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This September issue of the AAS Big Picture focuses on the continued response against COVID-19 and includes surveys to collate scientist's experiences for procuring
R&D reagents and equipment and to map out Research & Development interventions. It also includes a series of blogs and case studies from AAS' community of scientists covering priorities to achieve Africa’s food security, reducing maternal depression, barriers
to malaria interventions and effects of waste water pollution. This issue also features opportunities in horticulture, environmental policy, media and advocacy training.
Reach out to us on
bigpi...@aasciences.africa if you have content on science, technology and innovation (STI) funding opportunities, courses, trainings, events, conferences or news on science in Africa. Send in content by 20
September 2020 for inclusion in the October issue of the monthly e-newsletter.
To catch up on past issues of the AAS newsletter, check out our
AAS Big Picture web page.
Are you subscribed to the AAS YouTube channel? Follow us on African Academy of Sciences
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Africa should be at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccine trials
Fewer than 2% of clinical trials globally are conducted in Africa. We need to change this and ensure that African perspectives are considered during the clinical testing of medicines and vaccines. Helping find the solution allows us to build our research institutions
and capacity, which, in turn, helps better prepare our infrastructure for future pandemics and creates jobs.
Read more.
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COVID-19 webinars
The African Academy of Sciences has archived webinars on COVID-19, taking place in Africa for you to listen to at your convenience. These cover topics such as, mental health, early lessons from Africa and global health security. Listen
here.
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Mapping out R&D Interventions to COVID-19
The African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC) calls upon Africa's most notable scientists, to participate in a survey/research on Mapping Out Research & Development Interventions to Covid-19 designed to assess the evolution of R&D interventions
in the fight against Covid-19 among AU Member States. This will contribute to knowledge-sharing and capacity building to empower relevant stakeholders in this fight.
Read more.
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UN Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery
The UN Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery will build on the work of the UN’s existing COVID-19 socio-economic recovery framework, aiming to transform COVID-19 recovery into a rapid learning initiative – one where national and international responses
can be informed by rigorous research evidence generated in the forthcoming recovery period.
Read more.
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Patient-centric research in the time of COVID-19
This publication by Victoria Nembaware et al, highlights that research practices should be ethical and transparent, prioritising patient benefits and provision of health care, and respecting participant autonomy. Researchers should ensure consent models reflect
research risk level and factor the heightened vulnerability of the study population during a health crisis.
Read more.
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COVID-19 vaccines: accelerating vaccine development and global manufacturing capacity to stop the pandemic
CEPI has announced an extension to their call for proposals to advance development and global manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines. The call, launched in collaboration with the European Commission, seeks vaccine developers with end-to-end experience and capability
for the global supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses in a 12-18-month time frame.
Read more.
Applications close on 28 September 2020.
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A quick look at the science supported by the AAS across the continent. This month we look at priorities to achieve
Africa’s food security, reducing maternal depression, barriers to malaria interventions, effects of waste water pollution and bridging the gendar gap in STEM.
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Research priorities to achieve Africa’s food security and nutrition needs
Approximately 27% of the population in Africa was classified as severely food insecure in 2016, which is almost four times as high as any other region. In this blog, Grace Mwaura, Fellows Manager at the AAS and Namukolo Covic, Senior Research Coordinator at
the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) discuss the priority setting exercise for food security and nutrition in Africa.
Read more.
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Engaging traditional birth attendants to reduce maternal depression
Worldwide about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In this case study, Christine Musyimi, AESA grantee under the Grand Challenges Africa (GC Africa) programme, sheds light on
how training of lay workers - such as Traditional Birth attendants (TBAs) - to identify and manage mental health conditions in pregnant women could reduce the mental health treatment gap in low-resource settings.
Read more.
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Barriers to malaria interventions in Ghana
More than 50 million women in sub-Saharan Africa become pregnant each year and are at risk of exposure to
Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite globally. Although malaria is preventable, it remains a leading cause of illness and death in Africa. In this case study, Matilda Aberese-Ako,
AESA grantee under the Developing Excellence, Leadership and Training in Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa) programme, outlines that health system challenges, socio-cultural practices, individual attitudes and household factors influenced the use of malaria
interventions among pregnant women in Ghana.
Read more.
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Disruptive effects of waste water pollution on aquatic biodiversity
In this case study, Afusat Jagun Jubril, AESA grantee under the Climate Impacts Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE) Fellowship, reveals that surface water in Lake Naivasha, Kenya, is contaminated with Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs),
which inhibits the adaptive response of temperature tolerance in tilapia fish.
Read more.
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Bridging the gender gap for women in science in Africa
Cognizant of the gender disparity in STEM, the AESA platform (Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa - a partnership of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) with support from IAVI, a nonprofit
scientific research organization, undertook a study to examine factors which contribute to or inhibit women from pursuing STEM careers in Africa.
Read more.
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Life Science Supplies Procurement Survey
Life science research often entails the use of specialized reagents and equipment, most of which are not locally produced in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). This survey aims to examine the experiences of life science researchers in SSA when procuring these lab supplies.
The result of the survey will be aggregated and used to accurately describe the life science supplies market chain in SSA using a data-driven approach.
Take survey.
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The AAS has a large database of eminent scientists and promising early and mid-career African scientists. Here we look
at some of these researchers who have received international accolades and unique opportunities.
