<div dir="ltr"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 1em;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif"><img class="gmail-alignright gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-7945" src="https://codata.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/NRF_WebLogoA_1.png" alt="" width="200" height="77" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: right; display: inline;">CODATA is delighted to see that the NRF in South Africa has announced the appointments of Dr. Tshiamo Motshegwa as Director, and Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu as Deputy-Director of the African Open Science Platform.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 1em;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif">We look forward very much to working with you on a range of activities, including <a href="https://codata.org/initiatives/decadal-programme2/global-open-science-cloud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(46,163,242);text-decoration-line:none">GOSC (the Global Open Science Cloud initiative)</a> and <a href="https://codata.org/initiatives/data-together/oscer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(46,163,242);text-decoration-line:none">OSCAR (the Open Science Cloud Executives Roundtable)</a>.</p><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif"></h4><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif"><b style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">African Open Science Platform (AOSP): New NRF Appointments</b></h4><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 1em;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif">The Directorate Strategic Partnerships is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr Tshiamo Motshegwa as Director, and Dr Nokuthula Mchunu as Deputy-Director of the African Open Science Platform (AOSP). Dr Motshegwa will take up the position on 1 January 2022, and Dr Mchunu on 1 February 2022.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif">These strategic portfolios will direct and support the AOSP – which aims to position African scientists at the cutting edge of data intensive science by stimulating interactivity and creating opportunity through the development of efficiencies of scale, building critical mass through shared capacities, and amplifying impact through a commonality of purpose and voice. Since 2020, the AOSP Project Office is hosted by the National Research Foundation, with the implementation of activities scheduled to start in 2022. The AOSP is supported by the South African Department of Science and Innovation, the International Science Council, CODATA, the Academy of Science of South Africa, Bibliotheca Alexandria and other prominent regional networks.</p><div class="gmail-media gmail-media-element-container gmail-media-default gmail-media-float-left" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif"><div id="gmail-file-6906" class="gmail-file gmail-file-image gmail-file-image-jpeg" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><h2 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:26px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500"></h2><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500"></h4><h4 class="element-invisible" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500"><a href="https://www.nrf.ac.za/file/dr-tshiamo-motshegwajpg" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:inherit;text-decoration-line:none">Dr Tshiamo Motshegwa</a></h4><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 1em;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><img class="gmail-media-element gmail-file-default gmail-alignright" title="Dr Tshiamo Motshegwa" src="https://www.nrf.ac.za/sites/default/files/Dr%20Tshiamo%20Motshegwa.jpg" alt="Dr Tshiamo Motshegwa" width="174" height="199" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: right; display: inline;"></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;font-weight:700">Dr Tshiamo Motshegwa</span> is a computer scientist and an academic in High-Performance Computing and Data Science research. He has interest in the science, policy, industry and public interface, and multilateral engagements for advancing open science collaboration.  For the past seven years he has served on various Ministerial Committees of the Government of Botswana, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Expert Working Groups, as well as in the Botswana Open Data Open Science (ODOS) Forum. In addition, he has worked on numerous initiatives that promote regional, continental and global cooperation. He has led national and institutional projects that entrench constructs of the Triple Helix, and University-Industry-Government relations – including through co-creation to strengthen University and national research and innovation ecosystems. He has experience in corporate governance and serves as various Boards, with oversight of company human resource strategies, including in Human Capital Development pertaining to technology development and utilisation.