CBSI Network

A new field course for early-career African researchers The Tropical Biology Association and the British Ecological Society are teaming up for a new field course, specifically for early-career African researchers. This exciting 10-day course provides practical training on how to design projects in the field, and is a valuable foundation for building a career in ecology and conservation. Set in the heart of the Kenyan savannah, the course combines field based learning with group projects and world class teaching.  How … Read more

As the largest green lung on the planet after the Amazon, the Congo Basin (CB) has exceptional natural assets that make it a key resource in global efforts to combat climate change. But to turn this potential into reality, one crucial factor must be strengthened: education of the region’s future generations. by Gode Bola, CBSI Secretariat, U of Kinshasa On Thursday 29 May 2025, the British Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hosted a Congo Basin Evening, attended … Read more

📌 Register for an online information session about CBSI Scholarships to begin in September 2025 The event will be led by co-chairs of the Congo Basin Science Initiative, Profs Raphael Tshimanga (University of Kinshasa, DRC) and Simon Lewis (University of Leeds, UCL, UK). 📅 Thursday 30 January 14:00-15:30 (West Africa time) The session will take place online via Zoom. Zoom link: https://universityofleeds.zoom.us/j/83118206665?pwd=Lgnbk0MqZhbPprDshxIzr4p8gPAfQ2.1 Registration: https://bit.ly/4jphwKY More information on the scholarships: https://congobasinscience.net/scholarships/

On Monday 9 December, the Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI) supported a Congo Basin Science Fair at the British Embassy, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This saw students from the University of Kinshasa give a series of poster presentations, raising awareness of emerging science. The event was an opportunity to celebrate the recent £9.1m UK funding announcement to CBSI under the new Congo Basin Forest Action (CBFA) Programme. CBSI funding will support scientists across Central Africa to lead on critical … Read more

The UK government has announced £9.1 million ($11.7 million) in funding to scientists to provide the data and knowledge needed for policies to protect the world’s second largest area of tropical rainforest. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, announced the funding in a speech at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The grant will be used to investigate the value and vulnerability of the Congo Basin rainforest and translate this new knowledge into policy action to protect forests, improve livelihoods, and support sustainable … Read more

At the 26th IUFRO24 World Congress in Stockholm from 23-29 June 2024, the exhibition booth hosted by the Scientific and Academic College (SAC) of CBFP turned the spotlight onto Congo Basin Forest Science. On behalf of the Co-Facilitation of CBFP, Mme Emmanuelle Matras-Swyndegauw (French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs) opened a four-day series of workshops at the booth on Monday 23 June. Mme Sywndegauw celebrated the visibility that the booth gave to the Congo Basin and congratulated members of … Read more

The Congo Basin Science Initiative is joining members of the Scientific and Academic College (SAC) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) at the 26th IUFRO World Congress, a global gathering of forest stakeholders in Stockholm from 23-29 June 2024. Come and meet us if you are in Stockholm: together with SAC colleagues we will be hosting booth A01:01 in Exhibition Hall A at Stockholmsmässan, Mässvägen 1, 125 80 Stockholm. Over the course of the week there will be a … Read more

We are excited to share details of our side event at the Congo Basin Forest Partnership Meeting of Parties. The Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI) is co-hosting the event with the Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB). It will provide an update on the progress of SPCB and CBSI since the launch of the two initiatives in 2023. Speakers from SPCB and CBSI will be joined by panellists from other regional initiatives to discuss scientific collaboration for sustainable development … Read more

In the Congo Basin Science Initiative Science and Capacity Plan, we highlight the need for researchers and students in the Congo Basin to have access to a fund where they can speedily and efficiently apply for small amounts of funding for field data collection, equipment purchase, or visits to other institutions to learn a skill or carry out analysis. This allows central African researchers to have autonomy to do science, and not be constrained by only participating in projects funded … Read more