Earlier this month delegates gathered for a flagship workshop on Water Science Cooperation for Human Capital Development at the University of Kwazulu- Natal.
Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO of the Water Research Commission (WRC) presented the South African perspective on Water Resources and Human Capital development and Dr. Pierre Lemande , attaché for Science and Technology of the French Embassy in SA focused on French co-operation within the science field. The main objectives of the dialogue were to share experiences in best management and Human Capital Development (HCD) practices for water-related research projects and to explore opportunities to strengthen the international cooperation in science research to be developed particularly through H2020 and EUREKA. A third objective was to discuss cooperation between South Africa and France in water research within the COP21 framework.SA-France bilateral agreements successful
The success of these partnerships is embodied in the area of water research in which researchers from the French Institute for Research and Development (IRD) were seconded to the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) to contribute to ongoing soil water studies, most notably the jointly led WRC funded research project titled Water, Sediment, Nutrient and Organic Carbon Fluxes in Small-scale Agriculture Landscapes. This and other related projects built on and strengthened ongoing research at UKZN by investigating a new and important research question on the role of water movements on the global carbon cycle with implications for water scarcity, water quality, food security and climate change.
These research projects highlight the importance of sharing local and international expertise and promoting international cooperation in advancing science and human capital development in developing countries.
