Co-founded and directed by Professor de Beer, the Open AIR team has transformed their field of research by revolutionizing our understanding of Africa’s role in the global knowledge economy, and subsequently improving public policies and real-world practices in Africa, Canada, and globally. Thriving across disciplines and sectors, Open AIR is creating models to better measure and value diverse modes of innovation, and to improve corresponding laws and policy frameworks for sustainable and inclusive development. One of Open AIR’s most original aspects is its commitment to bridging across global divides to learn from Africa rather than teach to Africa. The partnership is enriching Canada and the world with diverse insights from a continent widely regarded as an emerging economic powerhouse and centre of geopolitical power, yet marginalized in much research and policy discourse. Professor de Beer has worked to forge this distinctive approach of mutual respect and reciprocity by weaving together support from SSHRC for work in Canada and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for work in African countries, matched by support from academic institutional partners.
Conceiving and constructing the partnership alongside Professor de Beer is his uOttawa-based co-leader, Dr. Chidi Oguamanam, one of the world’s foremost legal authorities on the global governance of Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge. Dr. Nagla Rizk, who bridges Open AIR’s North and sub-Saharan African presence from the School of Business at American University in Cairo, is making economic metrics of innovation more inclusive. Open AIR’s leadership also includes the heads of two of Africa’s leading centres of excellence in information technology and intellectual property, Dr. Isaac Rutenberg in Nairobi, Kenya and Dr. Tobias Schonwetter in Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Caroline Ncube and Dr. Erika Kraemer-Mbula, both holders of prestigious South African Research Chairs, at the Universities of Cape Town and Johannesburg respectively, are the other two co-leaders who stand as part of the team shortlisted for this award.
The annual SSHRC Impact Awards recognize the highest achievements from outstanding researchers and students in social sciences and humanities research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or fully by SSHRC. The finalists are selected by a jury composed of renowned experts from academia, as well as the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.
Among the other finalists for the Partnership Award are Philip Beesley of the University of Waterloo and Fannie Lafontaine of Université Laval. Professor Lafontaine’s partnership, The Canadian Partnership for International Justice, which she co-leads with Jayne Stoyles of the Canadian Centre for International Justice, includes 24 team members, including, from the Common Law Section, Professor Jennifer Bond, Professor François Larocque and Professor Penelope Simons as co-researchers, and Professor John Packer and Professor João Velloso as collaborators.
Congratulations to all of the finalists!