Date: Friday, 17 October 2025
Time: 11:00 - 13:00 (UTC+2), followed by a reception
Venue: Festsaal der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10115 Berlin & livestreamed

The existing multilateral order is under increasing pressure amid shifting political, economic and military balances. These geopolitical changes also reverberate in African-European relations. Various African countries have criticised the current state of multilateralism for perpetuating global power imbalances. This criticism is also echoed in the higher education sector, with active discussions and concrete, actionable measures aimed at fostering equitable partnerships. The opportunities of equitable African-European partnerships in research and higher education, as well as the role of science diplomacy as a facilitator, will be explored at the KIWi Policy Talk titled (How) can African-European science diplomacy promote equitable partnerships?, organised in collaboration with the Berlin University Alliance.

Questions to be discussed include: 

• How can European science diplomacy evolve to address criticisms concerning global structural power imbalances and foster equitable partnerships?

• What practical approaches and strategies can be implemented to enhance African-European academic collaboration?

• What opportunities could emerge for African-European academic collaboration as the USA continue to scale back their science diplomacy efforts while chinese and russian initiatives increase?

• Which areas of higher education, capacity building, mobility and research are likely to foster fruitful and mutually beneficial partnerships? How can such partnerships be cultivated effectively at different institutional levels?

Further Information

We warmly invite you to participate in this hybrid event and engage in the discussion with experts from both Africa and Europe.

Here you can find the current programm.

You can access the latest information on KIWi events and publications on our website.

You can access further information on the Berlin University Alliance here, and specifically on the Berlin Centre for Global Engagement here.

If you would like to receive updates on future events, please send an email to kiwi@daad.de to join our mailing list.