Labyrinth to Store Energy in Basement for Later Use
National Renewable Energy Laboratory managed by Battelle

A tool from VTT and Rapal for reducing the carbon footprint of properties

Mixed reality on the building site (TNO)

General Publications: A collection of newsletters, Annual Reviews and a one-pager brochure describing the activities of the Alliance can be found on the website at http://www.research-alliance.net/information.html

GRA Nerve Centre contact details

The Nerve Centre of the Global Research Alliance (GRA), previously hosted by the CSIR, has relocated to The Innovation Hub. This first internationally accredited Science Park in Africa, situated across the road from the CSIR, is home to a regional centre of innovation and knowledge creation. The GRA Nerve Centre’s new contact details are as follows:

Enquiries:

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The GRA Annual Meeting in Copenhagen

In May the 8th Annual Meeting of the GRA Principals was held in Copenhagen, hosted by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) and attended by all nine members of the Alliance. The outcomes of the meeting define the focus of the Alliance for the coming year and the meeting provides a forum for an open exchange of ideas between the member organisations.

Prior to the meeting the DTI hosted a seminar highlighting some areas of the innovative work being conducted by that Institute. The cooperation of the other members of the Alliance will be actively sought in the research areas outlined during the seminar. The Alliance which represents some 50,000 scientists and technologists from around the world and has as its aim the advancement of global good with global knowledge continues to pursue projects which address the intractable problems faced by the world.

Internet Access as a Driver for Development and Growth in Africa

A team of GRA scientists from CSIR (South Africa), the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (Germany), VTT (Finland) and TNO (Netherlands) met recently in Delft to identify the research questions to be considered in providing universal low-cost internet access to rural communities in Africa and of addressing the digital isolation of the region. The workshop was hosted by TNO and the project is being conducted in partnership with Linknet Zambia, an NGO with considerable hands-on experience in this field.

The R&D challenges are immense and a three step approach was agreed during the workshop. The team is now actively engaged in preparing proposals for submission to funding agencies.

GRA Health team leader visits Bangladesh

Dr Graeme Woodrow of CSIRO in Australia, who is leading the GRA Health Initiative recently met with Prof Muhammad Yunus a Nobel Laureate and Managing Director of Grameen Bank (see photo). The meeting took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh and included in the discussions were issues of sustainability, an outline of the GRA Health Initiative and also the Grameen Bank’s initiatives in Health.

During his recent travels, Dr Woodrow also met with Srikanth Rajagopalan of GE India at the John Welch Research Centre in Bangalore for further discussions on the abovementioned issues.

Keynote Address by Dr Mashelkar

Dr Ramesh Mashelkar, the President of the GRA recently delivered the keynote address at the XXV International Association’s Conference on Science and Technology Parks which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The title of Dr Mashelkar’s address was titled “More from Less for More: The Grand Innovation Challenge” and focussed on the role of innovation in getting more from less for more, to address the challenge of including the excluded through providing available, affordable, accessible and appropriate technologies for the poor.

GRA Health Initiative moves forward

Two major workshops have taken place to set a firm course for the GRA Health Initiative. The first was a meeting of clinical epidemiologists in Bangkok and the second involved the GRA Health team. These meetings have resulted in clear scientific directions being established for the health initiative and more detailed plans are currently being prepared by the team members. In the picture the GRA Health team members at the workshop hosted by VTT in Helsinki recently.

·First South Africa – Germany Bonding Workshop 2009
This workshop will raise awareness for industrial adhesive bonding technology and the need for workforce training in this area. The 2-day conference with South African and international speakers is organised and headed by the Fraunhofer IFAM. Various speakers will give talks on adhesive bonding technology from the perspective of their specialist fields. To view the provisional programme and registration details click here. More ...

·Lecture Explores Science and Economic Growth in Africa
In a recent public lecture, Harvard professor, Calestous Juma, explored the role emerging technologies can play in fostering growth and improving human welfare in Africa. His talk focused on new opportunities for international cooperation on development issues in light of the current global food and financial crisis. Access his Powerpoint presentation here.

·Blue Gene for Africa Initiative
The launch of the Blue Gene for Africa initiative took place at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in Cape Town on 7 October 2008. The donation of the supercomputer, Gene®/P system which is capable of 14 trillion individual calculations per second is part of a USD 120 million investment in sub-Saharan Africa announced by IBM in December 2007. This computing capacity is for use by higher education and research institutes across Africa, and is housed at the CHPC which is an initiative funded by the South African Department of Science and Technology and managed by the Meraka Institute of the CSIR.

·Call for outcomes to benefit Indigenous and Local communities
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Mr Francis Gurry, called upon WIPO’s member states to intensify efforts to develop concrete international outcomes on traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources. International expectations in this domain continue to grow and the recently formed Global Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation Partnership (GIKIP), of which Dr Mashelkar, President of the GRA is also a member, advocates greater global recognition of the positive role of indigenous knowledge in development. More ...

·GIKIP Launched
The Global Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation Partnership (GIKIP) was launched in New York on 26 September. This advocacy group aims to give a voice to indigenous knowledge (IK) and grassroots innovation and will bring the attention of global audiences to IK cases that demonstrate tangible outcomes. Dr Mashelkar, the President of the GRA is a founder member of this group. More ...

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