Africa and the Middle East

The Royal Society has a long history of promoting science in Africa and the Middle East by supporting collaborations, networks and exchanges between scientists and building the capacity of scientific institutions.

Each year we present the Royal Society Africa Prize (previously the Royal Society Pfizer Award, last awarded in 2016) to a scientist making an innovative contribution in the biological sciences to promote capacity-building in Africa.

The Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize is to recognise early-career research scientists based in Africa who are making an innovative contribution to the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences.  

Collaboration with the Israeli Academy of Science and Humanities (IASH) involves the delivery of an annual bilateral meeting. Previous engagement included a five-year programme funded by the Kohn Foundation from 2015 and consisted of bilateral research workshops, short visits by scientists, and five international Fellowships for Israeli early-career researchers to work in the UK for up to two years.

The Society was represented at the International Human Rights Network 14th biennial meeting in South Africa in 2023, and at the World Science Forum meeting in South Africa in 2022.

In the broader region, the Society published a country study of Jordan in 2013 and of Egypt in 2012 as part of the Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation project.