The Africa Launch Conference will take place in Kampala, Uganda, from 7 – 9 May 2018, focusing on how to tackle the devastation caused by plant disease in Sub-Saharan African countries
The Connected network project is funded by a US$2.81mn grant from the UK government’s Global Challenges Research Fund, which supports research on global issues that affect developing countries.
Plant diseases significantly limit the ability of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to produce sufficient staple and cash crops such as cassava, sweet potato, maize and yam. The Connected project focuses on their spread by vectors, insects that transmit a disease from one plant to another.
Hosted by Dr Titus Alicai, a member of the Connected Management Board, the conference will conduct one day on site at The National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Namulonge, Kampala.
Immediately following the conference, there will be a two-day training course for Early Career Research Network members (10-11 May). This will focus on leadership and management skills, grant and paper writing.
As the project progresses, Connected will run further meetings, training courses, seminars and networking events in both the UK and Africa with the aim of promoting interdisciplinary working and strengthening research capacity and capability.
