Centre of Excellence for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science (South Africa)

The German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD) is distributing funds provided by the Federal Foreign Office (AA), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) to promote the implementation of the multi-institutional project ‘African-German Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science’ with main location South Africa in the context of and in line with the existing funding programme ‘Fachzentren Afrika – Centres of African Excellence’). On behalf of South Africa, the National Research Foundation (NRF) is also supporting the project with funds provided by the DSTI (Department of Science, Technology and Innovation).
Structure and main objectives of the new Centre of African Excellence
The centre is founded upon three pillars: capacity building, research and transfer.

Situated at the intersection of agri-food systems and data science, the centre employs data-driven and digital approaches for applied research. The primary objectives of this approach are threefold: firstly, to optimise the functioning of food systems; secondly, to improve practice, transfer and food system outcomes; and thirdly, to offer high-level training and capacity building for sustainable food systems management.
In addition to capacity-building measures, the project also supports African and German lecturers, doctoral students, postdocs and early-career scientists. Furthermore, two research chairs (funded by the DAAD and NRF) will be established at the University of the Western Cape and at the University of Mpumalanga for the subject area. Moreover, a special focus is to be placed on the transfer of current research findings to science, business, politics and civil society.
Further information
Website: African Excellence – Centres of African Excellence
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Funding Line C |
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