Overview of
Bilateral Intergovernmental Co-operation in the fields
of Science & Technology
| REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Department of
Febuary 1999 |
Index
Algeria
Bulgaria
Croatia
Egypt
European Union
Flanders (Belgium)
France
Germany
Hungary
India
Israel
Italy
Mozambique
Namibia
The Netherlands
Russia
Tunisia
United Kingdom
USA
Ukraine
Zimbabwe
Angola
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
China (Peoples Republic of)
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Iran
Korea (Republic of)
Malaysia
Mali
Mauritius
Morocco
Pakistan
Poland
Saudi Arabia
Thailand
Yemen
Yugoslavia
- The following bilateral S&T agreements, or agreements which, inter alia, include S&T, were signed by the South African Government since 1993.
- Scientists, researchers and institutions from all sectors are eligible to participate in co-operative ventures within the framework of these Agreements, e.g. the Government Sector, Business Enterprise Sector, Tertiary Education Sector and Non-profit Sector.
- It is the intention to update this document from time to time as necessary.
- An Agreement between South Africa and Namibia regarding Co-operation in the fields of Culture, Education and the Sciences was signed on 9 September 1993.
- Co-operative activities in specific fields between scientists and S&T institutions are already taking place and are being promoted.
- An Agreement between South Africa and Bulgaria on Co-operation in the fields of Education, Arts, Culture, Science, Technology and Sport was signed in Sofia on 20 November 1995 by Deputy Minister A Pahad and his Bulgarian counterpart.
- The Ambassador of Bulgaria then submitted on 12 June 1997 a detailed implementing Programme of Co-operation. However, it was decided that a separate S&T Programme of Co-operation should be developed. The Joint Committee is to finalise the draft Programme of Co-operation during 1999.
- An Agreement between South Africa and Hungary on Co-operation in the areas of Culture, Education, Science and related fields was signed on 19 February 1993.
- An Agreement on Co-operation in the fields of Science and Technology, spelling out the modalities and provisions for S&T co-operation as such, was signed on 24 November 1997. The first meeting of the Joint Board for S&T Co-operation took place from 19 to 26 October 1998 to consider proposals for the implementation of the Agreement.
- The following areas were inter alia identified as possible areas for co-operation: Materials Science, Manufacturing Technology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Systems, Sustainable Management of Environmental Issues and of Natural Resources, Exploitation of Natural Resources and Minerals.
- A call for proposals on joint ventures was distributed by the Foundation for Research Development during May 1998.
- An Agreement between South Africa and France on Co-operation in the fields of Education, Sport, Culture, Science and Technology was signed on 4 November 1994.
- The following list of provisional priority areas was submitted by South Africa: Engineering Science and Advancement of Technologies, Use of Natural Resources, Medical Research and Public Health, Social and Political Sciences. Active co-operation is already being implemented.
- The first meeting of the Joint S&T Commission is scheduled for later in 1999.
- An Agreement between South Africa and Mozambique for the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission for Co-operation was signed during July 1994.
- S&T co-operation between South Africa and Mozambique already exists in the fields of Geology, Water Supply Projects, Health Research and Coastal and Marine Resources.
- An Inter-Governmental Agreement on Co-operation, including S&T co-operation, was signed during September 1995.
- During a visit by an Israeli delegation in June 1996 a draft Agreement on Co-operation in the fields of Culture, Education and Science was initialled by the respective parties.
- Provisional areas for S&T co-operation identified, are the following: Biotechnology, Informatics, Micro-electronics, Electro-optics and Advanced Materials.
- An Agreement on Co-operation in the Scientific, Technological and Environmental Fields was signed on 5 December 1995, while the Terms of Reference of the Joint Science and Technology (S&T) Committee of the South African - United States Binational Commission (BNC) to clarify the modalities of S&T co-operation and the functioning of the Committee was signed on 4 December 1995.
- The Joint S&T Committee functions within the framework of the SA-USA Bi-National Commission co-chaired by Deputy President T. Mbeki and Vice-President A. Gore.
- The following priority areas were, inter alia, identified for co-operative ventures: S&T Capacity Building, Agriculture, Environmental Issues, Health, Mathematics and Science Education, and Climate variation prediction.
- A Bi-National Commission meeting took place from 16 to 18 February 1999 in Cape Town.
- A Protocol on a Joint South African-Russian Commission on S&T Co-operation was signed on 13 June 1995.
- The following priority areas for S&T co-operation were identified and are presently being promoted: Nuclear Physics Research, Geology and Geophysics, S&T Policy, Environmental Issues, New Materials and Biotechnology.
- The third meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Moscow on 29 June - 1 July 1998.
- An S&T agreement between the UK and SA was signed on 27 February 1995 and a Joint Research Fund established.
