EU-SA S&T Collaboration

Science and Technology has long been a main pillar for the bilateral relations between the European Community and the Republic of South Africa. The Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Republic of South Africa was signed in 1996 with the aim to encourage and facilitate cooperation between the Community and South Africa in fields of common interest where they are supporting research and development including demonstration activities to advance science and/or technology.

View the EU-SA Agreement [.pdf, 57KB]

In addition below is a list of bilateral cooperation agreements for all South Africa's country-to-country engagements in science and technology with European Countries.

Bulgaria

• Letter of Intent signed on 5 June 1995.

Flanders

• General Agreement signed on 28 October 1996.
• Cooperation on areas such as Biotechnology, Plant pathology, Environmental Research and Ecology, Statistical Modeling, Biochemistry, Agriculture and Food Production.

France

• General Agreement signed on 4 November 1994. Agreement renewed on 28 February 2008.
• Cooperation in areas such as engineering science and advancement of technologies; use of natural resources, Medical Research and Public health, social and Political sciences.
• SA-France-Senegal trilateral cooperation on laser technology from 2005.

Germany

• S&T Agreement signed on 12 June 1996.
• Cooperation on areas such as New Materials and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Environmental Issues, Integrated Community Development and Health Programmes, Biotechnology.

Greece

• S&T Agreement signed on 31 October 2006.

Hungary

• S&T Agreement signed on 24 November 1997.
• Cooperation on areas such as Materials Science, Manufacturing Technology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Systems, Sustainable Management of Environmental Issues and of Natural Resources, Exploitation of Natural Resources and Minerals.

Italy

• S&T Agreement signed on 16 Jan 1998.
• Cooperation on areas such as Material, Physical, Medical and Social Sciences, Industrial Research and Technological innovations, Agricultural Science, Environmental Protection and Ecology.

Kingdom of the Netherlands

• General Agreement signed on 30 September 1996.

Poland

• Agreement signed on 25 November 1999. Agreement renewed in November 2004.

Portugal

• Negotiations on S&T Agreement have been finalised. The agreement is ready to be signed and it is envisaged that it will be signed December 2007.

Romania

• S&T Agreement signed on 15 September 2004.
• DST and Romania to enter into a POC.
• Romania is of importance to SA in the fields of biotechnology, information technology, new materials, micro and nano technology and mathematics.
• POC being negotiated that will be signed during the last quarter of 2007.

Slovakia

• S&T Agreement signed on 15 May 2006.

Slovenia

• Will sign the S&T Agreement on 29 June 2007 in South Africa.

Spain

• S&T Agreement signed on 12 May 2003.
• Cooperation on areas such as Human Resource Development, Advanced manufacturing, Innovation (projects and grants, mining and energy), Biotechnology, and ICT.

Sweden

• S&T Agreement signed on 23 November 1999.

Switzerland

• Letter of Intent signed on 5 November 2004.
• MoU signed on 28 June 2005.
• Signing of S&T Agreement in November 2007.
• Cooperation on areas such as life sciences micro technologies and nanotechnologies, material research, manufacturing and production technologies and basic sciences such as physics and chemistry.

United Kingdom

• S&T Agreement signed on 27 February 1995.
• Cooperation in areas such as biomedicine, agriculture, biotechnology, environmental protection and the utilization of natural resources.
• Agreement on networking of scientists and the Letter of Intent on foot and mouth diseases and other animal diseases signed on 5 December 2002.

Ukraine

• S&T Agreement signed on 28 November 1998.