South African Delegation at ICTP

ICTP hosted a high-level South African delegation on 23 January 2012 headed by Naledi Pandor, the South African Minister of Science and Technology, that was in Trieste to publicize Africa's bid to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

SKA is billed to be the world's premier imaging and surveying telescope, combining fundamental developments in radio frequency technology, information technology and high-performance computing.

South Africa, along with eight African partner countries, has proposed a site in the Karoo region in the Northern Cape as the site for SKA's central core .  Once operational, SKA could boost our understanding of the formation and evolution of the first stars and galaxies after the Big Bang, the role of cosmic magnetism, the nature of gravity, and even life beyond Earth.

Dr Thomas Auf der Heyde, Deputy Director-General of International Cooperation and Resources at the South African National Department of Science and Technology (DST), and Ralph Sasman, Registry at DST, were also part of the delegation.

Apart from presenting details on Africa's bid to host SKA, the delegates discussed with ICTP representatives the Centre's role in radio astronomy, especially in the context of the global SKA projects, and were given an overview of how ICTP engages with developing countries.