Transnational Cooperation

Research and Innovation Network for Europe and Africa (RINEA)

RINEA is a project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme over a period of 36 months (2015-2018) and will support the EU-Africa High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on science, technology and innovation, and addressing the STI priorities of the 2014 Summit, RINEA proposes three specific, measurable and complementary objectives, each addressing a core component of the bi‐regional STI partnership which when achieved contributes to the overall goal of reinforcing and enriching the Africa‐EU partnership in STI (HLPD). The consortium encompasses 13 partners, lead by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany, from those six European and seven African countries which also actively participate in the HLPD‐bureau, the implementing office for the HLPD, thereby allowing for a direct translation of political discussions on the HLPD level into measures to be developed and implemented by the RINEA consortium upon request by the HLPD. It is planned to work in complementary ways with related projects, such as INCO-NET CAAST-NET Plus, in which FCT participates.

The RINEA main objectives are:

Strengthening the quality and quantity of partnerships between research and innovation stakeholders in EU Member states, in Associated Countries and in countries in Africa;
Encouraging transnational coordination of programmes and policies for international cooperation in STI for greater coherence, joint ownership and resource efficiency;
Supporting and enriching formal and informal processes of bi‐regional STI policy dialogue between the EU and Africa.

Among other activities FCT is responsible for the H2020 Observatory for Africa, where all calls launched in H2020 targeting Africa are available.