Conclusion of the ESC/
Meraka Institute Collaborative Research Agreement
-Cooperation for Simulation Study and Human Capital Development-

The Earth Simulator Center (ESC; Prof. Tetsuya Sato, Director-General), the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC; Mr. Yasuhiro Kato, President) and the Meraka Institute (Mr. Llew Jones, Director) of the South African Republic have concluded an agreement on international collaborative research and human capital development.

The Meraka Institute is a national research center managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; Africa's largest national research institute with approximately 2,500 staff) which is affiliated with the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The objectives of this agreement are the collaborative study of climate phenomena of particular concern to Africa, such as drought and desertification, and the development of human capital for predictive simulation and data visualization.

The second meeting of the joint commission for the Japan-South Africa Agreement on Scientific and Technologic Cooperation was held in Tokyo in June 2006, and promotion of cooperation on high-performance computing was agreed. This collaborative research is expected to make rapid progress towards international cooperation.

1.Title :

"Agreement on international collaborative research and human resource development between the ESC and the Meraka Institute of the South African Republic"

2.Concluded between :

      ESC   Director-General, Prof. Tetsuya Sato
      Meraka Institute Director,    Mr.Llew Jones

3.Details:

The ESC and the Meraka Institute will carry out collaborative research in the field of high-resolution climate and solid earth simulation along with development of human capital, including research guidance for young researchers at the Meraka Institute. Research exchange activities on climate change in Africa and on techniques for visualizing simulation results are planned with JAMSTEC's researchers in the future. It is expected that the research results will be effectively utilized for drawing up countermeasures against drought in Africa.

4.Period :

February 1, 2007 through January 31, 2009 (2 years)