4-15 February programme in Giza, Egypt, is latest in "Network of Centres of Excellence" project
Nineteen researchers, engineers and students from 10 African countries will participate in a training course on bioinformatics to be held from 4-15 February at the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI) in Giza, Egypt, as part of the "Network of Centres of Excellence" project organized by UNCTAD and funded by the Italian Government.
Participants will study such matters as biomedical information databases, multiple sequence alignment and functional genomics.
The concept behind "Network of Centres of Excellence" is that existing outstanding research centres in developing countries may be used as regional hubs of learning and training, mainly through the organization of workshops and instructional sessions. Rather than increasing the capabilities of scientific institutions by financing their research, the "Network of Centres of Excellence" promotes science and technology by creating links within the scientific community and increasing the mobility of scientists from developing countries. Participants in the AGERI programme will come from Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Malawi, Burkina Faso and Senegal. AGERI is generously providing tuition-free training and research facilities for the course.
Advances in science and technology are considered vital if developing countries are to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a series of targets set by the United Nations General Assembly to improve global living standards.
Other training sessions within the framework of "Network of Centres of Excellence" have been organized in South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania and India.
