2020 CONFERENCE POSTPONED

Dear all friends of the SANORD community                                      Due to the COVID-19 situation the SANORD Board has concluded to postpone the SANORD conference in Bergen from 2020 to 2021.

We are therefore pleased to welcome you all back to Bergen 7-10 September 2021. Read More:

The 2021 conference that was scheduled to be held at University of Limpopo has been postponed to 2022. The dates for this conference will be available early next year.

SCO would like to wish all our Nordic colleagues a pleasant and well deserved summer holiday.

We thank you for ongoing support and interest in SANORD, passion and willingness to be part of the SANORD operations. Enjoy your vacations, travel safely and stay well during the pandemic.

On 17 June 2020 the Board of University of Gothenburg decided to propose Anders Hagfeldt, Professor of Physical Chemistry, as new Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University from the beginning of next year. The proposal now passes to the government for a decision later in the summer.  Read More:

Professor of Physical Chemistry Anders Hagfeldt as Vice Chancellor of Uppsala University, Sweden from 1 January 2021. Photograph: Jim Elfström

SOTL in the South would like to invite you to contribute to the next issue, 5(1), of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) in the South journal, an online, open-access and double-blind peer-reviewed journal dedicated to fostering dialogue and research on teaching and learning in higher education in the global South, or about the global South.  Read More:

The Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) is inviting short-term Group Residencies to support new or existing collaborative research projects during the second semester of 2020 (August to December 2020).  Read More:

The Team Finland Knowledge (TFK) network was established by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland and deployed an expert to South Africa.The purpose of this network is to enhance education and science collaboration as well as mobility and competence exchange between Finland and host nations.

Therefore, the Embassy of Finland and Finnish government’s education promotion programme Education Finland assigned the University of Eastern Finland to draw a situational analysis that has now been completed. This study gives basis for future efforts of all Finnish actors in education, public and private alike. Read More:

Aarhus University together and one of the SANORD members, namely, UCT are involved with a project on European colonial heritage funded by EU’s research programme Horizon 2020. 

The research programme on European, colonial heritage, ECHOES, has just launched an initiative, key interventions, that gives voice to comments on discussions about colonial heritage. Below is a short description and the link. Since discussions on European, colonial heritage also involves scholars and more broadly citizens from African countries. Read more:

Bergen Summer Research School (BSRS) opened 8 June 2020 with a record number of participants. Together with some of Bergen's best research milieus, they explored how their research can contribute to solving global challenges. This year they meet online - watch the many public lectures on YouTube. Read More:

Unleashing the new global university is a series of virtual events in which we invite innovative, international and local speakers to have challenging conversations that help us rethink global collaborations for a sustainable and equitable planet. On Monday, 29 June, the University of Cape Town (UCT) hosted the first of a series of virtual events: Unleashing the New Global University. Read More:  https://www.news.uct.ac.za/news/research-office/-article/2020-06-19-its-time-to-rethink-the-global-university

Message from Jan Ifversen,  Aarhus University.                              In Denmark full lockdown began in mid-March with large parts of the population working or studying online. Gradual re-opening began after the Easter break. Now this includes all sectors of society. Borders to other EU-countries, except Sweden, Portugal and Great Britain are now fully opened. Hospitalisation has decreased to almost nothing. Compared to other countries, few people died of Covid-19 in Denmark, and the level of contamination is also very low. Focus is now shifting to the economic situation in the wake of the lockdown. Aviation and tourism are dramatically touched. We are waiting to see the effects on other industries. 

We that are so lucky to be born in this part of the world are thinking of the many places in the global South much worse affected by Covid-19. To all our African friends in SANORD, we wish that you "Stay Well and Safe". 

Most SADC Member States have implemented stringent measures to restrict the movement of people, encourage social distancing and promote sound hygiene standards in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  Unprecedented lockdowns have been effected in a number of SADC Member States, while some have not yet done.  Read More:

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been placed 75th overall in the world, out of more than 850 participating universities across 89 countries, for global societal, economic and environmental impact in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. Read More:

"The coronavirus crisis presents all of us with new challenges. That makes collaboration more important than ever." - Prof Eva Wiberg, Vice Chancellor at University of Gothenburg.

The University of Gothenburg are on their challenges and plans to continue to offer education during this global pandemic. Follow their progress on how they have been able to continue teaching throughout this trying time as well as reasearch on COVID-19. Read More:

At UWC, like other universities in South Africa, we waken to the possibility of celebrating Africa and our wealth as a continent. As citizens of this continent who feel the warmth of the sun, the shortage of water, or obstacles to access health care, sanitation and equitable education for all, our reality is Africa. Article written by Hilda Wilson, UWC International Office Manager. Read More:

The University of Turku participated in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking 2020 which ranks universities according to their success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read More:

University of Turku , Sweden.

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As South Africa braces for it's peak within the upcoming week's we would like to provide you with a link to the COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal. Keep Safe. Read More:

Photo: Åke Lundkvist, professor of virology and Johan Lennerstrand

 Intensive research is ongoing to develop useful drugs against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. At Uppsala Biomedical Centre (BMC), substances are being tested that attack the same type of enzyme as drugs against HIV and hepatitis C. Read More:

The HIATUS study, a research programme being launched by the Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), will investigate the interaction between the COVID-19 pandemic and common endemic infectious diseases in the South African context. Read More:

Chemists at University of Rwanda

Representatives from the International Science Programme (ISP) at Uppsala University have participated in many SANORD conferences. The International Science Programme (ISP) at Uppsala University and Sida have signed an agreement on the continued operation of the ISP Core program for 2020-2023.  Read More:

COVID-19. Large quantities of SARS-COV-2 virus have been grown in cell culture and are now available in a specially equipped laboratory at Microbiology. The cell-culture grown virus will be used to test if existing substances in 1500 already approved medicines may be effective against COVID-19. “I am hopeful that we will find something interesting,” explains Kristina Nyström, docent at Medical Microbiology at the University of Gothenburg. Read More:

How are pregnancy and fetal development affected by COVID-19? What happens to the health of the mother and child after the delivery? What is the experience of expected parents during a pandemic? A national study initiated from Gothenburg, covering a majority of Sweden’s birth centers, is focusing on these questions. Read More:

Ten projects at Malmö University receive research funding related to the ongoing Corona pandemic, according to a new Vice-Chancellor's decision. The projects cover everything from women's medical records and biomarkers to portable sensors that help diagnose Covid-19   Read More:

As university leaders and academics strive to keep research, teaching and learning on track, innovating to meet the demands of the pandemic, new challenges are emerging for non-academic support staff. International Relations Manager Hilda Wilson explains. Read More:  

Why did the Corona Virus begin to spread among humans? What can we do to prevent the spread of infection so that healthcare has sufficient resources for the seriously ill? And why do we feel such an incredible need for information in connection with major threats? We have interviewed some researchers at Uppsala University about the new Corona virus and the COVID-19 disease. Read More: