Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN)

What Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN) does

AAUN is a non-profit university consortium founded in 2012 in Canberra that connects Australian and African universities to support collaborative research, education, and capacity-building partnerships. The network is structured around a co-chair governance model with equal representation from both continents and currently links 22 to 30 member institutions across the two regions, supported by a small secretariat of approximately 5 staff split between Australia and South Africa.

The network's core offerings are programs rather than commercial products. The Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) is the central instrument, distributing 6 to 10 catalytic seed grants per year of approximately AUD $10,000 each to member-university research teams, with the explicit aim of leveraging additional external funding. Complementary programs include the annual Africa Forum and Australia Forum held during Africa Week, the Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) program for postgraduate students and junior diplomats, the Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN), and the John Hearn Memorial Lecture. Together these have produced over 50 documented research programs since 2012.

AAUN is funded through a mix of member subscription fees, multi-year baseline grants from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), alongside competitive research grants. The organization is registered as AAUN Ltd in Australia and operates with no parent company or commercial parent entity.

Name

Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN)

Legal name

Australia Africa Universities Network Ltd

Website

https://aaun.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AAUN is a non-profit consortium founded in 2012 that connects Australian and African universities through catalytic seed grants, annual forums, and leadership programs such as ELAAD. It serves member universities, researchers, and government partners seeking collaborative research and capacity-building across the two continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Higher Education Network Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Business Associations (813910), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Assistance, Policy Lending & Capacity Building Programs (BPADACAN)

Keywords

• University network partnerships
• Collaborative research programs
• International academic exchange
• Research development funding
• Higher education collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Catalytic Grants (PRDF): AAUN operates primarily through catalytic seed grants provided to foster institutional partnerships and research collaborations between member universities. The PRDF provides one-year grants averaging AUD $10,000 with expectation that funded projects will attract additional external funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AAUN is a non-profit university network that connects Australian and African universities to foster collaborative research, education partnerships, and capacity building. The network operates through a Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) providing catalytic seed grants averaging AUD $10,000, annual forums (Africa Forum and Australia Forum), the Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) program, and an Early Career Researcher Network.

