Science Forum: South Africa - 2015

The Forum will take place on 8-9 December at the CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

The 2015 theme is:  “Igniting conversations about science.”

The Science Forum: South Africa is inspired by events such as ESOF, AAAS, and the Japan Agora.

The key objectives of the Forum are:

• To create a platform for a vibrant debate on the role of science, technology and innovation and society in South Africa;
• To strengthen South Africa’s strategic international science, technology and innovation partnerships;
• To create a platform for senior government leaders, academics, scientists, industry, civil society, and students to interact.

What to expect

The Forum offers an enticing programme, including several parallel sessions, addressing the following diverse range of science and science policy themes:

• Responding to societal challenges: interrogating the socio-economic impact of STI;
• Skills for the knowledge economy: focusing on the importance of, and challenges for STI-oriented human capital development;
• Showcasing South Africa’s best: highlighting flagship South African science success stories, especially those related to international partnerships;
• Science agenda for Africa: discussing regional and continental partnerships to advance Africa’s growth and development;
  What does the scientist say: interrogating the role of science in informing policy- and decision-making, including with regard to topics prominent in public debate; and
• African eyes on the sky: discussing various aspects of astronomy in Africa including the SKA project.