Who we are

The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform (AERAP) is a stakeholder forum convened to define priorities for radio astronomy cooperation between Africa and Europe. It provides a framework for stakeholders from industry and academia to define research action plans across the wide range of technological areas that will be essential for the future of radio astronomy. This framework will enable major research and technological advances that will drive socioeconomic development and competitiveness in both, Africa and Europe.

AERAP is structured around a network of key stakeholders who come together in regular meetings to work on developing and updating agendas for radio astronomy cooperation. These agendas are developed through dialogue with industry, research institutes and the public sector from across EU Member States and African nations and they aim at better aligning the priorities of the radio astronomy community with those of researchers and industry representatives. 

The overall goals of the platform are to strengthen research and innovation in Europe and Africa, improve knowledge transfer and stimulate competitiveness across both continents.

AERAP is a response to the call of the European Parliament, through the adoption of its Written Declaration 45 “on Science Capacity Building in Africa: promoting European-African radio astronomy partnerships”. This call was repeated by the Heads of State of the African Union, through their decision “Assembly/AU/Dec.407 CXVIII”, for radio astronomy to be a priority focus area for Africa—EU cooperation. The European Parliament and African Union recognise radio astronomy as a driver of technological development in a wide range of research and industry sectors. Africa-EU collaboration in radio astronomy can open new innovation opportunities in these sectors for companies and research institutes across both continents. Stakeholders from these communities have set up the African-European Radio Astronomy Platform (AERAP).

More information on scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and South Africa is available on the website of the European South Africa Science and Technology Advancement Programme (ESASTAP).
 

AERAP Brochure available for download here.