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ICT innovations receive R43m boost

By Siyabonga Africa, ITWeb junior journalist
Johannesburg, 02 Oct 2008

The SA-Finland Knowledge Partnership on ICT (Safipa) is calling for research proposals from the ICT community.

The partnership, which is in its first year of a three-year contract, is funded jointly by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SA's Department of Science and Technology (DST), to the tune of more than R43 million.

"The overall objective of the programme is to support the creation of an environment which facilitates the development and deployment of ICT service applications for the benefit of South African citizens,” says Safipa CTO Kristiina L"ahde.

L"ahde explains the programme addresses the creation and delivery models of ICT-based service applications that are suitable for local conditions, especially in the most vulnerable parts of the population.

She says so far there no set limits on the amount of funding the accepted ICT proposals will receive. The Finnish government donated three million euro (R34 million) during the signing of Safipa in July last year, while the DST donated R9 million.

Meeting the criteria

The proposals will be judged according to certain criteria, such as how they will meet Safipa's goals of helping impoverished areas in SA with the aid of ICT.

“The programme addresses the creation and delivery models of ICT-based service applications where the vulnerable or underprivileged parts of the population are in focus.”

L"ahde also says proposals must fit into one or several of Safipa's three components: institutional capacity development, innovative Internet solutions applications and new solutions for end-users, and network creation and dissemination.

She explains that proposals must provide a sustainability plan, and explain how the programme, or its results, will be made sustainable after project funding finishes.

Other joint ventures

The CSIR's Web site states Safipa, which is based at the Meraka Institute, in Pretoria, is one of a number of research joint ventures between SA and Finland. Other programmes include the Cooperation Framework on Innovation Systems between Finland and South Africa (Cofisa).

Cofisa aims to strengthen SA's national system of innovation and focuses on institutional skills and capacity development, instead of infrastructure development.

The Meraka Institute says Safipa will strengthen the institute's structured mentorship programme and create a platform for exchange programmes between South African and Finnish institutions engaged in applied research and development.

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