Synchrotron Techniques for African Research and Technology: A Step-Change in Structural Biology and Energy Materials

In June 2021, scientists celebrated the numerous achievements of a unique collaboration between researchers from the UK and Africa and the UK’s national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source [1]. The Synchrotron Techniques for African Research and Technology (START) [2] programme was funded by a 3-year, £3.7 M Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) grant provided by the UK Research and Innovation’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), with the aim of improving researchers’ access to Diamond. The grant’s remit was to fund research posts focusing on two research areas crucial to African sustainable development: energy materials and structural biology. The aim was to align the project with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for health (SDG 3), energy (SDG 7), climate (SDG 13), and life-long learning (SDG 4), amongst others. In this article, we report on highlights of the programme and what’s next on the horizon for START.