UK-South Africa renew strategic partnership

25 May 2006

The 7th UK-South Africa Bilateral Forum was held from 23 - 24 May 2006 to renew our strategic partnership with the United Kingdom. The main theme of the two-day event was 'The UK and South Africa: Building Together on the Year of Africa'.

The UK Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, led the UK delegation and the South African Foreign Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, led the South African delegation. The Bilateral Forum tied in with a bilateral meeting between the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki.

During the Forum, science and technology officials noted that the bilateral relationship has been revived through successful visits to South Africa by Sir David King, the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister, and Professor Gordon Conway, the Chief Scientific Adviser to DFID. They underlined the significant success of these engagements in cementing the relationship between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Office of Science and Innovation (OST) and DFID.

The UK expressed its interest in South Africa's role in climate change and energy technologies; biodiversity; biotechnology for the development of new crops; science and technology capacity building for African development; and the use and mediation of South African expert science and technology services to support common development objectives.

The officials recalled the further areas of potential co-operation highlighted at South Africa Day in January 2006, hosted by the Royal Society under the OST/DST Networking Scheme, and engaging researchers, funders and policy makers in the UK and SA. Workshops were held in Astronomy, Biotechnology, Energy and Climate Change and Advanced Manufacturing.

Officials reaffirmed that many of these areas will be taken forward under the OST/DST Networking Scheme, a bilaterally funded initiative designed to bring together excellent scientists to explore collaborative opportunities in areas of mutual interest and benefit. This scheme has just been renewed for a further three years.