The organising committee of the SANORD 2020 Conference is following the pandemic situation closely. Many of us in the SANORD community are now busy working around challenges and solutions for our respective campuses, and for many the work situation has been challenged by the situation.

The organising committee has therefore decided to postpone the deadline for submission of abstracts until April 20th. Registrations will be possible from April 1st.

As of now, we plan to organise SANORD 2020 9-11 September, as scheduled. We will, however, adjust if governmental and institutional advice informs us otherwise. This will be clarified at a later stage, and we will keep you updated here.

We sincerely hope to see you in a healthy Bergen in September!   Read more:

SANORD supports all our nations targeted interventions to protect the health, livelihood and safety of the citizenry. We will continue to communicate with you through the SANORD Central Office which remains operational.We trust that we will prevail in the face of one of the most serious health crises to ever face not only our own countries, but the world. Read More:

The deadline for registering for the SANORD 3MT competition has closed on 1 March 2020. We now await the deadline for the conducting of the 3MT competitions on 30 April 2020. Read More:

Given the current situation with Corona virus, COVID-19, we have no choice but to postpone the third SASUF Research & Innovation Week to 23-27 November, 2020 in Sweden. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make the appropriate decisions for the safety and well-being of all participants.

The official programme for the new November meeting will look very similar to the planned May programme, but changes are inevitable. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this tumultuous time.

All the best,

The SASUF Team

The 2019 BOC Scholars are all due to travel to their respective host universities during this coming year. Two of our scholars are currently abroad in both Denmark and Sweden while the other three are unable to travel due to the COVID19 crisis. The scholars hope to travel later this year with the directive from their host institutions.  We wish our students a safe stay abroad and hope that the rest will be able to travel after the global lockdown.

The 2020 Call for Applications is scheduled to be published on 15 April 2020 if all goes according to plan. For more information please follow the link below. Read More:

The 2020 Call for Applications for Theme Group Projects funding is scheduled to be published on 15 April 2020 according to the plan. For more information on SANORD's research funding follow the link.   Read more: 

All on-campus activities have been cancelled for the majority of our member Universities. There will be no teaching activities at any of these Universities in an attempt to prevent spreading of the Corona virus. All conferences and events have been cancelled or postponed at most institutions until further notice.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all SANORD member Universities well in this trying time. 

THE Southern Africa Impact Virtual Forum
Wednesday 1 April 2020 @ 10.55 - 13.20 SAST.

Please join us on Wednesday 1 April for a special online forum to explore how the role and responsibilities of African universities may be transformed in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Bringing together the perspectives of university leaders, research funding agencies and global alliances, this open forum will address the critical questions arising from the global pandemic for African higher education.

In addition, in an exclusive data masterclass, THE will provide an early preview of its 2020 University Impact Rankings, giving an insight into African performance using the biggest-ever global dataset of universities’ impact as measured through the United Nations’ SDGs.

We look forward to joining you and the rest of our global community for this essential debate in the midst of profound disruption. Read More:

The European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) have proposed a new framework for EU-Africa partnership, focused on five global trends:

1. A Partnership for the Green Transition and Energy Access
2. A Partnership for Digital Transformation
3. A Partnership for Sustainable Growth and Jobs
4. A Partnership for Peace, Security and Governance
5. A Partnership on Migration and Mobility

Deepening cooperation based around shared interests and values will enable both sides to achieve their common goals and to tackle global challenges. Building an ongoing dialogue will be the basis of discussion in the run-up to the next European Union-African Union Summit in Brussels in autumn 2020. Read more:

The Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) is offering opportunities for postdoctoral researchers based in Africa to work and develop their ongoing research at NAI. The scholarship offers access to the Institute's library and other resources that provide for a stimulating research environment in Uppsala, Sweden. Through the programme, the Nordic Africa Institute aims to contribute to building capacity in the production of knowledge about Africa, and to promote and establish relations with and between African and Nordic research communities. The application deadline is 1 April 2020. Read more:

The University of Turku (UTU) is offering a new international M.Sc(Tech.) degree programme at the University of Namibia (UNAM), starting in August 2020. This software engineering programme is a pioneering new collaboration between Finland and Namibia, where students study at the UTU satellite campus at UNAM in Windhoek. Working closely with students and companies from the EU and from Southern Africa will train software engineers who are able to understand IT-related challenges in the global south and design, develop, implement, and evaluate software solutions to meet these requirements. The application deadline is 15 May 2020. Read more:

UEF invites applications for the 2020 edition of the UEF-UN Environment Course on Multilateral Environmental Agreements. The course is a high profile two week Course on MEAs, international environmental law-making and diplomacy. It is organised annually in cooperation of the University of Eastern Finland and United Nations Environment Programme, with a changing course venue and theme each year. This year the course will take place 17 to 27 August 2020 and the deadline for applications is 17 April 2020. Read more:

SANORD would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the University of Turku on their 100th anniversary. Celebrations took place at the end of February, where the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, was awarded the Alum of the Year recognition, for his work highlighting the importance of scientific knowledge in public debate and decision-making. More celebratory events are set to take place later in the year. Read more:

President Sauli Niinistö recognised as Alum of the Year.               Photo: Hanna Oksanen.

