Press release
Wageningen University & Research and the University of Pretoria strengthen collaboration
Wageningen University & Research and the University of Pretoria (UP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in a number of areas over a five-year period. With this agreement both universities agreed to strengthen their mutual collaboration in exchanging students and staff, joint research programmes and other activities. The signing ceremony took place (11 December) at the Netherlands Embassy in Pretoria.
For many years UP and Wageningen University & Research have collaborated in various projects, including LEAP-Agri, a joint long-term Europe Africa Research and Innovation initiative related to Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture. The two institutions form part of 30 European and African partners who joined forces, with financial support of the European Commission. LEAP-Agri is about bringing accurate and scientifically validated information to decision makers in order for them to elaborate appropriate proposition relevant to the still critical food security and nutrition situation faced by hundreds of millions of people in various African countries.
With the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals in mind, we must continue our efforts and build more partnerships
The University’s capacity to execute high-quality, collaborative, transdisciplinary research related to food security aligns well with WUR’s mission ‘To explore the potential of nature, to improve the quality of life’
UP is one of South Africa’s top five research universities and co-hosts the South African Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation (DST/NRF) Centre of Excellence in Food Security and leads participation in three USAID Innovation Labs. In 2017, UP and its partners were awarded an African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Africa-based Centre of Excellence in Food Security.
Wageningen University & Research and UP, through the ARUA CoE and Future Africa initiative, will collaborate in the following areas:
- Exchange of academic staff
- Establishment of joint research programmes
- Supervision of collaborative Master's and Doctoral degrees
- Exchange of students
- Exchange of academic materials produced by either or both the institutions
- Organisation of conferences, seminars and symposia of mutual interest to the institutions
- Collaborative activities linked to strategic networks and platforms on the continent