</p><div class="gmail-media gmail-media-element-container gmail-media-default gmail-media-float-left" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><div id="gmail-file-6907" class="gmail-file gmail-file-image gmail-file-image-jpeg" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><h2 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:26px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500"></h2><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500"></h4><h4 class="element-invisible" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1em;font-weight:500"><a href="https://www.nrf.ac.za/file/dr-nokuthula-mchunujpg" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:inherit;text-decoration-line:none">Dr Nokuthula Mchunu</a></h4><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 1em;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><img class="gmail-media-element gmail-file-default gmail-alignright" title="Dr Nokuthula Mchunu" src="https://www.nrf.ac.za/sites/default/files/Dr%20Nokuthula%20Mchunu.jpg" alt="Dr Nokuthula Mchunu" width="174" height="167" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: right; display: inline;"></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 1em;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;font-weight:700">Dr Nokuthula Mchunu</span> is a Senior Researcher from the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa in the Biotechnology Platform. She completed her doctoral degree in fungal genomics, was previously a senior scholar in the Department of Biotechnology of Durban University of Technology for more that 15 years.  She has also served as a scientist in a number of international institutions including the University of Cincinnati (USA), Lund University (Sweden), Tianjin University, (China) and the Centre for Chemical Biology (Malaysia). She is the first recipient of the Young Scientist Programme between China and South Africa. Her research focused on Covid and pathogen surveillance in wastewater, fungal genetics, Cannabis and Africa legume genomics. Dr Mchunu brings a wealth of experience in academia outreach programmes, the popularisation of science, and open science.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Link to NRF announcement <a href="https://www.nrf.ac.za/media-room/news/african-open-science-platform-aosp-new-nrf-appointments" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;color:rgb(46,163,242);text-decoration-line:none">https://www.nrf.ac.za/media-room/news/african-open-science-platform-aosp-new-nrf-appointments</a></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Thanks,</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Asha</p></div></div></div></div>--<div><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">__________________________<br></div><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>Overview of CODATA Activities and Achievements: </b><a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5670945" target="_blank">Report Presented to the CODATA General Assembly November 2021</a></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><br></b></div><div><a href="https://codata.org/high-level-panel-on-future-data-space-how-a-vision-of-the-internet-of-fair-data-services-becomes-a-reality/" target="_blank"><b>High Level Panel on Future Data Space, 19 January 2022</b></a><b>: </b><a href="https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/92302933025" target="_blank">register here</a></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><br></b></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>Call for Sessions, SciDataCon 2022, part of International Data Week: </b><a href="https://codata.org/events/conferences/international-data-week-2022/call-for-sessions-scidatacon-2022/" target="_blank">deadline 14 February 2022</a></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><br></b></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>Virtual SciDataCon 2021: </b><a href="https://www.scidatacon.org/virtual-2021/programme/" target="_blank">session recordings and presentations accessible from programme</a></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><br></b></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>DEADLINE EXTENDED! Call for Proposals to Host International Data Week 2025: </b><a href="https://internationaldataweek.org/call-for-applications/" target="_blank">deadline 31 January 2022</a></div></div></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div><br></div><div><a href="https://codata.org/september-2021-publications-in-the-data-science-journal/" target="_blank">September 2021 publications</a> in the <a href="https://datascience.codata.org/" target="_blank">CODATA Data Science Journal</a></div></div><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div><br></div><div><b>Stay in touch with CODATA:</b></div><div></div><div><br></div><div>Stay up to date with CODATA activities: <a href="http://lists.codata.org/mailman/listinfo/codata-international_lists.codata.org" target="_blank">join the CODATA International News list</a></div><div><br></div><div>Looking for training and career opportunities in data science and data stewardship?  <a href="http://lists.codata.org/mailman/listinfo/data_science_training_lists.codata.org" target="_blank">Sign up to the CODATA early career community-run data science training and careers list</a></div><div><br></div><div>Follow us on social media! <a href="https://twitter.com/CODATANews" target="_blank">Twitter</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/codata.org/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hodson-b3711a11/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/codatainternational/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div></div></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><div style="font-size:12.8px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">___________________________<br></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small">Asha Law | Program Assistant, CODATA | <a href="http://www.codata.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">http://www.codata.org</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small">E-Mail: <a href="mailto:asha@codata.org" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">asha@codata.org</a><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small">Tel (Office): +33 1 45 25 04 96</div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small">CODATA (Committee on Data of the International Council for Science), 5 rue Auguste Vacquerie, 75016 Paris, FRANCE</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>