Celebrating AU EU R&I Cooperation Success

The African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) have long shared a commitment to fostering strong partnerships that drive sustainable development, economic growth and societal transformation. One of the most promising avenues of collaboration lies in research and innovation (R&I) where both regions can leverage their unique strengths to address common challenges and create lasting impacts.

In the frame of the SEADE project, an open call was issued for R&I collaboration success stories from across the EU and Sub-Saharan Africa. SEADE partners carefully analysed them based on an impact assessment framework and the most successful examples were recognised with an award at the first SEADE R&I Summit in Cape Town in December 2024.

Check out the winners below!

ACCESS: The African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support is an initiative of the University of Leipzig increasing the opportunities of African students in the global labour market and connecting them with companies that can benefit from their expertise. Find out more.

ENRICH in Africa: The ENRICH in Africa Centre, a legacy of the Horizon 2020 ENRICH in Africa project, brings African and European innovation stakeholders together with the aim of enabling positive social impact. Find out more.

AfriConEU: AfriConEU is a Horizon 2020 project connecting digital innovation hubs across Africa and Europe to foster collaboration, innovation, and market expansion. Find out more.

BIC Africa: The EU project BIC Africa strengthens business incubators and supports startups to foster innovation and economic growth. Find out more.

TWIGA: TWIGA is a Horizon 2020 project enhancing resilience and productivity in agriculture by providing real-time weather and climate data. Find out more.

SEADE partners will now pull together the most important learnings from these success stories and use this knowledge to strengthen strategic partnerships and future joint endeavours.