Scientific mission to Sudan and Ethiopia
Bern, 08.01.2016 - The State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, will lead a high level scientific delegation to Sudan and Ethiopia between 9 and 13 January. The delegation will travel to the site of the world renowned Swiss archaeological excavations at Kerma in Sudan. Visits to a number of institutions and a ministerial meeting in Khartoum are also planned. In Ethiopia the delegation will attend the third joint committee meeting (JCM) with the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) in Addis Ababa.
The delegation, consisting of representatives from the umbrella organisation of Swiss higher education institutions, swissuniversities, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and scientists from research institutes belonging to the ETH Domain, cantonal universities and a university of applied sciences (UAS) will first visit the archaeological excavations being conducted at Kerma in Sudan. The excavations supported by the Swiss Confederation have made it possible for numerous treasures from the Nubian civilisation to be brought to light.
It is thanks to these excavations carried out by the Swiss archaeological teams, first led by Professor Charles Bonnet from the University of Geneva, then Professor Matthieu Honegger from the University of Neuchâtel, that a significant number of highly valuable artefacts were discovered enabling a remarkable museum to be established at Kerma. A meeting with the Minister of Culture and Antiquities in Khartoum will provide an opportunity to gauge the success of cooperation and discuss the future following a first meeting in 2014 at the inauguration of a spectacular exhibition on the Kerma excavations at the Laténium in Neuchâtel.
In Addis Ababa, State Secretary Dell’Ambrogio will then head the Swiss delegation at the third joint committee meeting instituted by the scientific and technological cooperation agreement between Switzerland and Ethiopia, signed in 2008. The discussions will focus on the current state and continuation of the longstanding collaboration on the use of natural resources led by the University of Bern’s Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), and on the possible development of collaboration in fields such as agronomy and health, also in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
At this point, Dr Thomas Breu, Director of the CDE, will formally take over as the main contact for collaboration with Ethiopia from Prof. Hans Hurni, who is retiring. The mission will be rounded off with a number of visits to research institutes in Addis Ababa, existing or potential partners of Swiss institutions in the aforementioned fields.
Address for enquiries
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI
Mauro Moruzzi
Ambassador
Head of International Relations
Tel: +41 58 462 68 36
Mauro.Moruzzi@sbfi.admin.ch
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Regional Director Horn of Africa
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Embassy of Switzerland, General Mathenge Drive 89, Spring Valley, Westlands, P.O. Box 2600, 00621 Nairobi
Tel: +254 20 2673282 l +41 31 322 18 74
laila.sheikh@eda.admin.ch
lukas.ruettimann@eda.admin.ch
Publisher
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
