The Principals of the Global Research Alliance (GRA), of which SERA partner, the CSIR, is a member, met in Helsinki in May this year for their 6th Annual Meeting.

The GRA Principals at the 6th Annual Meeting in Helsinki, Finland.

The purpose of the meeting was to review progress made in the past year and to determine the path forward for the coming year. The meeting was chaired by the GRA President, Dr Ramesh Mashelkar, previously a Director-General at the CSIR in India, and hosted by Dr Erkki Leppävuori, the President and CEO of VTT the Technical Research Centre of Finland.

The GRA Principals also met with the President of the Republic of Finland, HE Ms Tarja Halonen, to discuss global research issues and participated in a workshop with leading scientists from VTT, who outlined some of the extensive capabilities of that organisation.

The Principals comprise Executive members from the nine member organisations, who meet once a year to review progress and set the goals for the next year. They are responsible for determining the overall strategic direction of the Alliance. The CSIR South Africa is also represented by the SERA Relationship Manager, Ms Khungeka Njobe.

A GRA Nerve Centre has been established at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria and is being managed by CSIR South Africa. This Centre serves as the coordination and marketing point for the Alliance and is also tasked with the identification and communication of project opportunities.

Each member organisation also has a designated Champion (or in some cases thematic champions in each of the focus areas of the GRA). These champions work with the Nerve Centre and are responsible for promoting the Alliance within their own organisations.

A series of technology fusion workshops have been held in the five focus areas of the GRA. Suitable governance structures have been formed to provide thought leadership and strategic direction to the scientists and technologists in each domain and focus area leaders report back to the annual meeting of Principals.

The GRA's commitment to supporting the Millennium Development Goals, as agreed at the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, gives context to its guiding principles:

• Undertaking large-impact projects for the benefit of society
• Creating synergy by pooling the energies, skills and facilities of participants
• Promoting projects with high innovation content
• Developing global knowledge networks for industry and industrial sectors to enhance their competitiveness.

The Alliance represents a combined strength of more than 50000 scientists and technologists to support theses principles.

For more information on the GRA, contact Dr Reinie Biesenbach: on +27 12 844 0890.