Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy Phase 2 - Extension

We will conduct a programme in radio astronomy in Africa that will help to drive economic growth. South Africa is hosting part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) - the major next generation radio telescope and the first big science project on the African continent. A network of up to 2000 dishes will eventually spread out across southern Africa to give the telescope its powerful resolution to see small structures in the sky. To this aim South Africa is partnering with eight other countries in Africa that will host these outstations. However, there is virtually no astronomy activity in these countries at present and so SKA-SA are building the African VLBI Network (AVN) as a precursor instrument and very useful addition to the world's radio astronomy networks in its own right. The AVN will consist of 30 m class radio dishes in each partner country, either converted from defunct telecommunications dishes or newly built ones.

The UK team, together with SA colleagues, will provide advanced training in the form of a number of MSc bursaries to citizens of AVN partner countries. The students will undertake research training using interferometric radio telescopes. The advanced STEM skills learnt as part of this training can be applied to a range of industries such as telecommunications, space science, land management and computing. An integral part of the training programme will be interaction with entrepreneurs who have experience of setting up businesses using related technologies.

We will fund an antenna consultant who is an expert in antenna control systems to assist with projects in Africa. For the students who have received radio astronomy training and now want to use their new skills to start up their own business we will provide business advice from an entrepreneur experienced in the field. Our business consultant previously worked for Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd in Cornwall where a project in collaboration with several UK universities is also aiming to convert large old dishes in to radio telescopes. He is therefore uniquely experienced in the synergies and business opportunities that lie at the interface of radio astronomy and the burgeoning space sector. Groups of our newest trainees will be able to carry out small development projects that utilize their astronomy knowledge. This will be overseen by experts from the International Astronomical Union's Office of Astronomy for Development.

The antenna consultant empolyed in this project will transfer knowledge in antenna control systems to local engineers in the African low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) involved in the conversion of old 32 m telecommunications dishes into radio telescopes. Such skills in the electronic control of complex systems are widely used in developed economies. Our business consultant will use his experience to provide advice to those who wish to exploit the synergies between radio
astronomy and the related areas of space science, satellite communications, deep space communications and telecommunications to start businesses, and generate jobs and revenue. Those just going through our radio astronomy training programmes will be inspired to think about entrepreneurial activity as well as to pass on the message about the opportunities afforded by science and technology to the next generation.

Industries in the AVN countries that rely on having people with advanced STEM knowledge and with drive and ambition will benefit from this programme through having a pool of trained and motivated individuals. As in any country not all of those who undergo postgraduate training will go on to become academics, the majority will go into industry and commerce taking their advanced knowledge and skills with them. Economic activity as a whole will benefit as some of these people start their own businesses inspired by the entrepreneurs they have met during the training programme. These could be in diverse fields such as telecommunications, space science, geodetic applications such as land management or climate change, or computing and big data challenges. Showcasing the hosting of major international scientific facilities such as the AVN and SKA on the African continent will raise the aspiration of the population as Africa demonstrates that it can take its place on the modern scientific stage in the 21st century.