Guest blog: Open for Applications! Join the Research-2-Practice Forum 2018: Energy, Water Security and Climate Change in Africa (16-18 April)

Guest blog by Margaret Koli of UNU

Open for Applications! Join the Research-2-Practice Forum 2018:
Energy, Water Security and Climate Change in Africa (16-18 April)

The Research-2-Practice Forum aims to provide a platform for experts active in applied and practice-oriented research in the areas of renewable energy, water and climate security to engage in an active exchange and to build strategic partnerships. It will take place in April 2018, in Tlemcen, Algeria.

Applications can be submitted until 8^th January 2018 and applications and are expected to be within the following areas:

-          Research / Scientific Contributions; Contributions from researchers, academia and scientists in line with the priority areas of the call.

-          Research-2-Practice Contributions: Contributions to showcase existing collaborations between practitioners with academic, scientific or research institutions.

-          Practice & Non-Scientific Contributions: Contributions to showcase practice, applied-oriented approaches and initiatives based on real-life scenarios within the priority areas of this call

The selection process will be carried out by a scientific committee of international experts. Notifications of acceptance will then be sent in March 2018.

Application & Submission Deadlines
	Steps	Date
1.	Submission Deadline	8th Jan 2018
2.	Abstract Acceptance Notification	26th Feb 2018
3.	Presenter Participation Confirmation	11th Mar 2018
4.	Publication of the Programme	15th Mar 2018

Background:

The guiding vision of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 is to achieve “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, an Africa driven and managed by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”  Linking research and development is therefore a top priority for the Pan African University. In order to promote and support applied and practice-oriented research and strategic partnerships in renewable energy, water and climate security in Africa, the Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES) with support from the German Government and in cooperation with a consortium of German universities (UNU-EHS, ZEF and ITT) led by UNU-EHS and the University Abou Bekr Belkaid in Tlemcen are jointly organizing the forum.

The conference builds on the integration of the following complementary components:

-          Research components in line with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research to support synergies with institutions dealing with research questions addressed by ongoing research projects and priorities of the research agenda at PAUWES.   

-          Strategic networking components in line with the support of the German technical cooperation of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development though the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH” to support institutional development of the institute.

Topics:

The main topics of the extended abstract should fit within the following areas which are in line with ongoing projects and priorities of the research agenda at PAUWES as contribution to the Agenda 2063 of the African union:  

-          Energy

o   Energy resources assessment

o   Technological development: from raw materials to systems, including smart-grid and off-grid

o   Energy stakeholders and society

o   Energy economics and governance

o   Current and future urban energy supply systems in African cities

-          Water

o   Water and food security (production and sustainable livelihoods)

o   Water management (basin water management and urban water management)

o   Water and environment (water related hazard, health, etc.)

o   Water economics and governance (policy, education, planning, economy, cultural, etc.)

o   Transboundary water and resources management (conflict or cooperation, etc.)

o   Current and future urban water supply systems in African cities

-          Climate Change

o   Climate impact modelling (data and appropriated infrastructure, prediction models and services)

o   Risk, vulnerability and impact assessment (environmental sustainability of renewable energy projects, etc.)

o   Adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change security in Africa 

o   Risk assessment and reduction strategies for sustainable urban resources supply in Sub-Saharan African cities

o   Mitigation research

-          Energy, Water and Climate Change Nexus

o   Water-Climate nexus

o   Energy-Climate nexus

o   Water-Energy  nexus

o   Energy, water, food security and climate change nexus

Results and recommendations from the forum will be integrated into ongoing and future activities at PAUWES, such as the consolidation and upscaling of results of ongoing research projects, initiation of joint project proposals for the implementation of the research agenda at PAUWES. Furthermore, the results and recommendations will be followed up and further discussed with regional and Pan-African institutions such as the African Union, African Development Bank, NEPAD and regional commissions.

For more information on the forum, please visit:  http://pauwes-cop.net/res2prac/