The governments of Argentina and SA have signed a science & technology co-operation agreement that will lead to the two countries sharing knowledge and expertise in specific fields.
Though divided by the Atlantic Ocean, the countries have much in common and it is hoped that a collaborative working relationship will deliver more than the sum of its parts.
"Like us, Argentina has a resource-based economy," says Dhesigen Naidoo, the department of science & technology's deputy director-general for international resources and co-operation. "They face the same challenges around reinvigorating mature industries and are similarly optimistic about the potential of new technologies, such as nanotechnology."
Areas of common interest include agriculture and livestock; energy; mining and geology; health and social sciences; and space science. Naidoo expects the first collaborative projects - in areas like energy and biotechnology - to be under way this year.
Argentina has a well-developed science system and a history of achievement - the country has three Nobel prizes in science, similar to our two. It is also a robust bidder for funds made available through the European Union's framework programmes for research and technological development. "Rather than bidding against each other for funding or to complete hi-tech projects, it makes more sense to collaborate and to share a larger slice of the pie," says Naidoo.
One area where SA hopes to gain from Argentina's experience is in the latter's innovative "debt for knowledge" scheme. The idea was that 1% of the interest that it pays to foreign creditors - which in 2003 amounted to US$120m/year - should be reinvested in the country's science and technology. In particular the money would be used to support SMEs operating within the medium and hi-tech sectors.
Argentina is an important player in its regional trading community, Mercosur. Relations between this and the SADC could develop.
