The call for abstracts closed on March 15 and received 97 abstracts. The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) together with volunteers from Lund University, Karlstad University, University of Botswana and Vaal University of Technology have selected 77 abstracts. The selected and rejected abstracts were notified around May 12. Further updates on the conference.

More information about SANORD Partner Day in Malmö 5-6 September 2016 has been updated on the website. Please register on the website for the Partner Day. Read more: 

Pictured: SANORD Partner Day 2015 at the University of Namibia November 30th. 

On 1 January 2016, the University of Nordland merged with the University Colleges in Nesna and Nord-Trøndelag. The new institution called Nord University has approximately 12,000 students and 1,200 employees. The university now has nine study locations in Central and Northern Norway, and its core fields relate to bioeconomics, business, welfare innovation, health and education. Mr Bjørn Olsen is the rector of Nord University. Nord University. 

University of Fort Hare (UFH) was established in 1916 and celebrates its 100 year birthday this year. Celebratory events, such as ZK Matthews Memorial Lecture, Mandela Exhibition and Chancellor's Dinner, have taken place thorough the beginning of 2016 and will culminate in the University of Fort Hare Centenary Conference held July 4-6 2016 under the theme of “Transformation in Higher Education & Leadership: Looking back at a Century of Intellectual and Scholarly Commitment in Africa”. 

Read more about the Centenary Celebrations.
Read more about the Centenary Conference. 

University of Pretoria (UP) held a seminar to launch a new focus of the University's Institutional Research Theme on Food, Nutrition and Wellbeing. The seminar was attended by lawyers and scientists from a range of disciplines and faculties. The next step in the initiative is to establish a working group to identify UP's strategic niche area and to elaborate a strategy of development. Read more: 

University of Turku (UTU) Adjunct Professor of Biomathematics Laura Elo has received the 5-year European Research Council (ERC) Starter Grant which is awarded to a top researcher in the early stages of their scientific career. Dr. Elo's project develops computational modelling methods that enable the use of extensive longitudinal proteomics measurement data in determining individualized disease risk dynamically. Read more: 

The first ever South Africa –Norway Science Week will be held from October 31st to November 2nd 2016, with the first day taking place in Pretoria and the second and third days in Cape Town to explore new possibilities, business opportunities and solutions within the maritime, marine and renewable energy sectors. The overall theme for this year’s conference will be "Ocean Space/Blue economy". Read more: 

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings data has revealed the top universities in Africa. University of Cape Town was ranked at the top due to its highly cited research, strong international outlook and ability to attract funds from industry. Other SANORD members listed in the top 15 were Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Pretoria. Read more: 

University of Iceland (HI) held the international conference "Inclusive Peace: Women, Peace and Security Post 2015" April 14-15 2016. The purpose of the conference was to discuss aspects of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325. The conference had three key themes: gender in conflict prevention and the prevention of gender-based violence, the participation of women in peace processes and women's roles in conflict transformation. Read more: 

University of Tampere (UTA) has established their own Celiac Disease Research Centre. The study of celiac disease conducted in Tampere is unique worldwide because it is not restricted to a particular age group but covers all age groups.The new centre will provide a boost to the position and visibility of research in the field which already has international recognition. Read more:  

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), with the aid of funding from Norway, has established Fisheries Law Enforcement Academy called FishFORCE which will help South Africa step up the fight against illegal fisheries vessels. FishFORCE agreement falls under the broader partnership between South Africa and Norway that is being developed through Operation Phakisa and the Oceans Economy. Read more: 

Rhodes University (RU) has finalised a partnership with UNICEF pioneering the way forward in the treatment and care for people living with HIV and AIDS. Rhodes University Biotechnology Innovation Centre (RUBIC) was identified as a potential partner and with UNICEF funding has the opportunity to focus time and resources on developing prototypes to translate technology into real, simple and rapid tools for healthcare providers. Read more: 

Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku will be hosting the 18th International Futures Conference 12-13 June 2017 in Turku, Finland under the theme of 'Futures of a Complex World'. The call for paper is open with the theme of complexity and futures thinking, different futures, challenges and opportunities for global governance among many others. The deadline for the papers is December 2 2016. Read more: 

University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Africa Evidence Network (AEN) will host the 2016 Africa Evidence Network Conference 20-22 September 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. The theme of the conference is "Engage, Understand and Impact" and will bring together about 350 participants from across Africa who have an interest in evidence and its production and use in decision-making. Read more: 

