important contribution of science and technology research in acccelerating development in most advanced and emerging economies, such contribution can only come about when the outcomes of research are successfully deployed to serve development needs. Africa, unfortunately lack substantive evidence on the role that research has been playing in its development, because of the relatively small part of technology related activities in its GDP. Indeed, Africa's economies are largely basic commodity-driven.

Participants

From experience with the last Forum, we are expecting over 200 participants from among leaders of institutions responsible for teaching and/or research in the region. These will include Vice-Chancellors, Deans of Faculties and Heads of academic departments in African universities. There will also be participants from amongst the African diaspora, the donor community and agencies involved in Higher Education and the promotion of Science and Technology in Africa.

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