Sadiq Yusuf, PhD Dept. of Physiology and Institute of Biomedical Research

1. Establishing the Necessary Infrastructure and Knowledge for Teaching and Research in Neuroscience in Africa: Bridging the Gap Sadiq Yusuf, PhD Dept. of Physiology and Institute of Biomedical Research Kampala International University, Uganda

2. Introduction • Compared to developed countries, poor facilities, lack of funding and career development programs for neuroscientists, are considered the main issues confronting neuroscience research in Africa today. • This presentation discusses the approaches that can be employed to bridge the gap in neuroscience knowledge between the developed and African countries to: • improve research output, • eliminate brain drain • improve national development.

3. These strategies include

4. Neuroscience Programs • Developed countries account for • some 84% of the global investment in scientific research and development, • approximately 72% of the world researchers, and • produced approximately 88% of all scientific and technical publications registered by the Science Citation Index (2012).

5. Neuroscience Programs In the hope of helping scientists in Africa to experience the process of designing and conducting experiments, • IBRO • National Academy of Sciences • Society for Neuroscience [SFN] • The Grass Foundation • TWAS • International Society of Neurochemistry [ISN] • UNESCO

6. Neuroscience Programs • Janis Weeks • Abdul Mohammed • Sharon Juliano • Albert Aguayo • AdesolaOgunniyi • Rajesh N. Kalaria • Willis Daniels • Vivienne Russell • Nilesh B. Patel • NouriaLakhdar Ghazal

7. Neuroscience Programs • These organizations and individuals have been funding and conducting series of teacher training and scientific workshops for the last 2 decades to: • promote capacity building in neuroscience education in Africa universities, • the advancement of neuroscience research and improvement of medical care

8. Neuroscience Programs • Participants drawn from different countries in the continent are exposed to: • basic lectures on neuroscience concepts • the latest scientific techniques in neuroscience research and analysis of complex data sets.

9. Neuroscience Programs • These training workshops have enabled scientists from Africa countries to conduct research or spend time in well-established Labs or to establish collaborations with prominent scientists. • However, for these initiatives to succeed in the long term and address the prevailing need for up-grade in neuroscience training in Africa countries • there should be a coordinated development of an interdisciplinary graduate program leading to the award of M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Neuroscience.

10. Neuroscience Programs • The objectives of such graduate program should be: • to educate graduate students as neuroscientists with intensive experience in at least one area of research • to ensure that students in the program develop a broadly based knowledge of the neurosciences. • to prepare each student to make significant contributions in neuroscience and fosters development from trainee to independent research scientist and educator.

11. Neuroscience Programs • Teaching and Research in Neuroscience (TReND) in Africa and Kampala International University, Uganda is trying to address this problem head-on by • introducing a creative way of using cheap and readily available models to conducting cutting edge research in Africa • developing a multidisciplinary MSc program in neuroscience.

12. Neuroscience Research Facilities

13. Neuroscience Research Facilities • The ability of many scientists in African universities or research groups to undertake in-depth research is often hampered by lack of modern equipment, lack of appropriate technology • However, institutions of higher learning can benefit from organizations such as Adequacion, TReND in Africa, or Seeding Labs. • These organizations work with universities, hospitals and companies to provide second-hand laboratory and medical equipment in good condition for the developing world

14. Neuroscience Research Facilities • For example, the annual insect neurogenetics course organized by TReND with support from IBRO, AD Instruments, Cambridge University and other organizations is providing a good foundation for those interested in pursuing research in neuroscience in African universities with the necessary tools for incorporating Drosophila as a model organism for neuroscience research. • The course provided equipment and expert training of junior faculty and at the end of the course, the equipment remains in the host institution.

15. Research Funding

16. Research Funding • For a country to have a strong sustainable, diversified economy that will help lift the country out of poverty, it must invest in its own research community. • In most African countries where political instability is rife and food shortages are real, supporting scientific research may not seem like an obvious priority.

17. Research Funding • In the face of lack essential survival requirements or a sufficiently cooperative government, how do scientists in these countries work to tackle research problems related to local needs? • One answer is to encourage regional collaborations. • Neurex in Europe and International Institute for Neurosciences of Natal [IINN] in Brazil provides a good example of such regional collaboration.

18. Research Funding • Neurex is composed of more than 100 specialized laboratories from three Universities in the Upper Rhine region of Europe • Basel in Switzerland • Strasbourg in France • Freiburg in Germany • The network has more than 1,200 academics and researchers whose main aim is to develop scientific and industrial exchanges in the region. • It is, in effect, a center of excellence that is unique in Europe.

19. Research Funding • IINN has garnered praises for its socially conscious mission to foster economic development, has been cited as an example of Brazil's promising research enterprise. • IINN was established by Miguel Nicolelis(considered one of the 20 most important neuroscientists in activity in the last decade), SidartaRibeiroand Claudio Mello.

20. Research Funding • The Neurex and IINN model can provide a valuable model for Africa countries with similar needs for neuroscience research in retaining and attracting the brightest researchers in the field of Neurosciences. • Such structure with worldwide recognition can be developed in Africa by researchers who have established their careers in the developed countries and has collaboration with established labs.

21. Conclusion • the aim of finding low-tech, high impact ways of delivery neuroscience training in Africa should not be viewed as just knowledge transfer but the spark that leads to new collaborations and a stronger global science community. • Failure to take matters into our hands, outside efforts will flounder, and Africa’s brightest students will keep heading for distant lands.

22. Acknowledgement • Prof Abdul Mohammed • Janis Weeks • Lucia Prieto Godino • Tom Barden • Staff and Students Kampala International University • Alumni of the Insect Neurogenetics Course

23. Thank You