The17th WaterNet/WRFSA/GWPSA Symposium, hosted by the University of Botswana, will be held in Gaborone, Botswana 26-28 October 2016. This year theme is 'Integrated Water Resources Management: Water Security, Sustainability and Development in Eastern and Southern Africa'. Water sector professionals, policy makers and international cooperating partners are invited to use the symposium as a platform to build partnerships and strengthen cooperation. Read more: 

The 6th NoRSA (Nordic Section of Regional Studies Association) conference will be held 9-10 March 2017 in Karlstad, Sweden. The conference invites papers that (1) look at forms of governing in relation to politicisation, de-politicisation, people-driven processes and local knowledge, especially in the context of regional governance, and (2) explore how economic, social and environmental transition processes are, or may be, played out in different regions in the past and present. Read more: 

The Global Conference on Higher Education Internationalisation, held August 22-24 2016 in Kruger National Park, South Africa, is now open for registration. The aim of the conference is to provide a common platform for Higher Education educators, professionals and other interested parties to deliberate and explore the current and future challenges facing Higher Education, specifically concerning its internationalisation endeavours. Read more: 

The SARUA Curriculum Innovation Network (SCIN) invites to participate in a final round of curriculum and courseware review for their Open Access regional Master's programme in climate change and sustainable development. For the latest round of review, registered members of the Peer Review Group (PRG) receive draft Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) Plans and Resource Sheets with initial learning resources per module. Read more: 

The University of Turku (UTU) has been granted a four-year professorship by UNESCO within a project aiming at making use of futures research tools to eradicate poverty and increase well-being in developing countries. Professor of Futures Studies Markku Wilenius has been appointed to the position. The aim of the professorship is to support futures work in the developing countries. Read more: 

Professor Olubukola Babalola from the Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology at the North-West University (NWU) was elected Vice-President for the Africa region of Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) which is an independent, non-profit body that provides research training and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world. Read more: 

UP, in partnership with South African Council for Shopping Centres (SACSC) and the Department of Construction Economics in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) has established a Chair of Shopping Centre Studies. The Chair will provide students an opportunity to produce pioneering research. In addition to research, the option to specialise in shopping centres will be introduced in BSc(Hons) and MSc in Real Estate from 2017. The Chair will be head by Professor Chris Cloete. Read more: 

Council of Stellenbosch University (SU) has appointed Professor Nico Koopman to act permanently as Vice-Rector of Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel. He has published widely on theological and ethical issues, and has won several awards for his contributions, including the Andrew Murray Prize for Theological Literature.

The Council also appointed Professor Hester Klopper as Vice-Rectors to lead the new Strategic Initiatives and Internationalisation portfolio. Klopper is the Chief Executive Officer of Fundisa (Forum for University Nursing Deans of SA) and served as President of the International Board of Directors of Sigma Theta Tau International from 2013 to 2015. Read more: 

Liisa Laakso, a Doctor of Social Sciences, started in her post as the Rector of the University of Tampere (UTA) in the beginning of 2016. She earned her doctorate at the University of Helsinki in 2000. Laakso is an expert on world politics and international development cooperation. Her research interests include the democratisation of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and the development policies and crisis management of the EU and Finland. Read more: 

The unprecedented rate of urbanisation in Africa poses a major threat to biodiversity. It presents one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. Now, a collaboration between Lund University (LU) and University of Cape Town (UCT) has been formed to aid understanding whether the recently urbanised species reveal physiological costs when living in polluted urban habitats and how this relates to prey availability. Read more: 

Researchers at the Department of Psychosocial Science at the University of Bergen (UiB) have examined the associations between workaholism and psychiatric disorders and found that workaholics scored higher on all the psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics. The findings highlight the importance of further research on neurobiological deviations related to workaholic behaviour. Read more: 

A research conducted by Linköping University together with Scandinavian Biogas and Pöyry finds that there is one terawatt-hour of biogas in the waste streams from paper and pulp mills. Biogas facility at a mill also provides a number of other advantages, such as increasing capacity, reducing energy and chemical consumption and spreading biogas production more evenly across the country. Read more: 

Author: Collaboration between University of Malawi's Chancellor College and University of Bergen

To be published in September 2016

'Women in Politics in Malawi' explored the recent developments in women's participation in politics in Malawi, focusing especially on the factors behind an increase in women's participation in political representation, the explanations behind the recent electoral setback, and options as to what can be done to improve women's representation in Malawi. Read more: 

Author: Norwegian Church Aid

It is common knowledge that HIV is widespread in Malawi. Many attempts are being made to address the pandemic and reduce the suffering, and often women are the focus. 'The Link Between Masculinity, Alcohol and HIV/AIDS' explores the major role men have in the fight against HIV/AIDS, not only by changing behaviour but also by understanding concepts of masculinity and that women may also profit from that. Read more: