IFS eNews No. 5, December 2001
IFS eNews appears quarterly. Ad hoc newsbulletins (fellowship announcements etc) are also sent out to all IFS eNews subscribers. We hope that it is an effective way to inform you about recent developments. Your comments on the contents of IFS eNews are most welcome to info@ifs.se
MESSAGE FROM IFS DIRECTOR, THOMAS ROSSWALL
On 1 January 2002, I will take up the position of Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU) in Paris. It was a very difficult decision to accept the offer and leave IFS after only 16 months. It has been a privilege to work for IFS and help develop its programme in support of young scientists in developing countries. IFS Donors, Member Organisations, and partners have contributed views and provided support in the development of a Medium-Term Strategic Plan for the next three years. IFS grantees continually show their appreciation of IFS, and IFS Scientific Advisers give invaluable assistance not only in screening applications but also in providing personal contacts and guidance to grantees. As pointed out by one of our grantees, IFS staff treats its grantees as individuals rather than numbers. They have a great deal of experience in helping grantees, whose working conditions are often difficult, solve their problems. The enthusiasm of the grantees, the dedication of the Scientific Advisers, the support of Donors, and the hard work of staff are the cornerstones of IFS.
When I now move on to other assignments, I will keep in close contact with the IFS constituency. One of my main priorities at ICSU will be the strengthening of the involvement of developing country scientists. IFS is an International Scientific Associate of ICSU, so there will also be formal reasons for continued interaction with IFS. In whatever way I can, I will always support IFS. The IFS Mission Statement and Medium-Term Strategic Plan, new partnerships, and a sense of direction have been essential components of my time as Director. Dr Jacques Gaillard will serve as Interim Director, and I wish him and the staff the best of luck in the continued development of a small organisation with a large mission. It is certainly, in the words of the recent External Evaluation, a precious mission in a changing context.
Thomas Rosswall
Director
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING, WASHINGTON, DC, 3-4 NOVEMBER 2001
Recruitment of New Director
As Thomas Rosswall has submitted his resignation, effective 1 January 2002, to take up the position of Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU) in Paris, the IFS Board of Trustees (BOT) has approved the formation of a Search Committee to undertake to fill the position. Committee Members include Bruno Messerli, IFS Chairman; Alberto Nieto, Vice Chairman; Mohamed Hassan, Executive Director, TWAS; Carl-Olof Jacobson, IFS Trustee; and Pierre Roger, IFS Trustee. IFS Head of Finance and Administration Eva Gerson will serve as the secretary to the Committee. The BOT has appointed Jacques Gaillard as Interim Director until a new Director is in place. The closing date for applications is 15 January 2002. Information about the position of Director can be found on the IFS website.
Budget 2002
The IFS budget for 2002 is estimated at SEK 41.4 million (USD 4 million) and has been approved by the Board of Trustees. The budget reflects activities in the Workplan and includes supporting services to grantees and potential grantees such as workshops, network support, and travel grants. Any income above the estimated amount will enable IFS to consider awarding more research grants.
GOVERNANCE MEETINGS 2002
The IFS Executive Committee Meeting will be held 25-26 May. The dates for the Board of Trustees Meeting and the meetings of its sub-committees are tentatively set for 17-21 October 2002.
FINANCES
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Mexico
For the third year in a row CONACYT of Mexico has provided USD 20,000 towards two IFS research grants for young scientists in Mexico. This contribution was established under the IFS Latin America Initiative.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
(http://www.minbuza.nl/english/homepage.asp)
IFS has been informed that there will be no core funding for 2001. The Ministry's Head of the Division for Research and Communication has written, however, that they are "favourably impressed with the adjustments and the innovations that are being proposed for the near future" and will "start internal appraisal procedures" that may result in funding for IFS in 2002.The Dutch government has been an IFS Donor since 1975, and NLG 375,000 had been included in the budgeted core income for 2001.
Directorate General for International Co-operation (DGIC), Belgium
IFS Head of Programme Richard Fuchs met with Mr Dirk Molderez at the Directorate General for International Co-operation, in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss a proposed renewal of IFS funding. It is proposed that funding will resume in 2002.
SUB-REGIONAL PROGRAMMES IN AFRICA
As part of the Workplan for 2001, follow-up discussions were held with a number of organisations to develop sub-regional programmes in partnership with IFS.
