Prof. Trevor Sewell, Councillor of IUPAB, University of Cape Town, South Africa, trevor.sewell@uct.ac.za, will act as Convenor of this Task Force.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Task Force on Education and Capacity Building will promote the expansion of the Biophysics community and the resources available to Biophysicists. It will promote the development of biophysics in scientifically less developed countries – Africa being an area of particular importance. The task force will work closely with the Task Force on Structural Biology with which it has many common interests.

The aims of the task force are:

▪              Support the organizers of workshops on any topic in the area of Biophysics particularly in developing countries

▪              Disseminate information concerning courses, meetings, scholarships, educational resources and other pertinent information using an on-line Bulletin Board

▪              Organize workshops for researchers in developing regions in close collaboration with the IUPAB Task Force on Structural Biology.

▪              To maintain liaison with other Unions and the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) or other scientific organizations, with a view to cooperating in sponsoring joint conferences or participating in joint projects when need arises.

▪              Enable Biophysicists in developing countries to develop links with Biophysicists outside of their own country.

▪              Engage with appropriate scientific societies in countries that are not affiliated with IUPAB and publicize the benefits of affiliation.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

▪              The Task Force will seek to streamline and standardize the process of obtaining IUPAB support for workshops held for the purpose of education and capacity building.

▪              The Task Force will post regular progress reports for inclusion in IUPAB News.

▪              The Task Force will seek out and engage with biophysicists in the developing world. Especially in Africa.

▪              The task force will engage with other Unions and International Societies, notably IUPAP C6, IUCr and the BPS in order to learn from their experience and complement their activities.