Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) opened on 1 January 2005, the result of the merging of the PE Technikon the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University (Vista PE). This union of three very different institutions came about as a result of government’s countrywide restructuring of higher education – intended to deliver a more equitable and efficient system to meet the needs of South Africa in the 21st century.

NMMU brings together the best traditions of technikon and university education, and draws on more than a century of quality higher education, in a new kind of university that offers a wide range of academic, professional and technological programmes at varying entrance and exit levels. NMMU has approximately 27 000 students and approximately 2 500 staff members, based on six campuses in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and George. The sites are the North Campus (former PE Technikon), South Campus (former UPE), Second Avenue Campus (former PE Technikon College Campus) Missionvale Campus (former Vista), Bird Street Campus and the George Campus at Saasveld. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is a university “for tomorrow” - we nurture innovation, foster creativity, embrace technology, and develop people to meet the challenges of the world of tomorrow. “For tomorrow” also symbolises our commitment to sustainable development - development that meets today’s needs and can be continued into the future.
The NMMU Center for Community Technologies established in 2014, aims to promote radical development of the human potential of particularly disadvantaged communities through the use of technologies. It is the aim of the CCT to promote policy interventions aimed at lowering market costs of technologies which hold significant prospects for social and economic empowerment of poor communities. It furthermore aims to develop best practice strategies in collaboration with community actors that demonstrate effective ways of harnessing technological innovations in support of social and economic empowerment of the poor. It is envisaged that such aims will be achieved through strategic partnerships with interest groups in communities working on progressive experiments requiring the use of responsive technologies to form part of broader social strategies aimed at promoting equality, reducing poverty, fostering job creation and entrepreneurship as well as democratic participation in society. Ultimately, the research and engagement activities undertaken in the CCT will lead to a better understanding of how innovations in science and technology could enhance the living and working conditions of poor and vulnerable groups in society. Involvement in the project: NMMU will bring its expertise in interventions with community actors to support the work in WP5, which focuses on rurl scenarios in developing regions. FhP-AICOS and NMMU have a track record of collaboration regarding agriculture, thus making NMMU a natural partner for new related endeavours.

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The Informatics Center from Eduardo Mondlane University (CIUEM) is a unit created, officially, in 1995 to be dedicated to carry out activities in the areas of service, research and extension. It is managed according to the rules of Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) and has administrative and financial autonomy.

In 1998 it pioneered the production of national content for the Internet, and simultaneously initiated actions aimed at broadening access to them at the country level, through its Department of Information and Content Services. Actively participated in the establishment of the first National Informatics Policy which was approved in 2000, and which included universal access objectives to the Internet and content development. In 2006 CIUEM established the Community Information and Communication Support Centre (CAICC) which provides capacity building and networking at two interlinked levels. At the community level, CAICC by introducing the helpdesk and other capacity building activities for telecentre/CMCs practitioners, especially managers, technicians and volunteers. At the national level CAICC is providing a framework for coordination and information sharing between programs and partners. CIUEM and FhP have undertaken several joint activities since 2010 and on the beginning of 2013, CIUEM established a partnership to jointly work under the scope of the Information and Communication Technologies for Development Competence Center (ICT4DCC). Through this, partners shared collaborative R&D procedures and methods and ensured a deep long-term partnership. Involvement in the project: CIUEM will mostly work under WP7 for the research and development of community tools for social inclusion and citizen empowerment.

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Fraunhofer FOKUS
Intelligent cities adjust themselves to the individual needs of its residents and offer them at the right time exactly that what each one of them wants – in a quick, cost-effective and sustainable manner. The integration of all the fields of a city plays a decisive role. Information and Communication Technology provides the fundamental basis therefor.

The aim of Fraunhofer FOKUS is, to provide interoperable solutions for such Smart Cities. They help in the sensible usage of resources like energy and water, intelligent control of traffic and in overcoming catastrophes efficiently. They enable digital administration and an Open Government, and ensure that critical infrastructure such as traffic, power supply and medical help function reliably round the clock. With around 500 employees FOKUS is one of the largest Fraunhofer institutes. Scientists from 11 competence centers cover the complete chain of development of urban IT-Infrastructure right from architectural design and modelling to middleware and platforms right up to concrete applications like the warning system KATWARN. Another core area lies in the counseling of public administration, ministries and organizations both domestically and abroad in the conceptualization of a complete IT-Strategy, the selection of appropriate solutions as well as the drafting of legislation in the IT-context. Market-like solutions are distributed by totally 15 Spin-offs. Fraunhofer FOKUS and Fraunhofer AICOS have jointly worked in several projects (NET4DC, GRA) and most recently in the ICT4D Competence Center where the knowledge of both institutions was applied within the field of Network and Communication technologies in order to provide low cost and easy to operate solutions to extend network coverage to remote and rural areas. Involvement in the project: Given its expertise and the collaboration background with FhP-AICOS, Fraunhofer FOKUS will be involved in the activities related to Networks for ICT4D.

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Founded in 1953, the University of Porto School of Economics and Business (FEP - Faculdade de Economia da Universidade do Porto) awards academic degrees in fields of economics and business.

FEP is renowned for its high educational standards and scientific research, and for the academic merit, wide practical experience and teaching ability of its faculty. Currently FEP has more than three thousand students enrolled in 20 programmes of Economics and Business, more than two hundred of which are foreign students. The school offers 2 undergraduate degrees in Economics and Business Administration, 16 MSc degrees and 2 PhD courses in Economics, Business and Management Studies. FEP has two Research Centres classified as “Very Good” by FCT, the National Foundation for Science and Technology. Its scientific production contributes to the University of Porto being in the top 200 European Universities in International Academic Rankings and being also recognised as the most prestigious teaching and research institution in the country, producing 22,5% of the scientific articles produced in Portugal. A highly qualified faculty, 77% of whom hold a PhD, good facilities and equipment, plus good relations with the business world are the basis for the first-rate training that FEP provides its students, which is fully recognized and appreciated in today’s business and labour marketplace.

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