Announcement
Thank you for the tremendous interest in the AAUN Australia Forum 2026. In-person places filled quickly and registration to attend on site is now closed. Should the venue capacity increase or change, we will reopen in-person registration and share the news here. Online participation remains open, and we warmly welcome you to join us virtually.
Connecting researchers to find innovative solutions to global challenges.
The AAUN is a group of leading universities in Australia and Africa, connecting academics through institutional partnerships.
The Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN), established in 2012, is the flagship network of 29 universities from across Australia and the African continent who collaborate through equal partnership on research, capacity-building and academic diplomacy.
Key programs include the AAUN Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) research seed grants, the AAUN Early Career Researchers (ECR) Group, the Annual AAUN John Hearn-Cheryl de la Rey ECR Prize, the AAUN Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) Program, the Annual AAUN John Hearn Memorial Lecture, and the annual high-level AAUN Forum.
Network Leadership
Under this leadership, the AAUN fosters growing relationships by building on current educational links between the continents.
Sustainable solutions to joint challenges.
AAUN is the flagship institutional network bringing together member universities from across the Australian and African continents through equitable, innovative and impactful partnerships. Established in 2012, AAUN facilitates quality collaborative research and policy advocacy to address common and comparative challenges facing science and societies, builds knowledge and research capacity in people and institutions, and pursues academic diplomacy and science communication through engagement with key stakeholders to support the deepening of Australia-Africa literacy and cooperative relations
Network Objectives.
Enabling the provision of specific expertise across areas of priority for Australia and Africa through targeted institutional engagement.
To serve as the flagship platform promoting equitable, innovative and impactful university partnerships between the continents of Australia and Africa.
To facilitate quality collaborative research and policy advocacy to address common and comparative challenges facing science and societies across Australia and Africa.
To build knowledge and research capacity in people and institutions across Australia and Africa, including the next generation of scholars.
To utilise academic diplomacy and science communication through engagement with key stakeholders in academia, government, industry, and communities to support the deepening of Australia-Africa literacy and cooperative relations.
To maintain network sustainability through demonstrating value and impact, securing external support and partnerships, a managed evolution of membership, and practicing collegial, inclusive, active and transparent leadership and governance.
An extensive peer-institution network covering East, West, and Southern Africa.
Connecting Australian research capability with global African challenges.
Partnership & Research Development Fund.
The PRDF facilitates international research collaborations through catalytic seed funding, fostering partnerships that address mutual challenges between Australia and Africa.
From the Network.
2026 AAUN Partnership & Research Development Fund – Call for Applications
AAUN is pleased to announce the opening of the 2026 round of the Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) on 1 May 2026. About the…
The Australia Africa Universities Network for Research Partnerships Across Two Continents
The network comprises a dynamic community of leading scholars, researchers, and policymakers, and offers institutional members access to the annual AAUN Forums, competitive Partnership Research Development Fund (PRDF) seed grants, and the Emerging Leaders in Africa and Australia Development (ELAAD) Program, in addition to the AAUN Early Career Researchers (ECR) Group, the Annual AAUN John Hearn-Cheryl de la Rey ECR Prize, the Annual AAUN John Hearn Memorial Lecture, and the annual high-level AAUN Forum.
Building research partnerships since 2012
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