The project "Afya Moja – Health Technology: from capacity building to capacity strengthening", promoted by Ministry of University and Research and coordinated by theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, ended with a final event that the 26 and 27 May gathered in the Capital 31 African universities together with some of the main international players involved in scientific, technological and health cooperation between Europe and Africa.
Two days of operational comparison, networking and exchange of skills which involved academic institutions, international organizations, public and private stakeholders and project partners, in the sign of the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal and environmental health.
The first day of work opened with institutional greetings from the Rector of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Prof. Rocco Papalia, of the Prof. Leandro Pecchia, Pro-Rector for Research and project coordinator Afya Moja, of the Dr. Kylie Shae of the World Health Organization and the Dr. Domenico Mastrolitto, Executive Director of CBM Spa.
Next, the session "From Capacity Building to Capacity Strengthening: a shift of paradigm, and overview of opportunities" brought together representatives of the United Nations, Italian institutions, and international stakeholders engaged in scientific and technological cooperation with Africa. Speakers included: UNDP – United Nations Development Programme, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, IFMBE – International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering, ICU – Institute of University Cooperation, Enel Foundation and CBM Spa.
During the morning, the Afya Moja project was also presented, followed by speeches from the five Italian universities of the consortium: l'Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, the University of Naples Federico II, the Polytechnic of Bari, the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna and the University of Pisa, who illustrated their respective lines of research and the scientific contributions developed within the initiative.
"For me, the attention of companies towards our projects is always a sign that what we do is not self-referential.", has ofchiarato the Prof. Leandro Pecchia, Principal Investigator of the Afya Moja project. "Especially in Africa, where I've been working for 15 years now, seeing major companies participating and willing to invest time and resources gives me hope for the African continent, which deserves support, a listening ear, and concrete investment."
In the afternoon, APRE – Agency for the Promotion of European Research held a session dedicated to Horizon Europe, illustrating opportunities and funding tools for research and innovation at European level.
The event was attended by the top management of 7 African universities from Kenya, Benin, Libya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and South Africa. Among them, the Rector of the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) and achievement Rector of the National University of Science, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics – UNSTIM (Benin), flanked by their respective Pro-Rectors. Also taking part in the event were the Director General of Hospital Medicine and Diagnostic Explorations of the Ministry of Health of Benin, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Health System Development of Libya, five Pro-Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Professors from Kenyatta University (Kenya), Pwani University (Kenya), University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) and the University of Cape Town (South Africa). This high-level participation demonstrates the shared commitment to strengthening academic, scientific, and healthcare cooperation between Africa and Europe.
The second day was entirely dedicated to the lessons learned and defining strategies for future collaborations of the Afya Moja network. Five thematic sessions explored strategic issues such as Involvement of African experts in the development of international standards and WHO guidelines, research-intensive training programs, sustainability strategies, inclusion and communication, academic mobility, and ethical aspects related to project activities.
In the early afternoon a networking lunch was held with CBM Spa, promoter of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, followed by a visit to theAgri Research and Teaching Center, a new strategic hub dedicated to agritech research and sustainability technologies of CBM Spa. During the visit, participants were able to get to know the interdisciplinary model promoted by the Campus Bio-Medico, where scientific research, training, and applied experimentation converge in an ecosystem open to collaboration between universities, businesses, and institutions.
The final day finally hosted two workshops Parallel workshops coordinated by APRE on writing European project proposals, focusing on Agritech and Technologies for Life, respectively. Participants worked on selected Horizon Europe calls for proposals with the aim of acquiring practical tools for preparing competitive proposals and further strengthening scientific cooperation between Europe and Africa.
The event confirmed the role of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma including international platform for dialogue and innovation in the fields of health, sustainability and life technologies, consolidating academic networks and scientific relationships destined to develop even beyond the conclusion of the Afya Moja project.
"If I can" has concluded the Prof. Pecchia "I would like to underline that the whole project involved many of our students in nutritional sciences and biomedical engineering for global health, who thanks to the project were in Africa for various fieldworks. But in addition to them, the project was masterfully managed by recent graduates from the 5 beneficiary Italian universities, coordinated by Sara Cinelli project manager, who managed a complex and very rich project, involving their counterparts from African countries. This is one of the priorities of the Campus: developing the next generation of leaders, going beyond what can be achieved in the classroom or in the labs, passing on—by example—not only our knowledge, but also our values. Universal values, like the founding ones that inspire the Campus.
