More than 300 young people across eight African countries have already received radio astronomy training through the DARA programme, and this third phase aims to embed postdoctoral researchers in African institutions for the first time. The problem is that partner countries hosting the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope—the world’s largest radio observatory—lack the local expertise to fully participate in the project. Without a pipeline of skilled scientists and engineers, these nations risk being passive hosts rather than active contributors to a major global scientific facility. If successful, this phase will complete the establishment of radio astronomy research groups in each partner country, enabling their citizens to lead SKA-related work. The programme also expands training in machine learning for analysing SKA data and links those skills to Earth observation data, which can address development challenges such as agriculture, water management, and infrastructure monitoring. Industrial partners bring entrepreneurship experience, helping translate technical skills into local businesses. This is primarily a human capital development programme rather than fundamental science. It builds the workforce needed for a major international research infrastructure, with the broader goal of strengthening high-tech skills, research capacity, and international cooperation across Africa.
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This proposal is to continue, deepen and expand the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) project. DARA is a human capital development programme with the principal aim to develop high tech skills in radio astronomy in the eight developing African countries that partner with South Africa in the hosting of the mid-frequency telescope of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The first two phases utilized the Newton Fund and delivered a basic training to over 300 young people as well as Masters and PhD level training. This proposal is once again a bilateral UK-SA project bidding for Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding as part of the Tomorrow's Talent strand of the new International Science Partnership Fund (ISPF). In this new phase we will extend the HCD pipeline to establish postdoctoral fellows in African partner institutions for the first time. The aim is to complete the establishment of radio astronomy research groups in each partner country so that their citizens can fully engage with the SKA project. We will also continue the basic and Masters level training programme. This third phase will also encompass elements of the DARA Big Data sister project to deepen the training in machine learning techniques required to analyse SKA data and embed synergies with Earth Observation data. We will also continue and expand our partnership with the space sector to showcase how the skills of radio astronomy can be utilized to address development challenges in Africa. The industrial partners also bring entrepreneurship and business start-up experience. Overall, the DARA project addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of increasing high tech skills, research activity and international cooperation.
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