- The identified priority areas for co-operation are the following: Biomedicine, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Environmental Protection and the Utilisation of Natural Resources. Several joint ventures are already in progress.
- An Agreement on Co-operation between SA and India in the fields of S&T was signed on 19 July 1995. The Joint S&T Sub-Committee functions within the framework of the Joint SA-Indo Inter-Governmental Commission.
- A Programme of Co-operation in S&T was signed on 7 October 1997 during the visit of the Indian Prime Minister. The aim of this Programme is to promote the implementation of the above Agreement. The following broad areas for S&T co-operation were identified: Agricultural and Rural Development, Basic Sciences, including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Astrophysics, Biotechnology, Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Energy, including Renewable Energy Resources, Food S&T and Food Processing, Health, Information Science and Software Development, Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Sciences, Micro-electronics and Communications, Mineral Technology and Material Science, Popularisation of Science and S&T Policy Studies.
- A meeting of the Joint S&T Sub-Committee was held in South Africa on 4 and 5 December 1998.
- An Agreement between SA and Zimbabwe for the establishment of a Joint Commission for Economic, Technical, Scientific and Cultural Co-operation was signed on 2 March 1995.
- The Higher Education and S&T Sub-Working Group of the Joint Commission decided at a meeting on 7 and 8 October 1996 to investigate the possibility of international funding for joint projects, the need for a SADC portfolio on S&T, and the expediency of a separate S&T agreement to promote specific modalities of co-operation.
- An S&T delegation from Zimbabwe is provisionally scheduled to visit SA in the near future.
- An Agreement on Co-operation in the fields of Science, Research and Technology between South Africa and Germany was signed on 11 June 1996.
- The following areas of co-operation were identified and co-operative programmes are at present being developed: New Materials and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Environmental Issues, Integrated Community Development and Health Programmes, Biotechnology.
- The third meeting of the SA-German Joint Commission took place on 3 and 4 June 1997 in Germany.
- The fourth meeting of the Joint Commission is not scheduled yet.
- An Agreement on Co-operation in Education, Arts, Culture, Science, Technology and Sport was signed on 28 October 1996.
- A Protocol on the implementation of co-operation in the fields of S&T was signed by the Foundation for Research Development and the Flemish authorities at the end of 1996 and co-operative programmes are at present being developed and implemented.
- The first meeting of the Joint Committee took place on 2 to 4 March 1998 in South Africa.
- An Agreement on Co-operation in the fields of Education, Science, Arts, and Culture, Health, Welfare and Sport was signed on 30 September 1996.
- Officials from the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology and of Trade and Industry visited The Netherlands during January 1997 to study the development and implementation of S&T policy.
- A General Agreement on Co-operation in the fields of Education, Culture, Science, Technology and Sport between South Africa and Croatia was signed on 18 November 1996.
- Discussions on the development of the modalities of co-operation in the fields of S&T are to be held in due course.
- An Agreement on S&T co-operation was signed during the meeting of the Bilateral Commission on 26 August 1997.
- The first Joint Commission meeting took place from 28 – 30 October 1998 in Egypt, during which a Framework of Implementation was attached to the Memorandum of Understanding, signed at this meeting.
- An Agreement on Scientific and Technological Co-operation between the European Community (EC) and South Africa was signed on 5 December 1996.
- Information workshops on South Africa’s participation in the Fourth Framework Programme of the EC were held in South Africa during February 1997 and several submissions on collaborative ventures by South African scientists were accepted by the Programme.
- The first meeting of the Joint Science and Technology Co-operation Committee (JSTCC) took place in Brussels on 3 and 4 June 1998. Opportunities to participate in projects under the Fifth Framework Programme are being investigated.
- The second meeting of the JSTCC is scheduled for later in 1999 in South Africa.
- After certification of the draft Agreement by the Department of Foreign Affairs and approval by the President of South Africa, the signing ceremony took place on 15 January 1998.
- An S&T Agreement was signed during a visit to Algeria by Mr Pahad, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, on 5 May 1998 in Algiers.
- At the meeting of the Joint Bilateral Commission the following S&T priority areas were identified: Geoscience, Information research and technology, Biotechnology, Food industry research and technology, Medical research, Water research.
- A Protocol of Intent on Co-operation in the fields of S&T between South Africa and Ukraine was signed on 19 June 1995.
- An S&T Agreement was signed in South Africa on 23 November 1998.
- During a meeting of the Joint SA-Tunisian Bilateral Commission in Tunisia from 4 to 6 April 1996, the possibility of the signing of a separate S&T Agreement was discussed. An S&T Agreement was signed during the Joint Bilateral Commission meeting on 2 February 1999 in South Africa.