Product overview

AAUN operates as a university network consortium rather than a commercial product company. The organization's offerings consist of collaborative programs: the Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) providing catalytic seed grants to foster institutional partnerships and research collaborations; the Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) Program for professional development; annual forums (Africa Forum and Australia Forum/AGM) for knowledge exchange; the John Hearn Memorial Lecture; and the Early Career Researcher Network. These programs collectively support education, research, and mobility between Australian and African universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) Catalytic seed grant program offering up to AUD $10,000 to foster institutional partnerships and develop research collaborations between Australian and African universities addressing mutual challenges in environment, agriculture, food security, health, and education.
• Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) Program Flagship professional development and networking program enabling emerging leaders from Australia and Africa to meet online, network, and develop new ideas for tackling common challenges across continents. Inaugural program brought together 36 postgraduate students and junior diplomats from 14 countries.
• AAUN Africa Forum Annual forum held in African locations bringing together academia, policymakers, and experts to examine higher education systems and sustainability contributions, featuring themed discussions on sustainable development.
• AAUN Annual Australia Forum and AGM Annual forum held in Australia during Africa Week, co-hosted with Australian universities, focusing on research priorities, education, and mobility programs between the continents.
• John Hearn Memorial Lecture Annual commemorative lecture established to honor Professor John Hearn's legacy, featuring distinguished speakers on Australia-Africa relations and academic collaboration.
• Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) Network focused on building the next generation of researchers by connecting early career researchers across African and Australian universities within the AAUN framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 research programs established since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2018Four-year partnership (2018-2021) signed at AAUN's Annual Forum in Perth. ACIAR provides baseline funding and has worked with AAUN for over five years, resulting in 30 research programs focusing on environment, agriculture, food and nutrition security. Aligns with ACIAR's 10-year strategy 2018-27.
• National Research Foundation (NRF) South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRF supports AAUN's Africa wing and represents continued partnership with South African research community. Dr Thandi Mgwebi, Group Executive, participates in AAUN activities.
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian government department that helped launch AAUN in 2012 and provides ongoing support. DFAT hosts Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations and engagement during Africa Week.
• Curtin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts AAUN Australian Forum and home to Centre for Australia Africa Relations, a key academic node supporting AAUN work. Leads the ELAAD program.
• University of PretoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey African partner university that has hosted multiple AAUN Africa Forums. Home to Future Africa facility supporting AAUN activities. Prof Frans Swanepoel serves as Interim AAUN Co-Chair Africa.
• University of MpumalangacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew AAUN member that hosted the 2024 Africa Forum in Mbombela, South Africa. Prof Aldo Stroebel elected as new Africa Co-Chairperson.
• University of SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and secretariat host. Executive Co-Chair John Hearn was from University of Sydney. Hosts AAUN General Manager A/Prof Grace Liu.
• University of Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts AAUN Forum and home to Indo-Pacific Research Centre. Prof Kadambot Siddique elected to African Academy of Sciences through AAUN connections.
• Makerere UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor African partner university in Uganda that has hosted multiple AAUN workshops including on urban water and food security. Prof Barnabas Nawange elected as Deputy Co-Chairperson.
• University of RwandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScheduled to host the AAUN Africa Forum in Kigali, Rwanda during 22-24 May 2025.
• World Universities Network (WUN)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in 'Networking the Networks' round table at AAUN Africa Forum 2019, exploring collaboration among African university networks.
• African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAUN welcomes collaborative projects with ARUA and other African networks as part of its strategic approach.
• Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf Dhanjay Jhurry presented ACU vision at AAUN Africa Forum 2019 in Mauritius.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Africa Down Under Conference: Annual Perth-based conference convening government, business, and academic stakeholders on Australia-Africa engagement. AAUN already partners with this event during Africa Week, making it a direct convening peer for the Australia Forum and a parallel channel for member engagement.
• ASEAN University Network (AUN): Regional university network applying a similar membership-and-convening model to Southeast Asia. Comparable in structure and grants-based programming to AAUN, but operating in a different geography; useful as a structural template for how AAUN could scale.

Direct peers

• African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA): Pan-African university network that already partners with AAUN at the 'Networking the Networks' roundtable. Directly comparable as a membership-based research-university consortium fostering intra- and inter-continental collaboration, with overlapping African member universities (Pretoria, Makerere) and a similar convening-plus-grants model.
• Universitas 21 (U21): Global network of leading research universities offering collaborative research grants, student mobility, and faculty programmes. Overlaps with AAUN on research collaboration and capacity-building services, and competes for the same university memberships on the Australian side.
• World Universities Network (WUN): Global research-university network with co-chair and member-driven governance, R&D funding programmes, and annual forums. Comparable in operating model to AAUN but globally scoped; engaged with AAUN at the 2019 Africa Forum as a peer network.

Broad incumbents

• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): Large national-level funder and network operator for international academic exchange, including Africa-focused programmes. A broader incumbent with a similar mission to AAUN's capacity-building mandate but operating at a much larger scale and tied to German foreign policy.
• Institute of International Education (IIE): US-based non-profit that administers international academic exchange, fellowships, and capacity-building programmes. Operates at a wider scale than AAUN but shares the same convening-plus-grants model for cross-continental research collaboration.
• Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU): Established membership association of 400+ Commonwealth universities that runs research grants, leadership programmes, and policy convening. A larger, broader incumbent overlapping with AAUN's capacity-building and mobility offerings, particularly across African and Indo-Pacific member universities.
• British Council: UK government-affiliated organisation that runs international education, research, and cultural programmes, including significant Africa engagement. Overlaps with AAUN's capacity-building and policy advisory remit but operates at a much larger scale with broader diplomatic reach.

Emerging players

• African Leadership University (ALU): Pan-African higher education institution building a network of campuses and leadership programmes. Comparable as an emerging platform seeking to bridge African and international academic ecosystems, and a potential partner or competitive alternative for AAUN's emerging-leader pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australia-africa-universities-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN)