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10/66 Dementia Research Group

Less than one-tenth of all population-based research into dementia has been directed towards the two-thirds or more of all people with dementia who live in developing parts of the world — thus, the name "10/66".

Part of the Alzheimer's Disease International Network, 10/66 is a group of researchers who encourage active collaboration between research groups in different developing countries and between developed and developing countries. The research projects have included pilot studies to establish a method for diagnosing dementia in populations with very little formal education; qualitative studies to understand the experience of people with dementia and their carers; intervention studies that investigate whether local community health workers can contribute to care by identifying people who need help; and population-based studies to quantify prevalence and incidence in developing countries.

The 10/66 Group is part of Alzheimer's Disease International and is coordinated through Prof. Martin Prince from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London.

Academy of Science of South Africa

ASSAf promotes all disciplines of scientific thinking and is recognised as a prestigious national network of top ranking scientists.  The academy has two publications ― Quest and South African Journal of Science ― and produces regular reports and a newsletter, Science for Society.  Research funding and national events are listed and the academy hosts guest lectures. There are two annual awards for outstanding achievement.

Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International

Africa Harvest — founded by Kenyan scientist Florence Wambugu — supports policy development and scientific and institutional capacity building across East Africa and promotes the use of modern biotechnologies to help the region's farmers. The foundation's flagship project uses tissue culture technology to reproduce disease-free banana plants for distribution across East Africa.

It also runs a communication and advocacy programme to promote public acceptance of biotechnologies — especially genetic modification. The organisation publishes information about its tree-planting programme in Kenya and links to other African and international organisations working in biotechnology.

African AIDS Vaccine Research Programme

The African AIDS Vaccine Programme was conceived in June 2000 as a network of African experts, working together to promote and facilitate HIV vaccine research and evaluation in Africa. Sponsored by WHO-UNAIDS, its mission is to advocate and support a coordinated effort to contribute to the global HIV vaccine development goals, ensuring that appropriate and affordable vaccines are developed for Africa in the shortest possible time.

African Centre for Technology Studies

The ACTS is an international, intergovernmental think-tank based in Nairobi that publishes and disseminates new information on science, technology and environmental policy. It runs research and capacity-building programmes in biodiversity and environmental governance, science and technology literacy, energy and water security, agriculture and food security, technological advances and health policy. It is also involved in national, regional and international outreach activities, working with universities and governments in Africa and beyond.

African Malaria Network Trust

AMANET promotes capacity building in African research and training institutes that specialise in malaria studies. Its objectives include promoting collaboration among stakeholders, creating international awareness about the malaria problem in Africa, identifying test sites, developing infrastructure and support for field and clinical trials, and increasing good management practices in malaria research. AMANET produces a biannual online newsletter to disseminate research findings and grant and workshop calls. It also hosts a discussion forum for registered members.

African Molecular Marker Applications Network

AMMANET promotes using genetic marker-assisted selection (MAS) technologies to accelerate African plant breeding efforts and deliver food security and economic growth. Over 100 African scientists established the network in 2003, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The network brings regional and international agricultural researchers together, publishing information about its activities and providing contact information of all its members. It also links to news, scientific articles and other useful resources on MAS.

African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA)

The AMMA programme aims to study how the West African monsoon affects meningitis and malaria epidemics. While it focuses on one weather system, the climate factors it looks at can be generalised to other environments. For example, it examines how wind, dust, rainfall, temperature and humidity, amongst others, affect mosquito density and malaria or meningitis epidemics in people. The website also offers a key resource for researchers in the form of an open-access bibliographic database containing more than 250 scientific articles.

Association of African Universities

The AAU, based in Accra, promotes consultation, exchange of information and cooperation among higher education institutes in Africa. It provides fellowships and small grants for postgraduate studies and staff exchanges. It also runs programmes to study higher education management and assure the quality of its member institutions. The website gives summaries of all these activities and links to AAU newsletters and publications. It also offers a list of online resources relevant to higher education in Africa.

