Lancaster academics at forefront of international talks about Africa and health research
Ambitious new research projects focusing on Africa and on health innovation were discussed when a delegation from Lancaster University travelled to Portugal this month.
The delegation included academics from Lancaster’s Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, as well as Health and Medicine.
A ‘Research in Africa’ event, staged by NOVA University in Lisbon, showcased an impressive range of Africa-related research conducted across NOVA’s nine Faculties, from business studies, information management and social sciences to engineering, health research and natural sciences.
Lancaster University and NOVA University Lisbon established a strategic partnership in June 2018. The purpose of the partnership is to explore opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalisation, staff development and student recruitment.
Professor Robert Geyer, Lancaster’s Interim Dean International, said: “This was an excellent event for discussing linkages with NOVA and good progress was made on a number of areas. We look forward to exploring further research linkages on Europe with NOVA and inviting NOVA staff to forthcoming Lancaster University research events and activities.”
Dr Céu Mateus, Senior Lecturer in the Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, said: “Both NOVA and Lancaster have strong, cross-disciplinary research groups that focus on the use of health care technologies in ageing populations. We look forward to working together on this topic and to explore collaborations in other health research areas.”
Professor Kirk Semple, Director of International Engagement, Lancaster Environment Centre, said: “It was wonderful to hear about the range of projects that NOVA is working on with Lusophone African partners. It is clear that NOVA and Lancaster have similar ambitions for international collaboration. This strategic partnership offers exciting possibilities for our universities to work together on meaningful projects with African researchers.”
The visit concluded with a tour to the new campus of NOVA’s highly-ranked School of Business and Economics. This impressive new development features state-of-the-art teaching and research infrastructure, including a tunnel that leads staff and students to an adjacent beach. The project was financed by a 47M EUR fundraising campaign.
For more information on the NOVA Lancaster partnership or to get involved, please email Dr Patrick Rebuschat, p.rebuschat@lancaster.ac.uk.
From left to right: Professor Joao Amaro de Matos, Vice Rector, NOVA University Lisbon; Professor Kirk Semple, Director of International Engagement, Lancaster Environment Centre; Professor Joao Sàágua, Rector, NOVA University Lisbon; Professor Robert Geyer, Interim Dean International, Lancaster University.