West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), Senegal.
CORAF/WECARD has become a Member Organisation of IFS and a meeting was held in Washington last October with Ndiaga Mbaye, the Executive Secretary of CORAF, to continue discussions on how IFS and CORAF could work closely together to strengthen regional capacity in West and Central Africa. A Memorandum of Understanding providing the basis for such collaboration between the two organisations is expected to be signed in early 2002.
Southern Africa Centre For Co-Operation In Agricultural Research And Training (SACCAR), Botswana.
(http://www.ibis.bw/~saccar/hrd.htm)
Jacques Gaillard visited SACCAR in Gaborone, Botswana, in October. Several possible approaches were discussed, including using the SACCAR database of scientists and experts to recruit new IFS Scientific Advisers from the region, collaborating with SACCAR regional research networks, and implementing a joint research grant programme in the region. Since SACCAR is in the process of being re-organised within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), it was agreed to postpone the formalisation of collaboration until early 2002.
Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Kenya.
In December, Richard Fuchs attended the 21st annual meeting of the ASARECA Committee of Directors (CD) in Nairobi, Kenya. He discussed future collaboration with the new Executive Secretary, Dr Seyfu Ketema and presented IFS to the CD. The positive reaction to the proposed collaboration will be followed up on during 2002. Talks were held with representatives of ASARECA's implementing agencies such as the World Agroforestry Centre and the International Water Management Institute, both of which are IFS Member Organisations, with donors such as DFID, US-AID, and IDRC, and other organisations present at the meeting. Whilst in Nairobi, Richard Fuchs also visited the African Academy of Sciences and the Kenya National Academy of Sciences.
IFS COLLABORATION IN LATIN AMERICA
Iberoamerican Programme of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED)
IFS has signed a collaboration and co-ordination agreement with the Iberoamerican Programme of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED), Subprogramme X, Fine Pharmaceutical Chemistry. The goal of CYTED is the promotion of research groups in universities, R&D centres, and the private sector in Iberoamerican countries. The IFS Natural Products Research Area and CYTED have common goals in many research areas.
MEMBER ORGANISATIONS
Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Netherlands.
Project Secretary Eren Zink participated in a conference organised by the Dutch Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences held in December in Amsterdam on North-South Research Co-operation. This conference was a good opportunity to meet and discuss with representatives of social science institutions including the Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) and the Institute for Social Studies (ISS) based in The Hague.
National Research Foundation, South Africa.
Jacques Gaillard met Prof Robert Kriger, Head of the NRF International Science Liaison Office, in Pretoria, South Africa, in October. Several issues were discussed, including a possible strengthened role for NRF to assist IFS in developing a sub-regional programme in Southern Africa, the recruitment of new Scientific Advisers from South Africa, and the participation of NRF in a recruitment campaign to increase the number of applications submitted by young scientists from South Africa and from Southern Africa.
Similar discussions were held with Dr J. Grobbelaar at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in Pretoria. ARC also expresses its interest to apply for becoming an MO of IFS.
CGIAR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Thomas Rosswall, Jacques Gaillard, and Richard Fuchs participated in the Annual General Meeting of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), 30-31 October, where IFS had a poster. This meeting was an excellent opportunity to continue ongoing discussions with representatives of CG Centers, as well as IFS Donors and other collaborating organisations present at the meeting.
MESIA IMPACT ASSESSMENT INITIATED IN ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
In November an electronic questionnaire was sent to grantees in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. The questionnaire surveys the impact of the IFS grant on grantees' careers and their research environments, their access to information technology, and the impact of their research on development. Grantees are kindly asked to participate by sending a filled-in questionnaire to Eren Zink (eren.zink@ifs.se) as soon as possible, but not later than 7 January 2002. If you are a grantee and did not receive a questionnaire by email, please contact Eren Zink.
IFS REPORTS
Mesia Report No. 3: IFS Impact In Mexico - Available on IFS Website
The third report in the series of MESIA Impact Studies has now been finalised
and is available as a pdf document on the IFS website. Printed versions of
the report will become available from mid-January 2002. IFS Impact in Mexico
reviews 25 years of IFS support to scientists in Mexico and is based on information
obtained from questionnaires, personal interviews, and a bibliometric study
of local and international publications.
