Building transformative higher education partnerships between South Africa and the EU

As part of its deep cooperation with the South African higher education sector, Obreal has completed an intensive week of deliberations in Pretoria in the framework of the South Africa Science Forum which took place between the 24th and the 28th of November.

In particular, Obreal Director of Education Policy and Programs, Elizabeth Colucci, chaired the session “Strengthening higher education and STI through EU-South Africa Collaboration – Leveraging strategic funding for transformative impact”. Representatives of Euraxess, University of Johannesberg and and DHET South Africa participated in the session. It reflected on the evolving relationship between EU and South Africa regarding Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), showcasing scalable models of success, and offering recommendations for sustaining and expanding collaborative financing.

Obreal’s intervention highlighted how targeted, strategic funding (anchored in strong higher education systems) can drive transformative outcomes for both regions and contribute meaningfully to the global STI and development agenda.

The South Africa Science Forum was also an opportunity for side-meetings with strategic partners, including SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority), CHE (Council of Higher Education), THENSA and the EU Delegation.

Obreal enjoys many cooperation partnerships with universities and policy bodies from South Africa, represented through projects like Engage SDG, GastroTour and UniiCoCreate, and further at the structural level through HAQAA3.