- A Protocol of Intent on Co-operation in the fields of S&T between South Africa and Poland was signed on 18 November 1998.
- The draft S&T Agreement submitted by the Polish authorities and amended by DACST was forwarded to the Polish Embassy for consideration. The draft Agreement with minor amendments was then returned to DACST on 3 July 1998. The Polish Embassy was then informed that the Agreement would be discussed and finalised with the Polish authorities as soon as the proposed amendments have been approved by the Office of the Chief Law Adviser in the Department of Justice.
- Scheduling for signing of an S&T Agreement is later in 1999.
- A draft S&T Agreement was initialled on 12 May 1998 during the meeting of the Joint Bilateral Commission in Cape Town.
- The following provisional S&T priority areas were identified: Biotechnology, Materials, Water research, Information, Medical research, Environmental issues, and Geosciences and Mineral research. The signing of the S&T Agreement is to be arranged in due course.
- A draft Agreement on Scientific and Technological Co-operation between South Africa and Argentina received from the Embassy of Argentina on 17 March 1997, was amended and forwarded via the Department of Foreign Affairs for consideration by the Argentinean authorities.
- The following priority areas for S&T co-operation were proposed by Argentina: Agriculture and Livestock, Information Technology, Industry and Mining, Health, Social Sciences and Humanities, and other fields of common interest.
- The Argentinean authorities proposed some minor amendments to the draft S&T Agreement on 26 June 1998. The Agreement is now to be finalised before a date for the signing ceremony is to be determined.
- A draft Agreement on Scientific and Technological Co-operation between South Africa and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was received from the Yugoslavian Government after discussions between the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology and a Yugoslavian delegation during April 1997.
- The draft Agreement was amended by the Department and distributed to stakeholders for their comments.
- The draft Agreement was forwarded on 30 December 1997 to the Yugoslavian authorities via the Department of Foreign Affairs for consideration.
- The meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission between South Africa and Australia was held during July 1997.
- Possible areas of co-operation, including co-operation in the fields of science and technology , were discussed.
- A draft Agreement on Co-operation in the fields of S&T between the Government of SA and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is in the final stages of negotiation and will hopefully be signed during a Joint Commission meeting scheduled for 8 - 11 March 1999.
- A draft Agreement on Scientific and Technological Co-operation between the Government of SA and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran was negotiated during the visit of a delegation from Iran on 3 to 5 November 1997.
- A draft S&T Agreement was submitted for consideration by the Czech Republic during the latter half of 1997.
- Amendments to the Agreement proposed by this Department is to be taken up with the Czech authorities by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
- A draft S&T Agreement was forwarded to the Malaysian authorities on 24 June 1998 at the request of DFA.
- As Executive Deputy President T Mbeki and President Konore of Mali agreed to promote bilateral co-operation between the two countries, a draft S&T Agreement was forwarded to Mali on 1 July 1998 at the request of DFA.
- A draft S&T Agreement was forwarded to the Angolan authorities during July 1998 for consideration.
- A draft S&T Agreement submitted by the Chinese authorities at the end of 1997, was amended and forwarded to the Chinese Embassy via the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for consideration. This Agreement is scheduled to be signed during a visit of a delegation by the ROC scheduled for 29 March to 2 April 1999 to South Africa.
- At the request of DFA, a draft S&T Agreement was forwarded on 18 June 1998 to the Korean authorities for consideration.
- An amended draft S&T Agreement received from Brazil on 3 July 1998, is currently in the process to be discussed before finalisation.
- At the request of DFA, a draft S&T Agreement was forwarded on 14 October 1998 to the Yemen authorities for consideration.
- At the request of DFA, a draft S&T Agreement was forwarded on 26 August 1998 to the authorities of Mauritius for consideration not including economic issues.
- An Omnibus Agreement including co-operation in the fields of S&T between South Africa and Thailand is currently receiving attention.
- During September 1998 a draft S&T Agreement was forwarded to DFA at the request of the SA Embassy in Jakarta for consideration by the Indonesian authorities.
- A Memorandum of Understanding was received from DFA on 1 February 1999 for co-operation in the fields of S&T with Saudi Arabia and is currently receiving attention for possible signing during 1999.
- The following countries have also indicated their interest in promoting S&T co-operation with South Africa: Philippines, Mexico, Denmark, Greece, Uganda, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Japan and Slovakia.
Please contact the following persons if more information is required:
- Mr F. van der Walt: Foundation for Research Development, Pretoria; Tel: (012) 481-4122; Fax: (012) 481-4007; E-mail: Ferdi@frd.ac.za.
OR
- Dr CJ Scheffer: Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Pretoria; Tel: (012) 337-8142; Fax: (012) 323-8308; E-mail: WB09@dacst5.pwv.gov.za.