Collaboration with South Africa in R&D and Innovation

A delegation of five members from CASEID (Centre for Applied Studies in Economic and Industrial Development) in South Africa have spent a week in the Basque Country to find out all about the Basque innovation ecosystem and, in particular, TECNALIA's technological research and development centre model.

The South African delegation's stay was part of the business and institutional missions and work agenda that the Basque Government has been developing with the South African Government since 2003, whereby this country is also a target for many Basque firms. 

In addition to visiting various TECNALIA sites, the delegation has visited the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park to find out about the development and consolidation of the Basque Network of Parks, and Innobasque, the Basque Innovation Agency, where they discovered the RIS3 Specialisation Strategy, as well as other aspects related to Basque R&D and Innovation.

In the different meetings with TECNALIA researchers, the knowledge of both parties was focused on and, as a result of the work, important collaboration lines have been identified for both South Africa and the Basque Country, mainly in the fields of Energy, the Environment, the Automotive Sector and Nanotechnologies.

We would like to thank the CASEID delegation, made up of Mr Siyanda Nzuzo Siko, National Programme Manager at International Labour Organisation (ILO); Mr Khanya Ngonyama, Managing Director, Blue Gold Holdings; Dr Nikiwe Kunjuzwa, Researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Dr Grace Mukondeleli Kanakana, Assistant Dean Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at Tshwane University of Technology; and Dr Dehouegnon Pacome Ahokpossi, Geohydrologist and Civil Engineer, SACNASP and GSSA, for their contributions in order to establish a collaboration link for the future.