Canada’s International Development Research Centre and the National Research Foundation in South Africa have announced the winning projects under the new South Africa-Canada Research Chairs Initiative. This includes the South Africa-Canada Research Chairs Trilateral Partnership Initiative, through which two Canada Research Chairs will join forces with fellow researchers from South Africa, Kenya and Uganda.
Colin Chapman, Canada Research Chair in Primate Ecology and Conservation at McGill University, will work as part of the South Africa-Canada-Uganda research team. Its focus will be on wildlife interactions affecting poor people living in rural areas of tropical countries.
Juan C. Scaiano, Canada Research Chair in Applied Photochemistry at the University of Ottawa, will join the South Africa-Canada-Kenya research team. It will examine how nanotechnology can be used to improve water and soil contamination. The team will also work on designing new systems to reduce the cost of current purification methods.
The South Africa-Canada Research Chairs Trilateral Partnership Initiative will award both teams a maximum of $1 million for up to five years. The initiative seeks to invest in research development in sub-Saharan Africa by building on existing research capabilities, links and common research interests between South Africa, Canada and other African countries.