Memorandum of Understanding signed with National Museums of Kenya
Agreement will facilitate strong research cooperations between the two institutions.
On August 23, 2017, the Director General of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) Dr. Mzalendo Kibunjia and Prof. Michael Petraglia of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate scientific research and collaboration between the two institutions.
The objectives of the MOU include establishing high scientific standards for collaborative activities, high ethical standards for scientific research, and basing each collaborative activity on mutuality and equality. The two institutions have agreed to facilitate scientific research broadly, to organize joint seminars, workshops and other scientific meetings, and to develop scientific infrastructure whenever possible.
Research projects resulting from this collaboration will be directed by Dr. Nicole Boivin (Director of the Department of Archaeology of the MPI-SHH), Prof. Petraglia, or Dr. Emmanuel K Ndiema (senior research scientist and Head of Archaeology, NML), and will include specialists in human osteology, ancient DNA, human and stable isotopes, proteomics, dental calculus, radiocarbon dating and archaeology. Sampling for the collaborative projects will be done by researchers from the MPI-SHH in consultation with the NMK and its local collaborators.