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

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.

Development Neuroscience programs Research Funding These strategies include

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).

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

Neuroscience Programs  Janis Weeks  Abdul Mohammed  Sharon Juliano  Albert Aguayo  Adesola Ogunniyi  Rajesh N. Kalaria  Willis Daniels  Vivienne Russell  Nilesh B. Patel  Nouria Lakhdar Ghazal

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

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.

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.

Neuroscience Programs  The objectives of such graduate program should be: 1.to educate graduate students as neuroscientists with intensive experience in at least one area of research 2.to ensure that students in the program develop a broadly based knowledge of the neurosciences. 3.to prepare each student to make significant contributions in neuroscience and fosters development from trainee to independent research scientist and educator.

Neuroscience Programs  Teaching and Research in Neuroscience (TReND) in Africa and Kampala International University, Uganda is trying to address this problem head-on by 1.introducing a creative way of using cheap and readily available models to conducting cutting edge research in Africa 2.developing a multidisciplinary MSc program in neuroscience.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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), Sidarta Ribeiro and Claudio Mello.

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.

 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. Conclusion

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

Thank You