The Australia-Africa Universities Network – Partnership and Research Development Fund 2020

We are delighted to inform you that the applications for the 2020 AAUN Partnership and Research Development Fund (PRDF) have been reviewed. We are awarding eight catalyst seed grants as shown in the list below.

(Please visit the PRDF 2020 webpage for more details)

2020 AAUN PRDF funded projects: Titles and Principal Investigators (PIs)

• Plasma activated water for fresh fish in Africa Dr Kirsty Bayliss, Murdoch University

• Women Early Career Researchers (WECRs) in Food Systems in Africa: Research Training and Capacity Building Prof Prem Ramburuth, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

• Performance Measurement for Social Scientists in Agriculture: Theory and Practice Dr Amin Mugera, University of Western Australia

• Keeping iodine on the food policy agenda in the era of salt reduction strategies: A case study from South Africa Prof Karen Charlton, University of Wollongong

• Transitioning females to a sustainable future through STEM training and research Prof Tim Roberts, University of Newcastle

• Securing Water Supplies – Participatory Groundwater Monitoring and Management in Botswana and Uganda Prof Basant Maheshwari, Western Sydney University

• Building an African- Australian Alliance to Address Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Prof Angela Dawson, University of Technology Sydney

• Nutrient density and protein quality of African processed meat products Prof Hettie Schonfeldt, University of Pretoria; Dr Mieghan Bruce, Murdoch University

The total number of AAUN programs and teams now formed are around 60 across Africa and Australia. This reflects our unique research capacity to address mutual challenges in our areas of research and education; and to engage in the SDGs and relevant regional policy frameworks. This also reflects our solid knowledge partnerships and sponsorships in Australia and Africa.

We thank all of our University partners, researchers, educators and sponsors, especially the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), for their contributions to AAUN. We look forward to further success in AAUN research collaboration.

Professor John Hearn                                              Professor Tawana Kupe

Co-Chair Australia                                                    Co-Chair Africa

A/Professor Grace Liu                                             Professor Frans Swanepoel

General Manager                                                     Deputy Co-Chair Africa