ICGEB Cape Town’s Stefano Cacciatore and Italian researchers are working together to build a collaborative network in NMR between Italy and South Africa.
Bioinformatics Programme Officer, Dr. Stefano Cacciatore at ICGEB Cape Town is working with Prof. Lucia Banci, “Centro Risonanze Magnetiche (CERM)“, and the “Consorzio Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche di Metallo Proteine (CIRMMP)”, Italy, to build a collaborative network in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) between Italy and South Africa.
The background to this collaboration acknowledges the potential in bringing together research centres with common interests in terms of scientific and technological advancements which can stimulate faster progress and enhance mutual benefits. Researchers from ICGEB and CERM/CIRMMP envisage several possible initiatives such as knowledge sharing through organisation of training courses, exchange of personnel as well as the establishment of scientific and technological collaborations.
The virtual kick-off meeting, co-organised by ICGEB and CERM/CIRMMP took place on the 12th of July 2021, with participation from various research centres in both South Africa and Italy, including ICGEB Cape Town, University of Cape Town, North-West University NWU (South Africa), ICGEB Trieste and CERM/CIRMMP (Italy).
South African and Italian researchers presented their research environments and scientific highlights and used the opportunity to establish new contacts, as well as exchange ideas and discuss opportunities for future fruitful collaboration in NMR.
Dr Cacciatore highlights the key outcomes and way forward, including: ‘The establishment of bilateral collaborations on selected topics (structural biology, metabolomics), follow-up initiatives aimed at strengthening the South Africa-Italy collaboration for NMR research, plans for future meetings, plans for training of researchers in the field of NMR and the exchange of young researchers’.
