We are proud to announce that the IUCr has been awarded a grant for the project "Building Science Capacity in Africa via Crystallography" under the ICSU Grants Programme 2015. The proposal was prepared as a follow-up to the IYCr Pan African Summit meeting (Bloemfontein, October 2014) and submitted by the IUCr (as an ICSU member) on behalf of Andreas Roodt, President of ECA and chair of the Summit meeting, and Michele Zema, IYCr Project Manager and IUCr representative for the proposal.

The IUCr project is supported by:

• ECA
• UNESCO
• ICSU Regional Office for Africa
• INDABA Series of meetings
• SAASTA (South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement) Public Engagement with Nanotechnology

The project aims at further cementing the African Crystallographic Association (AfCA), whose Steering Committee has been established at the Summit meeting in Bloemfontein in October 2014. The programme will be conducted as part of the IUCr Crystallography in Africa initiative.

The main actions will be: 

(i) A follow-up meeting to the Summit in 2014 preferentially in Northern Africa, to further work towards the formal formation of AfCA;
(ii) A Workshop in Central Africa, preferably in the Democratic Republic of Congo to offer local scientists the opportunity to interact, liaise, and strengthen basic knowledge of crystallography;
(iii) Bring African scientists to the INDABA series of conferences in South Africa (latter part of 2015) to expose them to high level International interdisciplinary science.

Moreover, the project includes many additional actions, which will be unertaken pending on availability of funds, infra structure and human resources.

Work plan

As indicated, this proposal deals with three principal thrusts. It involves primarily organising of three meetings during the period 2015-2016 by the AfCA Steering Committee:

• A follow-up meeting to the Summit in Bloemfontein, preferentially in Northern Africa, to further cement the formation of AfCA;
• A Workshop in Central Africa, preferably in the Democratic Republic of Congo to offer local scientists the opportunity to interact, liase, and strengthen basic knowledge of crystallography;
• Bring African scientists to the INDABA series of conferences in South Africa to expose them to high level International interdisciplinary science.

Additional actions will be undertaken but are not formally in place, pending on availability of funds, infra structure and human resources. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, the following:

• pro-actively continue with programmes to ensure that the legacy of the International Year of Crystallography and particularly the promotion of science is preserved;
• over time provide basic diffraction equipment for crystallographers in all countries in the region to allow research activity in Crystallography and balanced partnership collaboration across Africa and beyond;
• facilitate the establishment of National Committees of Crystallography in African Countries and support the activities of the existing ones;
• introduce a scientific visa to ensure mobility of researchers between African nations. Such a visa would allow for the exchange and collaboration between African countries and the sharing of scientific resources and expertise, to address common developmental targets, for the benefit of all. This scientific visa should be free of charge, be valid for at least a year, and should be issued quickly once certified by appropriate higher education and research bodies;
• support training workshops;
• encourage the mobility of researchers within the region; promote joint research projects;
• leverage national bodies, institutions and international funding agencies for financial support;
• facilitate regional conferences on the subject of Crystallography and its applications in Africa;
• assist in the promotion of Crystallography and science in education programmes;
• provide the very poor countries with minimal infra structure and materials for research such as powerful computers for data analyses and servers;
• assist in creating a database, listing African crystallographers;
• establish a public awareness and engagement programme that will create fact-based understanding of Crystallography through awareness, dialogue and education in the region.

Expected results

Significant expansion of science in Africa, and ultimately, the establishment of an African Crystallographic Association (AfCA).

Under auspices of the Steering Committee which will cement the formation of AfCA, crystallography will be expanded to eventually become a full regional affiliate of the International Union of Crystallography [i.e., similar to ACA, LaCA, ECA and AsCA; the American Crystallographic Association, the Latin American Crystallographic Association, the European Crystallographic Association and the Asian-Australasian Crystallographic Association].

Eighteen countries have already joined the Steering Committee with aim to formally establish AfCA (see figure).

In particular, it is foreseen that an African IYCr Cooperation Fund is established. The community thus commits to engage with other local academies, funding agencies and/ or governments to provide annual contributions commensurate with each country's economic status.

The overarching drive and funds will assist to support actions such as:

• increasing collaboration and cooperation among scientists in Africa;
• providing seed money for up to two projects per annum initially, involving a minimum of 2 countries in the region, of which at least one should be well established in Crystallography; this will be done in collaboration with the overarching fund, foreseen to be established as per Declaration. [3]
• funding for short term visits of up to 3 months for early career researchers; supporting training workshops at established centres of Crystallography or at emerging centres in the region;
• enabling the sharing of facilities within the region.

Scientific Schools and workshops similar to BloemCrystSchool and the European Crystallographic School are also eventually anticipated to flow from this proposal.