AEGIS is a research network of European centres in African studies, which aims to create synergies between experts and institutions. With primary emphasis on Social Sciences and Humanities, AEGIS' main goal is to improve understanding about contemporary African societies.
AEGIS was founded in 1991. The first European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) was held at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London in July 2005; the second Conference was held at the African Studies Centre in Leiden, Netherlands, in July 2007. ECAS 2009 was held in Leipzig and ECAS 2011 was organized by the Nordic Africa Institute at Uppsala. The 5th European Conference on African Studies will be organized in 2013 by the Centro de Estudos Africanos (ISCTE-IUL) in Lisbon.