The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is a pan-African network of centers of excellence for post-graduate training, research and public engagement in mathematical sciences. The goal is to enable Africa’s brightest students to become innovators that propel scientific, educational and economic self-sufficiency.
AIMS was founded in Cape Town/South Africa in 2003. Due to the very successful development of AIMS-South Africa, the "AIMS Next Einstein Initiative" (AIMS-NEI) was founded in 2008 to establish further mathematics centers in Africa based on the model of AIMS-South Africa. Currently, there are six centers, one each in South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, and two in Rwanda.
AIMS is partially funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the BMBF establishes research chairs at AIMS centres according to international standards. In 2012, the first research chair was funded at AIMS Senegal. In the meantime, this pilot measure has developed into the BMBF funding measure "German Research Chairs" with expansion to the AIMS centres in Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, and Rwanda.
