Global Higher Education Interdisciplinary Network

Sub-Saharan Africa Members

First Sub-Saharan Africa Meeting: 28th April 2026 

Local Partnerships, Global Learnings, and Research Commercialisation

The Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Chapter first convened on 28th April 2026 to discuss ambitions for the acceleration of interdisciplinary science across the region and, importantly, the position of the Global Higher Education Interdisciplinary Network in supporting this agenda. 

The network is thought to be unique in the region with a clear opportunity to reignite local interdisciplinary partnership which is felt to have been missing in recent years. It is hoped that such a revival will also support more robust and impactful interdisciplinary activities at the global level – whereby members are keen to identify and exchange best practices in collaborative research with global peers. Through the network, members hope to encourage the adoption of an interdisciplinary mindset across their institutions to demonstrate the true value of collective problem-solving. 

For this region, the application of global learnings to local issues is particularly important and members will champion the need to cascade collaborative research findings to their own contexts. The commercialisation of outputs will also be a critical area to explore – encouraging researchers to consider the wider entrepreneurial potential of their findings. Together, members will identify creative methods that cultivate group working, collaborative exchange, and research partnerships that cross disciplinary borders.