Issued by: SA Communication Service
FRENCH AND SOUTH AFRICAN CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN CNRS AND FRD
The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and its South African counterpart, the Foundation for Research Development (FRD) will sign a co-opeation agreement in Pretoria, on Friday, 24 October, 1997. This agreement will allow for tighter and sustained collaboration in the fields of exact, social and human sciences. The implementation of this co-operation will be multifaceted, including joint research projects, missions and study visits, information exchange and seminars. The research projects, run jointly within the framework of this bilateral agreement, could lead to multilateral co-operation with other European Union member States or with other African countries.
Several areas of priorities have already been identified:
The CNRS will be represented by Dr Daniel CADET, Director of International Relations. He will sign this first ever agreement between the CNRS and a research institute in South Africa. FRD President, Dr Khotso MOKHELE will sign the agreement on behalf of South Africa's FRD-funded research community.
The CNRS's resolve to reinforce links beteen rench and South African scientific communities had been inaugurated by the nomination in 1996 of a CNRS representative based in Pretoria.
The CNRS, which is essentially responsible for basic research, employs around 31 000 people at over 1 500 laboratories, including 11 600 researchers and 5 000 visiting scientists from other countries. This largest public research organisation in France works with 1000 French companies through 3800 contracts. At the international level, 90 programmes of scientific and technical co-operation are being implemented and 24 European laboratory associations are involved.
The FRD, which supports over a thousand grant-holders across the country, forges and maintains strategic and intellectual alliances between individuals and organisations in the science, engineering and technology research communities nationally and internationally. This new agreement strengthens the existing French/SA agreement and provides South Africa's university, technikon and museum researchers access to CNRS laboratories.
For 1997, the French Government has earmarked R40.2 bn for its civilian research and development budget with research bodies as main beneficiaries. For its part, the CNRS receives a R10.40 bn budget, i.e. more than a quarter of France's civilian research budget.
Media contact: Yves LO-PINTO Tel: (012) 43 55 64 E-mail: famba@iafrica.com - Fax: (012) 43 37 69