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Mahathir Science Award
The recipient of the 2020 Mahathir Science Award (MSA), the most prestigious international Science Award for Tropical Sciences, is AAS Fellow, Professor Sir Alimuddin Zumla, of Infectious Diseases and International Health at University College London, UK and
Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician at UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London. UK. Prof Alimuddin’s research and capacity development work over 30 years have allowed for breakthroughs in Tuberculosis, TB/HIV co-infections and Infectious Diseases with
Epidemic potential, as well as improved health of disadvantaged people.
Read more.
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EDCTP Senior Fellowships
Two AAS Affiliates, Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi and Christina Thobakgale, were awared Senior Fellowships by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). The EDCTP Fellowships support senior researchers to advance themselves as world-class
research leaders in product development through clinical trials and closely related fields, and, secondly, to equip senior researchers in training and mentoring junior researchers at host institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Kwadwo's project will focus on
clinical and immunopathological consequences of chronic Hepatitis B and malaria co-infections. Christina's project will focus on innate immunological mechanisms of control and factors driving inflammation in HIV. Read
more.
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The AAS and its partners have teamed up to offer opportunities in environmental policy, media and advocacy training.
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Environmental policy design and implementation: toward a sustainable society
The purpose of this Special Issue is to contribute on how environmental policies might be designed in the future for sustainable transformations of urban planning in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more.
Applications close on 30 September 2020.
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2021 OWSD Elsevier foundation awards
These awards reward and encourage women working and living in eligible developing countries who are in the early stages of their scientific careers, having often overcome great challenges to achieve research excellence. Awardees must have made a demonstrable
impact on the research environment and must have received their PhD in the last ten years.
Read more.
Applications close on 30 September 2020.
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The Canada Gairdner Awards
The Canada Gairdner Awards are among the leading international prizes for medical science research, and a strong predictor for the Nobel Prize. The awards are for outstanding biomedical scientists who have made original contributions to medicine resulting in
an increased understanding of human biology and disease and Global Health Award for scientifically based research that has improved the health and well-being of those facing health inequities worldwide.
Read more.
Applications close on 01 October 2020.
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TWAS Fellowships for Research and Advanced Training
TWAS offers fellowships to young scientists in developing countries to enable them to spend three to 12 months at a research institution in a developing country other than their own. The purpose of these fellowships is to enhance the research capacity of promising
scientists, especially those at the beginning of their research career, helping them to foster links for further collaboration.
Read more.
Applications close on 01 October 2020.
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New Voices Fellowship
The New Voices Fellowship at the Aspen Institute is a year-long, non-residential program that provides intensive media and advocacy training for frontline development experts working in fields such as food security, global health, human rights, and climate
change.
Read more.
Applications close on 17 October 2020.
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Take advantage of online lectures to advance your scientific and technical knowledge.
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HS Talks: Online lectures in biomedicine and life sciences
Leading universities in over 50 countries subscribe to The Biomedical & Life Sciences Collection of animated, online lectures by world leading experts accessible at
https://hstalks.com/biosci/. It is now available free to all universities in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa.
Read more.
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Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa)
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting a Virtual Symposium on the State of Data Science, this is a collection of online, interactive panel discussions that will take place on a weekly basis in September and October 2020. These sessions will feature
presentations by experts in their field, a moderated discussion, and opportunities for Q&A.
Read more.
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South African Women in Science webinar series
The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), in partnership with the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), Black Women in Science and Nka'Thuto EduPropeller will host a series of webinars running from August to November 2020.
These webinars will celebrate women's achievements in science, and provide a platform to engage on challenges limiting the participation and success of women in science and research. Read
more.
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Epidemiology Crash Course for Journalists
The media organisation, Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, hosted the “Epidemiology 101” course to equip Africa-based journalists to understand the scientific knowledge production process. This free course gives journalists the tools to navigate through
fast-tracked research and critically report on COVID-19.
Read more.
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Your Digital Mentor Podcast
‘Your Digital Mentor’ is a free podcast series, which will explore topics around mentoring and career development, tackling the challenges through real stories and honest discussions from experts guests across the world. These conversations will offer valuable
advice and information that’s freely accessible to everyone, demonstrating the importance of great mentoring to a community.
Listen here.
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Here’s why Africa needs to invest in home-grown science
World Economic Forum, 13 August 2020
African scientists now play a crucial role in fighting hunger and poverty, and achieving sustainable economic growth for the continent. More and more African leaders have publicly committed to investing more in home-grown science, technology and education.
Read more.
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Some mosquitoes already have resistance to the latest weapon against malaria
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 31 August 2020
An insecticide about to be widely deployed inside African homes to combat malaria-carrying mosquitoes is already losing its punch.
Read more.
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Partnership to Strengthen Africa’s Research Management Capacity
Science Africa, 20 August 2020
The Association of African Universities have partnered with the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) to implement the second phase of the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) research management project.
Read more.
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Lessons from a diabetes clinic in Malawi
Modern Ghana, 17 August 2020
Diabetes mellitus is common in Malawi: over 268,000 adults live with the disease, and the number is expected to double in the next 20 years. Following a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight are key to prevention and control of diabetes.
Read more.
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Making the innovation ecosystem in Africa thrive
Innovations are a risky affair and require long-term investments, without having immediate results or impact. GCAiN is a virtual network bringing innovators and potential innovation partners (funders, governments, policy makers, industry, incubators and experts)
together in a secluded, safe, and confidential space to share ideas, exchange information and plan for innovations success.
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