Mesia Report No. 3: IFS
Impact In Mexico
IFS Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2002-2004 and IFS Workplan for 2002
These two documents were approved by the Board of Trustees in November.
They are available as pdf documents on the IFS website (www.ifs.se). If you
would like to receive a printed copy of these reports, please contact Pirkko
Tolamo at pirkko.tolamo@ifs.se.
IFS
Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2002-2004
Workplan 2002
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR S&T AND THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WSSD)
Next year, a large number of world leaders will participate in WSSD in Johannesburg. The IFS Secretariat has joined other organisations in attempts to ensure that capacity building is high on the agenda for the summit. The importance of capacity building for sustainable development is evident. Scientific research is the basis for knowledge generation. Political decisions should be based on the best available knowledge. Thus, all countries must have access to a cadre of scientists that can assess current scientific understanding of complex relationships and contribute to the generation of new knowledge. The IFS mode of support to the new scientific generation in developing countries is an important component and should be duly recognised as modalities for support are put in place.
This has been discussed at the IFS Board of Trustees Annual Meeting in November. In connection with the meeting, which was held in Washington, DC, opportunities arose to discuss these issues with Prof Bruce Alberts, President of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Prof Rita Colwell, the Director of the National Science Foundation.
IFS Director Thomas Rosswall visited Harvard University for discussions with some key scientists involved in the International Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability. Discussions also took place during the Global Change Conference in Amsterdam last July, at which time Thomas Rosswall chaired a session on capacity building for developing countries.
Further discussions have been held with Prof Mohamed Hassan, Executive Director of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), when he visited IFS in November. The attempts to put capacity building high on the political agenda are also being pursued through contacts at the Swedish and other governments. They will also continue through the lead role of ICSU in promoting the role and contributions of the international scientific and technological community in the preparatory process for the Summit.
We call on all Donors, Member Organisations, and the wider IFS constituency to join in this effort during the preparatory work leading up to the WSSD next September.
WSSD website: http://www.rrcap.unep.org/wssd/wssd.cfm
IFS OPENS ITS PROGRAMME TO SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
IFS is pleased to announce the broadening of its programme to include support for social science research that addresses the sustainable management of biological resources. Interested researchers are encouraged to download an application form from the IFS website, request information from info@ifs.se, or contact Eren Zink, Project Secretary for Social Sciences, at eren.zink@ifs.se.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR IFS AWARDS
Nominations for the IFS/Danida Award and the IFS Silver Jubilee Award are invited from IFS Scientific Advisers, Member Organisations, and relevant co-operating organisations. Grantees may not nominate themselves. The IFS/Danida Award was established with special funds from the government of Denmark and is given every year to a maximum of 12 grantees working in Sub-Saharan Africa. The IFS Silver Jubilee Award is given to up to 12 grantees per year from Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Northern Africa. Both awards are in the amount of USD 2,000 and given for noteworthy achievements clearly associated with research work supported by IFS. Candidates should therefore normally have an IFS project in progress, but those who have concluded IFS-funded projects in the last five years are also eligible for nomination. Nominations should be accompanied by a justification and reach the IFS Secretariat before 31 January 2002. For further information please visit www.ifs.se or contact Tanja Lundén (e-mail: tanja.lunden@ifs.se)
CHANGE IN ROUTINES FOR PAYMENT OF LITERATURE AND MEMBERSHIP FEES BY IFS PURCHASING DEPARTMENT
The IFS Purchasing Department will no longer arrange on the behalf of grantees for payment of literature or membership fees. This service will end on 1 April 2002. Applicants may continue to include these items in their budgets.
IFS GRANTEES RECEIVE SUPPORT TO PARTICIPATE AT SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
International Symposium on Chemistry and Pharmacology of Plants used in African Traditional Medicine, Mali
The Symposium will take place 6-8 March 2002 in Bamako, Mali, and is organised by the IOCD Working Group on Plant Chemistry and the Département Médecine Traditionnelle (INRSP). For further information please contact, INRSP@le-mali.com or Kurt.Hostettmann@ipp.unil.ch.
Conference on Trace Element Research in Africa, Kenya
The Conference will take place 27-30 March 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya, and is organised by The Trace Element Satellite Center of UNESCO (TESCU). www.uonbi.ac.ke/acad_assoc/tracelements.
