Uncategorized – Page 8 – Next Einstein Forum

April 22, 2014

World Bank to finance advanced STEM education in Africa

Nineteen university-based African Centers of Excellence (ACE) across seven African countries will be receiving a combined grant of $150 million (around R1.6 billion) from the World Bank to help in the advancement of STEM education on the continent. ACEs in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Togo and Cameroon will receiving funding to provide […]

April 17, 2014

Nobel laureate tells African students to make a difference by returning home

During her visit to Yale on April 4, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee called upon the many African students in her audience to return to their native countries to take a role in Africa’s future. “It is my hope and prayer that you will decide after Yale to go back,” she told the students. “Don’t stay […]

April 16, 2014

More Asian women find success in science

A growing number of Asian women are making inroads in science and technology, thanks to greater opportunities for career development and changing cultural mores. Interviews with female scientists across the region reveal that policies and laws that promote gender parity and equal opportunities, alongside changing cultural perceptions on women’s roles, more supportive families and the […]

April 15, 2014

Rejected ideas ‘could have aided developing countries’ by Admin | Apr 15, 2014 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Developing countries missed out on a chance to use novel 20th century development ideas to move their economies forward, says a distinguished African scholar. Calestous Juma, a professor of the practice of international development at the US-based Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, says “pessimistic” architects of early international development and institutions […]

April 11, 2014

Unlocking DNA TEchnology in Nigeria

Until recently, it was impossible to access services such as genetic testing for sickle-cell anaemia, prenatal and neonatal testing, DNA fingerprinting and forensic research in Nigeria. Now, a new facility at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) allows researchers to carry out genetic analysis with multiple benefits, ranging from disease prevention to agricultural research. […]

April 10, 2014

Malawi finally opens science and tech university

Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), located in the southern region’s tea-growing district of Thyolo, opened its doors to the first batch of students last month (31 March), ten years after it was proposed.Read more […]

April 9, 2014

Oil royalties mostly failing to fill research coffers by Admin | Apr 9, 2014 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Several developing nations have mooted the idea of funding public research with a tax on or royalties from natural resources, such as oil, but only a few appear to have made good on their promise. Nigeria’s 2006 proposal to use oil revenues to set up a US$5 billion endowment fund for science and technology seems to have gone nowhere. […]

April 8, 2014

Secrecy among Kenyan firms may be impeding innovation

Firms in Kenya are using secrecy instead of patents to protect their valuable ideas and innovations, according to preliminary results from a World Bank study, and this is hampering collaboration and creativity in the country. Read more […]

April 7, 2014

EU criticised for failure to transfer technology

European countries contribute less to global technological development than other developed nations, and are pursuing intellectual property policies that are not “development friendly”, according to a study. Read more […]

April 4, 2014

US innovation partnership aims to end extreme poverty

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is further “ramping up” its commitment to placing science and technology at the heart of development with the launch today of a major innovation partnership. Bringing together a wide range of actors, including businesses, universities and NGOs, the US Global Development Lab (GDL) will help create and spread science-based solutions to […]