Swiss Leading House Africa

The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has mandated the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) – supported by the University of Basel and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern – as the Swiss Leading House (LH) for sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative aims to strengthen scientific cooperation and collaboration between Switzerland and countries in the sub-Saharan region.

• To improve mutual knowledge and raise Switzerland's profile as a prime location for education, research and innovation (ERI), by facilitating the circulation of talent and fostering direct cooperation between institutions.
• To support efforts by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to strengthen its collaboration with similar partner agencies, particularly the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF), the “Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation” (FONSTI) in Côte d'Ivoire and the Technology and Innovation Agency (TIA) in South Africa among others, upon request.
• To increase collaboration in the field of innovation through new or existing instruments, as a way to develop the capacities of Swiss and African ERI stakeholders and support entrepreneurship and develop instruments aiming at innovation and explore options with industry partners.
   

• Research and mobility grants for early, intermediate and advanced researchers
• Lectureships and prolonged research stays at African higher education institutions for Swiss research groups
• PhD graduate programme
• Academia–industry training programme, with strong institutional support from both academia and industry
• Making Innovation a Reality – African Health Initiative (MIRAHI)
• DSI-NRF-Swiss Bilateral Research Chair in Blockchain Technology