A hybrid strategic retreat on 21-22 May 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by the African Academy of Sciences, will bring high level experts from around the world, particularly form the Global South, to discuss the impact of emerging technologies on science systems.
An online open session ‘Technologies in action’ featured live presentations from researchers and decision-makers on the emerging technologies they use and how science systems in different countries are supporting their adoption.
Date: 22 May
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 UTC
Vanessa McBride
International Science Council
Emna Harigua
Institut Pasteur de Tunis
Laty Thiam
Institut Pasteur de Dakar
Chinwe Chukwudi
University of Nigeria
David Dodoo-Arhin
University of Ghana
The rapid advancement of technology is reshaping the landscape of scientific research and development globally. While these advancements offer immense potential for progress, their impact is not evenly distributed. Significant investment in research and development of emerging technologies is being undertaken in the private sector. In addition, the Global South, with different socio-economic contexts and research and development priorities, faces specific opportunities and challenges in harnessing the power of these emerging technologies.
This strategy meeting will explore the transformative potential of emerging technologies and their implications for science systems, with a particular focus on the opportunities and challenges they present for the Global South.
The meeting forms an integral part of a three year project Science System Futures, which is undertaken by the ISC’s think tank Centre for Science Futures and is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.
This project aims to improve our understanding of key transformations in the practice and organization of science worldwide as a result of new technologies.
It further aims to advance the capacity of Global South actors in the science, technology and innovation space to collectively embrace those changes and thrive in the next decade through coalition building.
View the agenda
Day 1, Wednesday 21 May 2025
| Time (EAT) | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:45 – 8:45 | Closed session: Science systems futures Advisory Council meeting |
| 9:00 | Departure: Bus to AAS |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Coffee break |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Welcome and start – Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng, African Academy of Sciences – Mr Ian Thomson, International Development Research Centre – Dr Vanessa McBride, International Science Council – Introductions |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Scope of the workshop – Prof. David Castle, Chair of the Science Systems Futures project |
| 11:15 – 12:00 | Plenary: Expert presentations on emerging technologies – Connectivity technologies 1 (Prof Marco Di Renzo) – Connectivity technologies 2 (Dr Bridget Mutuma) – Robotic & AI (Dr Kais Hammami) – Data storage, management, (Prof Muliaro Wafula) – Virtual Reality (Dr Lucia Marchetti) |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Breakout groups: Technology profiles In four breakout groups we will explore the above technologies Chair: Zhenya Tsoy, International Science Council |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch and networking |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Breakout groups: Technology profiles (continued) |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Report back from breakout groups and consolidation of technology profiles Chair: Zhenya Tsoy, International Science Council |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:30 – 17:30 | Plenary: Implications for science systems – Prof. Sarah de Rijcke – Prof. Ngom D. Balla Group discussion on potential implications of these technologies for science systems Chair: Dr Dureen Samandar Eweis |
| 17:30 | Wrap up and close of Day 1 |
| 19:30 | Group dinner – Sheraton Four Points |
Day 2, Wednesday 22 May 2025
| Time (EAT) | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:15 – 9:30 | Reflections from Day 1 and scene-setting |
| 9:30 – 11:00 | Open session: Technologies in action – Introduction – Dr Vanessa McBride (ISC) – Dr Emna Harigua (Tunisia) “Artificial intelligence for Drug Discovery: Success stories and lessons learned” – Dr Laty Gaye Thiam (Senegal) “Malaria Vaccine Development: Leveraging Genomics and Structure-guided Antigen Design” – Dr Chinwe Chukwudi Uzoma (Nigeria) “Ending the Neglect: Shining the Light on Human African Trypanosomiasis with Molecular Diagnostics” – Prof David Dodoo-Arhin (Ghana) “Turning Waste into Wealth: Harnessing Plastic Waste Conversion Technologies for Sustainable Innovation in Africa” – Dr Bridget Mutuma (Kenya) “Harnessing Nanotechnology and IoT for the Detection and Removal of Emerging Pollutants” REGISTER TO JOIN ONLINE Chair: Dr Dureen Samandar Eweis |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30 – 13:00 | Open session: Scaling for impact and success in science systems in the Global South. – Benefits of regional and/or cross-disciplinary collaboration. Chair: Prof David Castle |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch and networking |
| 14:30 – 16:00 | Plenary: Intersections between science and industry, private sector – Presentation from LIFES (Dr Eric Schultes) – Start-up and university research partnerships (Ian Thomson) – Open discussion on barrier, mechanisms, existing and new initiatives. Chair: Dr Derrick Swartz |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee Break |
| 16:30 – 17:30 | Discussion – Discussion on primary deliverable – Suggested next steps – Options for continued dialogue and peer-learning Chair: Prof. David Castle |
| 17:30 | Closing and vote of thanks |
This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of IDRC or its Board of Governors.
Feature image: by Google DeepMind via Unsplash
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