TANZANIA COMMISSION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Their core work

COSTECH is Tanzania's national body for coordinating, promoting, and regulating science and technology activities — the government's institutional arm for managing the country's research and innovation ecosystem. In the EU project context, they serve as the entry point into Tanzania's science and innovation landscape, connecting European networks with local research institutions, universities, and SMEs. Their H2020 participation reflects a focus on digital inclusion and innovation capacity building, particularly through Digital Innovation Hubs and support for African digital startups. They bring institutional legitimacy and local network access that make them an essential partner for any Africa-Europe digital cooperation initiative.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

COSTECH's earlier H2020 involvement (IST-Africa, 2016-2018) was broad ICT participation — a small-budget engagement typical of general ICT access and information society topics across Africa. By 2021, the focus sharpened considerably: AfriConEU brought a specific agenda around Digital Innovation Hubs, co-creation methodologies, and SME-oriented digital entrepreneurship. The shift from general ICT inclusion to structured DIH networking and startup ecosystem building reflects a maturing, more deliberate role in Africa-Europe digital collaboration.

COSTECH is moving from broad ICT participation toward structured digital innovation infrastructure, making them increasingly relevant for European consortia building Africa-EU digital bridges or extending DIH networks to the African continent.

How they like to work

COSTECH participates exclusively as a consortium member — never as project coordinator — a pattern common among national-level bodies from non-EU associated countries that serve as gateway partners rather than project drivers. The combination of only 2 projects with 27 partners across 24 countries signals they operate inside large, diverse international consortia where their value is geographic and institutional, not technical leadership. Working with them means accessing Tanzania's national S&T network through a single authoritative institutional door.

Despite only two H2020 projects, COSTECH has engaged with 27 unique partners spanning 24 countries — an unusually broad reach that reflects the trans-continental, multi-partner nature of the Africa-EU consortia they join. Their network is strongly Africa-Europe oriented, with no evidence of intra-EU-only collaboration.

What sets them apart

COSTECH is the only Tanzanian national science commission in the H2020 database, making them the default institutional gateway for any EU project requiring Tanzanian participation or East African representation. Their combination of government authority and established Africa-EU digital project experience is rare among East African research institutions. For consortia requiring credible African institutional anchoring — especially in digital innovation, DIH, or SME programs — COSTECH offers a legitimacy that private or academic partners cannot replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AfriConEU
  Largest project by far at EUR 217,000 (90% of total H2020 funding), with a concrete deliverable — the first trans-continental networking academy linking African and European Digital Innovation Hubs.
• IST-Africa
  COSTECH's entry point into H2020 — part of a long-running EU-Africa ICT cooperation series that established their first European network connections and project experience.