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At the end of July, eight representatives from the four newly founded African Clusters Centres in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa visited the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence in Bayreuth in order to define shared goals and new modalities of cooperation.

The Africa Mulitple Cluster of Excellence welcomed eight representatives from its four freshly appointed African Cluster Centres (ACC) in Bayreuth. The visit that took place during July 22 and July 27 2019 was designed to define common goals and establish new modalities of cooperation within the Cluster of Excellence.

Yearlong selection process

The four African Cluster Centres had been appointed in April 2019 after an intense selection process. The year before, more than 50 African institutions had answered the international call to become the first ACCs in the newly founded Cluster of Excellence. After a long period of deliberations and preparations the four institutions chosen to become an integral part of the Cluster of Excellence were announced: the Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), Moi University (Eldoret, Kenya), the University of Lagos (Lagos, Nigeria), and Rhodes University (Makhanda/Grahamstown, South Africa). Within the Cluster, the ACCs will serve as nodes for joint and regional research initiatives and networks.

Inaugural visit at University of Bayreuth

The Cluster of Excellence invited representatives of the newly established ACCs for an inaugural visit just before the University of Bayreuth’s summer semester 2019 came to an end. During their stay, the eight delegates met with a considerable number of members of the Cluster of Excellence getting to know each other as well as the different institutions that make up the Cluster’s unique organizational structure within the University of Bayreuth. During these meetings, common goals and routes were defined and possible research projects were discussed strengthening the Cluster’s core idea: A global research network that will contribute to a unique perspective in the field of African Studies.

One of the many highlights on the visit’s agenda was an official meeting with the executive board of the University of Bayreuth where the delegations were each given the chance to present their institution to the board and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the president of the University of Bayreuth, Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, stressing the ACCs’ willingness for a fruitful and synergetic cooperation. While working together on common long term research projects all involved parties hope to achieve invaluable synergies and innovative impulses for years to come. (sg)

See also:  Rhodes University Press Release