The Committee visited the European Union Parliament and engaged with officials on matters of science and technology. The Committee notes that South Africa (SA) and the European Union (EU) enjoy a longstanding political, economic and development co-operation partnership, and the co- operation agreement on science and technology is considered, by both countries, to be one of their most strategic partnerships in international science and technology relations. The committee recognises that South Africa, through the Department, is one of the most engaged EU partners in terms of uptake in the Framework Programmes. They however concluded that much more can be done by the Department to access and secure more investment and partnership opportunities for South Africans, especially in capabilities such as energy, health and space science and technology.