Global Research Report Africa
GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT
AFRICA
APRIL 2010
JONATHAN ADAMS
CHRISTOPHER KING
DANIEL HOOK
EVIDENCE
THE AUTHORS
Dr. Jonathan Adams is Director, Research Evaluation.
He was a founding Director of Evidence Ltd, the UK specialist on research performance analysis and interpretation.
Christopher King is Editor of Science Watch (ScienceWatch.com), a newsletter and web resource tracking trends and performance in basic research.
Dr Daniel Hook is Managing Director of Symplectic Limited, the UK-based research management information company, and holds visiting academic positions at Imperial College London and Washington University in St Louis.
This report has been published by
Evidence, a Thomson Reuters business
103 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9DF, UK
T/ +44 113 384 5680
F/ +44 113 384 5874
E/ enquiries@evidence.co.uk
Copyright © 2010 Thomson Reuters
ISBN: 1-904431-25-9
GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT
GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT
AFRICA
APRIL 2010
INTRODUCTION
This report is part of a series launched by
Thomson Reuters to inform policymakers and others about the landscape and dynamics of the global research base.
regressing on objectives to achieve universal primary education by 2015. Internet penetration is good only in North Africa, constraining communication and access to knowledge.i
The global research landscape is changing. Our previous reports have described this as ‘the new geography of science’, borrowing from UK thinktank Demos which published a prescient analysis in 2005 pointing out the growth of research alongside emergent economies.
Yet the continent is also home to a rich history of higher education and knowledge creation. The
University of Al-Karaouine, at Fez in Morocco, was founded in CE 859 as a madrasa and is identified by many as the oldest degree-awarding institution in the world.ii It was followed in 970 by Al-Azhar
University in Egypt. While it was some centuries before the curriculum expanded from
AFRICA
APRIL 2010
JONATHAN ADAMS
CHRISTOPHER KING
DANIEL HOOK
EVIDENCE
THE AUTHORS
Dr. Jonathan Adams is Director, Research Evaluation.
He was a founding Director of Evidence Ltd, the UK specialist on research performance analysis and interpretation.
Christopher King is Editor of Science Watch (ScienceWatch.com), a newsletter and web resource tracking trends and performance in basic research.
Dr Daniel Hook is Managing Director of Symplectic Limited, the UK-based research management information company, and holds visiting academic positions at Imperial College London and Washington University in St Louis.
This report has been published by
Evidence, a Thomson Reuters business
103 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9DF, UK
T/ +44 113 384 5680
F/ +44 113 384 5874
E/ enquiries@evidence.co.uk
Copyright © 2010 Thomson Reuters
ISBN: 1-904431-25-9
GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT
GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT
AFRICA
APRIL 2010
INTRODUCTION
This report is part of a series launched by
Thomson Reuters to inform policymakers and others about the landscape and dynamics of the global research base.
regressing on objectives to achieve universal primary education by 2015. Internet penetration is good only in North Africa, constraining communication and access to knowledge.i
The global research landscape is changing. Our previous reports have described this as ‘the new geography of science’, borrowing from UK thinktank Demos which published a prescient analysis in 2005 pointing out the growth of research alongside emergent economies.
Yet the continent is also home to a rich history of higher education and knowledge creation. The
University of Al-Karaouine, at Fez in Morocco, was founded in CE 859 as a madrasa and is identified by many as the oldest degree-awarding institution in the world.ii It was followed in 970 by Al-Azhar
University in Egypt. While it was some centuries before the curriculum expanded from
References: I. Scoones and D. Glover, “Starved for Science: How Biotechnology Is Being Kept Out of Africa,” Nature, 460 (7257): 797-8, 2009. Anon., “Strengthening research capacity in Africa,” Lancet, 374 (9683): 1, 2009. O. Oukem-Boyer, et al., “Tackling human resources in Africa: How one institute leverages overseas talent to develop its research strategy,” Scientist, 23 (1): 24, 2009. P. Kagame, “Challenges and prospects of advancing science and technology in Africa: The case of Rwanda,” Science, 322 (5901): 545, 2008. R. Gallagher, “Africa needs basic science,” Scientist, 22 (7): 13, 2008. J.N.A. Matthews, “Institute nurtures African math and science graduate students,” Physics Today, 61 (5): 25-6, 2008. J. Van Den Brink and I. Snyman, “Advancing science in Africa,” Nature Materials, 6 (11): 792-3, 2007. M.H.A. Hassan, “A new dawn for science in Africa,” Science, 316 (5833): 1813, 2007 M.H.A Discovery and Innovation, 18 (4): 279-87, 2006. E. Masood, “Africa pursues goal of scientific unity,” Nature, 445 (7128): 576, 2007. M. Cherry, “Science in Africa: Conscious of change,” Nature, 444 (7118): 416-7, 2006. Anon., “A foundation for Africa,” Nature, 442 (7102): 486, 2007. Anon., “A scramble for Africa,” Nature, 440 (7083): 383-4, 2006. Anon., “Networks for Africa,” Nature, 438 (7067): 395, 2005. M.H.A. Hassan, “Can science save Africa?” Science, 292 (5522): 1609, 2001. OECD (2009). African Economic Outlook: overview. AfDB/OECD. ISBN 978-92-64-06170-5 ii The Guinness Book Of Records (1998), ISBN 0 5535 7895 2, p 242 iii UNESCO (2007), Science in Africa (http://www.unesco.org/science) iv (Computer Graphics Forum; Proceedings of EuroVis 2009), Pages 983-990. A. Clauset. (2005). “Finding Local Community Structure in Networks,” Physical Review E, 72, 026132.