"Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa 1994-1999

Australia and South Africa have a history of contemporary interaction in many fields.  Increasingly the two nations are meeting under the framework of ties which bind together even the most diverse of nation states across the globe – the pursuit of knowledge and a commitment to the belief that research and academic inquiry drive progress and development.

Most recently, Eidos Institute Australia has been working closely with a number of key South African universities in support of the development of cross-national research and a global network of universities and institutions supported and informed by this common goal.

During June of 2011 Eidos staged its inaugural International Public Policy Congress, gathering South African and Australian acaedemics, government delegates and industry leaders from within two diverse nations with the aim of finding common approaches to shared social problems across nations.

About the Eidos South Africa Network

Universities: Eidos Institute has developed an international membership program and welcomed SA foundation universities, namely the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the University of Walter Sizulu (UWS). Eidos Internationalis currently in discussions with the Universities of Johannesburg, Capetown, Stellenbosch, Wits and Rhodes University.

In 2011 Eidos was pleased to welcome the University of Pretoria as an official member of the Eidos Institute Network.

• The University of Pretoria  (UP): a traditional well established academic research community. The University celebrated its 100th year in 2008. It has a constituency that represents the economic hub of South Africa (Gauteng) but it also provides outreach programmes into the underserved constituencies in the Northern & Mpumalanga Provinces.

• The Durban University of Technology (DUT): in Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN) based in the North Eastern constituency and a member of the six Universities of Technology which have formally established a representative network (South African Technology Network) which is based upon the Australian University of Technology network.

• The Walter Sisulu University (WSU): which has four campuses in the Eastern Cape Province around the Port Elizabeth area. This University represents a ‘deep’ rural constituency that forms much of the challenges that exist in South Africa.

• The University of the Western Cape (UWC): in Cape Town (Western Cape Province). UWC represents a University that has a mission statement, long history and delivery approach that closely aligns it to impacting local socio-economic improvement.

Not-for-Profit and Community Organisations: Eidos has also built a strong relationship with the Australia Africa Business Council (AABC) to leverage the business and university partnerships. AABC represents and facilitates business networks on both sides of the Indian Ocean, particularly those with vested interests on both continents, across all sectors strengthening trade, investment and engagement. In the sporting/policy/education environment, Eidos is forming an alliance with respected sporting organisations including: the Classic Wallabies, the South African Rugby Legends, the Queensland Reds and the Blue Bulls.

Government: In South Africa, Eidos Institute has formalized an alliance with the Department of Communications and the e-Skills Institute (e-Si), with the initial intention of multi-national collaboration on four large-scale ICT social inclusion projects. In Australia, Eidos is furthering the partnership with Queensland’s federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), the state Department of Education and Training (DET) and Trade Queensland.

Corporations: In the interest of establishing a strong network with cross-sectorial representation, Eidos is working in partnership with a range of companies such as the law firm Minter Ellison and international travel agents Campus Travel.