Meeting Towards Establishing Western Africa Network of Natural Products Research Scientists (WANNPRES) Ghana
The meeting will take place 18-23 February 2002 in the Elmina Beach Resort, Ghana, and is organised by The West and Central Africa Secretariat of the Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries (COSTED) For further information please contact, costed@ghana.com. WANNPRES is supported with core funding from IFS.
IFS APPLICATIONS UNDER REVIEW
A total of 339 applications for IFS grants is being reviewed by Scientific Advisers at the autumn Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Meetings. The proportion of applications received from countries in the Asia and the Pacific region was 43%, with 38% coming from Africa, and 19% from Latin America and the Caribbean. Applicants will be informed about the outcome of the evaluation by the end of January 2002.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The autumn Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Meetings are summarised below. A number of information seminars and visits to organisations were held in connection with the Meetings.
Following the Aquatic Resources SAC meeting at the Georg August Universität in Göttingen, Germany, an information seminar for overseas students took place.
The Animal Production SAC Meeting was held at the Division of Animal Health and Production and FAO headquarters in Rome. In 2001 five grantees received a joint FAO/IFS grant for research in the field of animal nutrition. During the Meeting, IFS staff, Scientific Advisers, and FAO staff looked into the possibilities to continue and expand collaboration between FAO and IFS in the future.
In connection with the Crop Science SAC Meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal, Richard Hall held an IFS seminar at the Tropical Science and Research Institute (Ministry of Science & Technology) which has close links with all the Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, as well as East Timor. In addition, information about IFS was also presented at the Centro de Estudos sobre Africa e do Desenvolvimento (University of Lisbon), the Institute for International Technical and Scientific Co-operation (Ministry of Science and Technology) and the New University of Lisbon.
The Forestry SAC Meeting was held at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) just outside Edinburgh, UK. CEH is a partner of the Edinburgh Centre for Tropical Forests (ECTF) in which Edinburgh University and the Forestry Commission, as well as other institutions, are involved.
Nathalie Persson-Adrianasitera and Richard Fuchs used the Food Science SAC Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, as an opportunity to present IFS to overseas students at universities in Liège, Namur, Gent, Brussels, and Leuven. Nathalie Persson-Adrianasitera also met with Mr Alain Darthenucq, who is responsible for Agriculture and Food Science at the INCO-Dev-EU, to discuss possibilities for co-funding workshops.
The Natural Products SAC Meeting was held in Madrid. IFS grantee and Scientific Adviser Berhanu Abegaz from Ethiopia attended. He contributed to the Meeting with very valuable information on capacity building in developing countries.
UPDATING OF INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENTIFIC ADVISERS
The IFS Secretariat is in the process of updating information in the database about IFS Scientific Advisers. In order to facilitate the allocation of applications to the appropriate Scientific Advisers, the keyword system used at IFS has been updated and lists of keywords have been sent out to Scientific Advisers by email. Scientific Advisers who have not provided email addresses to IFS will be contacted by post. In addition, the Scientific Advisers have been asked if they are willing to become a mentor, ie to provide advice to grantees on their projects and to help individual grantees with the preparation of scientific papers. From the responses received so far, many Scientific Advisers are prepared to share their expertise with grantees.
PERSONNEL
Nathalie Persson-Andrianasitera was appointed Scientific Secretary for Food Science as of 1 October 2001. She replaces Richard Fuchs, who will continue as Head of Programme. Information Secretary Judith Furberg has resigned, as of 31 December 2001, to take up a position as an English teacher and language consultant in the private sector.
PHOTOS FOR IFS PUBLICATIONS
IFS is now using photos more and more in its publications. We are always interested in receiving from grantees and Advisers photos that illustrate IFS-supported projects. The photos should show clearly some aspect of the scientific work rather than a portrait or a group of people or an institution building. The following information should accompany each picture: subject of picture; names of any people in picture; name of IFS grantee whose work is associated with picture; where (including country) the picture is taken; date; photographer. The photos may be in any digital format (at least 300 dpi resolution) or on paper or as slides. IFS will assume the right to publish any photos sent to us and photo credits will be given when known. Photos should be sent to Brian Porter at IFS (brian.porter@ifs.se).
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