The visit was to discuss the significance of international collaborations between the two universities. The visit was part of the ongoing effort to strengthen their bilateral agreement. HV has gifted UWC with a new facility known as the "Zoom Room" which is situated in the  Political Science Department and allows for remote teaching and academic intercation between lecturers and students at the two universities. Part of the agenda was the expansion and continued interest in the Work Intergrated Learning programme:  Read More:

University West DVC research Prof Svensson and VC Prof Hellström during their visit at UWC to discuss their ongoing bilateral agreement. Photo: Kelly Cyster

In March 2020, a high-level delegation from Germany's higher education institutions visited UJ to explore areas to forge collaborations and exchange programmes in academic fields that match their strengths, notably in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Physics and Astronomy as well as Science, ICT and Health Sciences. Other areas included a range of academic disciplines and university management. Read more:

The German delegation of higher education representatives visiting UJ.

In February 2020, the third national SDG Conference at the University of Bergen took place. More than 300 delegates from the university sector met decision-makers from politics, departments, local government, industry, civil society and student organisations. The conference theme was 'Action/Inaction: Technologies and Partnerships'. Read more:

University of Cape Town (UCT) is regarded as the continent’s academic and research powerhouse. With collaborations across the globe, UCT is uniquely positioned to contribute to world economic, environmental and social sustainability according to Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe during her keynote address at the annual Heads of Mission breakfast, hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi. Read More:

Dr Moloi-Motsepe with Assoc Prof Sudesh Sivarasu (middle) and Assoc Prof Salome Maswime. Photo credit: Lerato Maduna.

The Rectors, Presidents and Vice-Chancellors from seven of Europe’s leading universities met in Köln, Germany in January to launch their shared vision for improving European citizens’ quality of life by creating a European University for Well-Being. Through top level education and research, the alliance will attempt to create an environment that allows for European citizens and their global neighbours to be well-educated, socially responsible, healthy, inclusive and diverse — all critical aspects of well-being. Read more:

Representatives of the allied universities gathered. Photo: LNU

Collaboration between researchers from Malmö University, Lund University and Khartoum University is taking place in Sudan's capital Khartoum. The main purpose of the project, lead by MAU's Josepha Wessels, is to contribute to scientific knowledge to tackle consequences of climate and environmental changes in urban areas of the Global South. The project will strengthen applied studies on urban sustainable development according to the Urban Sustainable Development Goal (SDG11).  Read more:

Boys in Khartoum. Photo by Josepha Wessels from her field research.

Nelson Mandela University's Centre of Community Technologies has developed an application to make healthcare and medical information more accessible to those with limited resources. The healthcare app Ncediso™ ended in the top three and won the top innovation award in the category of High Social Impact at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa hosted by Zimbabwe in February. Read more:

Researchers at UP and Leicester are revolutionising the way tuberculosis (TB) is detected through the invention and application of a 3D-printed insert added to simple face-masks. This new approach has the potential to detect millions of currently missed infections across the world. Professor Anton Stoltz, Head of Department in the Division of Infectious Diseases at UP, said this finding is particularly important because it makes early detection of TB easier and faster. Read more:

The appointment to the Rotary Peace Center has raised Uppsala University’s already attractive master’s programme in Peace and Conflict Studies to the very highest level. In January Afaf Doleeb, a master’s student, has been awarded the Martin Henriksson Holmdahl Prize, Uppsala University’s top honour for efforts to promote human rights and freedoms. The explanatory statement emphasises Doleeb’s great commitment to the peaceful protest movement, which was crucial for Sudan’s democratic development towards rule based on human rights. Read more:

DUT together with visiting researchers from SU held a dialogue discussion on the decolonisation of the curriculum at South African universities in March. The university developed a discussion paper which was intended to promote discussions that may lead to a better understanding of what decolonisation means for a university. The paper poses a series of questions that aim to provide guidance in the process of decolonisation within the curriculum. Read more:

Attendants during the dialogue. Photo: DUT

The Pan African University for Space Sciences Institute will be established at the Bellville campus of CPUT, one of the leading universities in Space Technology in Africa. Work on the university will begin in earnest and they look forward to hosting the continent’s brightest minds in space technology studies, says Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo. Read more:

Aerospace engineers at CPUT.