D-Lab

D-Lab, run by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a programme of academic courses aimed at developing and implementing low-cost technologies to address poverty. Its approach is based on building partnerships and promoting capacity building, local innovation and indigenous knowledge.

The website contains information on its sixteen courses, and projects developed through the programme. Instructions on how to implement certain projects — such as making charcoal from agricultural waste — are also included.

 

e-Africa Commission

The e-Africa Commission is part of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), charged with managing the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa. It is responsible for developing and overseeing policies and strategies for the ICT sector. It also runs both the NEPAD e-schools initiative to teach ICT to Africans in primary and secondary education, and the NEPAD ICT infrastructure programme, aiming to connect all African countries to a broadband network.

Energy Research Centre

The Energy Research Centre at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, focuses on energy technology, policy and development research, education and capacity building. It provides information on its research and training opportunities, and links to open-access publications and relevant websites. It also publishes its own quarterly journal, Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, which is accredited by the South African Department of Education.

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)

This not-for-profit organisation works with the private and public sectors to develop and implement quality yet affordable diagnostic technologies for diseases prevalent in developing countries, including tuberculosis, malaria and sleeping sickness. It also aims to strengthen laboratories and scale up projects to improve new tool uptake in endemic regions. The website provides information about the organisation's programmes and partners, news and a resource centre with free access to documents such as reports and scientific articles.

Gobabeb Training and Research Centre

The Gobabeb Training and Research Centre aims to understand the relationship between the ecology of arid environments and human activities. Its areas of focus include developing appropriate technologies that can help improve quality of life, such as fog-collection and alternative energy sources. The centre is attached to the Southern Africa Development Community, the intergovernmental organisation representing countries in southern Africa. It is also associated with the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia.

Grassroots Innovations

This academic initiative aims to improve understanding of how activists lead the way towards bottom-up solutions for sustainable development, including renewable energy initiatives, eco-housing and local food schemes. It also offers policy advice on how these initiatives can be supported.

The website is aimed at policymakers, academics and development practitioners. It provides brief summaries of current research, links to published material, including a literature review, a working paper and articles published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as upcoming events.

India, Brazil, South Africa Nanotechnology Initiative (IBSA)

IBSA, a joint project of the departments of science and technology in Brazil, India and South Africa, promotes research collaborations between scientists working on applications of nanotechnology. Its priority fields of research include health, water treatment and agriculture. India leads its flagship project on water purification.

IBSA publishes information on participating scientists from all three countries, ongoing projects, key global events and activities, and fellowships and job openings.

International Association for the Study of Obesity

IASO is an umbrella organisation for 52 national obesity associations across 56 countries. Its mission statement is to "improve global health by promoting the understanding of obesity and weight-related diseases through scientific research and dialogue, whilst encouraging the development of effective policies for their prevention and management."

The organisation is strongly advocacy-based and publishes frequent statements aimed at policymakers on how to tackle obesity. The website also contains detailed data on the global prevalence of obesity. Since obese people are often at high risk for other diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, the website also outlines these risks, offering links to other relevant associations.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

This non-profit organisation aims to develop sustainable ecological farming in Africa and India. ICRISAT's mission is "to help empower 600 million poor people to overcome hunger, poverty and a degraded environment in the dry tropics through better agriculture".

ICRISAT's BioPower initiative aims to ensure that bioenergy research benefits the poor. Its activities include analysing bioenergy trends and understanding their repercussions for the poor, and enabling governments to formulate pro-bioenergy policies that benefit poor people.

Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Centre

The centre is a WHO collaborating centre for research and training in the control of cardiovascular disease, and also prevention and rehabilitation for patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The centre strongly advocates evidence-based health policies as the only way to promote health. Its focus on prevention led to the Isfahan Health Heart Programme, a community programme to promote healthier lifestyles to prevent non-communicable diseases.

Kenya Meteorological Department

This site is maintained by the Kenya Meteorological Department and contains short term weather forecasts, seasonal forecasts, and agro-meteorological data.  Other climatological data is available from the website upon request.

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