The AFRAMED International Research Network (IRN) was officially inaugurated on 31 August 2022 in Nancy, France. The objective of the AFRAMED network, led by Claude Lecomte, emeritus professor at the Laboratory of Crystallography, Magnetic Resonance and Modelling (CRM2 – CNRS/University of Lorraine), is to connect a diffractometer from a French laboratory to a laboratory of a partner university in Africa to support doctoral training and research in Africa.
The sample to be measured (synthesised mineral or molecular materials and molecules isolated in Africa) will be installed on the instrument by a French engineer or researcher who will authorise remote control of the instrument by his African colleague via a secure internal connection.
- The objectives of this networking are :
Training: AFRAMED will enable the training of researchers from the African laboratories concerned, who will in turn train their colleagues and doctoral students. - Research: This provision of equipment should facilitate the development of new natural or synthetic materials in Africa that promise numerous industrial and pharmaceutical applications. The links with the socio-economic world also aim to constitute potential recruitment channels within companies.
Moreover, the implementation of this network will serve as a proof of concept for a generalisation to other types of “medium-heavy” measuring devices and other instruments such as the Soleil synchrotron or the African Light Source (AfLS). The initial set of French and African partners constituting the project will be able to add new members as the project opens up to other laboratories and disciplines.
Find more information on the University of Lorraine website (in French).