South African science is stepping into one of the world’s brightest spotlights. The country is participating as Country of Honour at the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, the first African nation ever to receive the designation, and it is arriving with a showcase of world-class innovation.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande, who is leading the delegation, said South Africa will use the international platform to display its progress in vaccine development, nuclear medicine, hydrogen technology and climate-change research.
“It is very significant because this is one of the major innovation forums in the world. It also takes place as we celebrate 28 years of our diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China,” Nzimande said on his arrival in Shanghai.
A showcase of South African excellence
Among the achievements on display is the country’s homegrown vaccine development programme, along with pioneering work in nuclear medicine. Nzimande highlighted the facility at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, the only one of its kind, where nuclear medicine is used to diagnose and treat patients.
South African speakers will present the nation’s progress across a wide range of scientific fields, from health innovation to climate change. “We have been given enormous space to showcase our innovations as South Africa, and that is very important. Possibly, some positive things are going to come out of that,” the Minister said.
Partnerships that lift science higher
The forum offers more than a stage; it is a meeting place for the world’s leading innovators. Nzimande said the gathering would allow the South African delegation to engage with representatives from many participating countries.
“We are very pleased to be here because there are a lot of countries that are also here. It is not only us that will have a chance to interact. This has the potential to take our science to higher levels as South Africa,” he said.
The delegation includes scientists, innovators, researchers and business representatives, a mix the Minister said reflects the collaborative nature of modern innovation. “Our scientists and businesspeople whom we invited are here because innovation these days is often a partnership between science councils, ourselves, universities and the private sector,” he explained.
Building on a growing relationship
Nzimande noted that China’s position as a leading centre of innovation, together with the two countries’ shared membership of BRICS, opens important doors for cooperation in science and technology.
For a country that has produced world firsts from heart transplants to deep-space telescopes, the Country of Honour designation in Shanghai is another proud marker of South Africa’s standing in global science, and a springboard for the partnerships that will power its next breakthroughs. The full report is available from SAnews.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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