CSIR young researcher wins contest and represents SA at international workshop

19 December 2005

CSIR researcher Gerda Lombard attended the International Young Scientists Workshop, in Prague, Czech Republic on 1 November 2005. Lombard was the winner of the European South African Science and Technology Advancement Programme (ESASTAP) scientific paper contest, coordinated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The aim of the workshop was to promote debate on the opportunities and challenges facing young scientists in food safety and quality research.

Lombard's paper, titled Opportunities for Future South African - European Union (EU) Food Science Collaborations, was selected by ESASTAP, and secured her attendance at the 2nd International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis. This symposium was held on 2 to 5 November 2005 in the same city, and allowed Lombard to identify potential, future food sciences collaborations between SA and the EU, under the auspices of the upcoming Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The prize included a visitor's programme to Czech Republic Institutes.

The head of the Agriculture, Biotechnology and Food Directorate of the European Commission - DG research, Christian Patermann, presented a paper titled, Prospects for Research in Food Safety and Quality Area in Future EU Programme, at the workshop. During his talk, Patermann acknowledged South Africa's presence at the workshop, and highlighted to other EU countries the need to collaborate with third world countries. SA was the only third world country represented at the workshop.

Presentations included a talk by Jana Hajslova of the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague on the challenges of working in EU projects. Lombard had the opportunity to meet with Hajslova, and they discussed possible collaboration initiatives. Such channels will be further investigated when Hajslova makes her envisaged trip to the CSIR in the near future.

Other meetings were held with Prof Jitka Moracova, vice-rector of Science and Research at the Institute of Chemical Technology and Prof Vojtech Rada of Czech University of Agriculture. Lombard held talks with Dr Slavomira Vavreinova and Dr Jiri Celba; Deputy Director and Managing Director of Food Research Institute Prague, respectively. She also made time for an informal discussion with Prof Roger Fenwich, who is the International Co-ordinator for the Institute of Food Research in the United Kingdom. Fenwick has since written a letter to the CSIR, wherein he confirmed his interest to collaborate.

Fenwich delivered a paper, titled Youth and Experience - The key's to Europe's future success. He emphasised that the future researcher will have to be a better communicator and will also have to think like an entrepreneur in order to survive. He captured the spirit of the workshop when he quoted French scientist Louis Pasteur: "Science knows no country because knowledge belongs to humanity and is the torch that illuminated the world."

In her paper, Lombard identified health as the main driver for future SA (and African) - EU collaborations. She states that some Eastern Europe countries, which have just been incorporated into the EU, are faced with similar social and health issues as some African states.

Research into these challenges may prompt the more established European countries to seek solutions and Africa will benefit. The issue of the HIV / Aids pandemic will increasingly force food science to assist through providing supplementation, balanced health and possibly the development of drug-carrying technologies.

"It is also no secret that Africa has great biodiversity to offer and that Europe wants to explore these novelties," says Lombard. "There's also the issue of Africa's organic soil, which is good for the competitive specialised farming, instead of bulk farming," she adds.

Global change compels the two continents to work together; Europe's agricultural research is changing as a result of this phenomena and Africa can offer experience gained from centuries of good crop performances under stressful conditions. Other issues include the environment-influenced beneficiation process, knowledge creation and dissemination which can ultimately lead to job creation. Factors in favour of future collaboration include changes in labour and legislation practices as well as advancements in information technology.