Group of emerging countries seeking to strengthen science and technology cooperation

The five Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are continuing their efforts to develop cooperation between themselves in the realm of science and technology. In early November, government officials from the countries’ respective Ministries and departments responsible for science, technology and innovation met in Pretoria for a second Senior Officials Meeting (the first having been held in Dalian, China, in September 2011). First Semester
At the Pretoria meeting, the senior officials agreed that the first Ministerial Brics science and technology meeting should take place during the first semester of next year. They also decided that they should draw up a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which would provide a formal framework for science and technology cooperation between the five countries. The MoU would cover the issues of funding and the creation of guiding protocols for cooperative projects. In addition, it should include a cooperation programme which would identify the joint programmes which would be implemented.
The senior officials identified six themes for cooperative research and development – living systems, nanotechnology and new materials, information and telecommunications technologies, rational wildlife management, power and power savings and global infrastructure. Further, it was agreed that each of the five countries would designate ‘nodal points’ for each cooperative theme. These nodal points would help establish their respective national research teams for each theme and then coordinate the activities of the different national teams. The officials also agreed to implement these decisions and report back on the results at the next senior officials meeting.
At the first Senior Officials Meeting in China last year, it was agreed that science and technology cooperation between the five countries would be voluntary, reciprocal, equal and mutually beneficial. However, such cooperation would also be dependent on the resources each country could commit. The Pretoria meeting confirmed these principles and rider, as well as the agreement to share information, discuss policy, exchange researchers, share scientific data and provide access to large science and technology research facilities.
The development of science and technology cooperation between the five countries was proposed at the Third Brics Leaders Meeting at Sanya, China, in April 2011. In their joint declaration, the leaders stated: “We intend to explore cooperation in the sphere of science, technology and innovation, including the peaceful use of space.” The first Senior Officials Meeting was held as a direct result of the declaration, and that meeting decided that future such meetings would take place on an annual basis. The third Brics Senior Officials Meeting will take place next year in India, to be followed by Brazil in 2014 and Russia in 2015. Science and Technology Development
South Africa has already been developing science and technology cooperation with India and Brazil within the framework of the India, Brazil, South Africa Dialogue Forum (better known as Ibsa). This trilateral group has a working group on science and technology and the three countries have agreed to cooperate in such fields as HIV/Aids, malaria, tuberculosis, bio- technology, nanotechnology and ocean-ography, as well as develop a joint satellite.
South Africa has also been developing science and technology cooperation with Russia on a bilateral basis. This cooperation was initially focused on the nuclear field. Pretoria has an intergovernmental agreement with Moscow, which gives South African researchers access to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) at Dubna, near the Russian capital. The JINR has seven laboratories and is primarily concerned with elementary particle physics, nuclear physics and condensed matter physics. South Africa and Russia are also developing cooperation in the space sector.