Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Developing Countries: Challenges, Opportunities and Action

1
Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation
(STI) in Developing Countries Challenges,
Opportunities and Action

• Mohamed H.A. HassanExecutive Director, TWAS,
  Trieste, ItalyPresident, AAS, Nairobi, Kenya

International UNESCO/ICSU/TWAS Symposium on the
Follow-up of WCS Harnessing Science for Society
Further Partnerships2-5 March 2005, Venice, Italy
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Overview

• Problems and Challenges
• Opportunities
• Action UNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

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Problems and Challenges

• How to reduce the growing disparities between
  countries and regions in production and
  utilization of STI?

4
Disparities North-South
The South's Share
Population 80
Researchers 28
RD Expenditure 20
ST Publications 12
Technology Innovation (patents) 2
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Disparities South-South
Overall number of SCI papers 1992-2001
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Disparities South-South
SCI-Listed Publications in Nanotechnology(January
-August 2004)
Country Publications
1 China 3,621
2 USA 3,182
3 Japan 3,010
4 Germany 2,075
5 France 1,330
6 South Korea 1,263
7 United Kingdom 941
8 Russia 856
9 Italy 758
10 India 647
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Disparities South-South within Africa
African output of ISI-listed scientific papers
1996-2000 (1.5 of world output)
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Disparities South-South within Africa
African patents listed by US Patent and Trademark
Office (1997-2001)
Country of patents
South Africa 92
Egypt 3.0
Kenya 1.3
Nigeria 1.3
Morocco 0.8
Other 1.6
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Disparities South-South within country
Impact of past policies South Africa's research
output ()
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Problems and Challenges

• How to reduce the growing disparities between
  countries and regions in production and
  utilization of STI?
• How to elevate the status of science education
  and research in least developed countries (LDC)?

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Problems and Challenges

• How to reduce the growing disparities between
  countries and regions in production and
  utilization of STI?
• How to elevate the status of science education
  and research in least developed countries (LDC)?
• How to train and retain a critical mass of highly
  qualified problem-solving scientists?

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Problems and Challenges

• How to reduce the growing disparities between
  countries and regions in production and
  utilization of STI?
• How to elevate the status of science education
  and research in least developed countries (LDC)?
• How to train and retain a critical mass of highly
  qualified problem-solving scientists?
• How to build and maintain strong institutions of
  excellence for scientific research and education?

13
Problems and Challenges

• How to reduce the growing disparities between
  countries and regions in production and
  utilization of STI?
• How to elevate the status of science education
  and research in least developed countries (LDC)?
• How to train and retain a critical mass of highly
  qualified problem-solving scientists?
• How to build and maintain strong institutions of
  excellence for scientific research and education?
• How to build a strong case for increasing
  investment in STI?

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Opportunities

• Rich biodiversity, natural resources, traditional
  knowledge
• Applications of new technologies
• Biotechnologies
• Information and communication technologies
• New materials (incl. nanotech)
• Growth of STI in several developing countries and
  new opportunities for increased South-South
  cooperation

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

1. Reforming higher education systems
2. Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
   centres of excellence
3. Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
4. Influencing public policy and decision-making
5. Increasing funding for STI

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Reforming higher education systems
• Commitment by national governments to support
  higher education
• At least one world-class autonomous university in
  each country
• Strong commitment to attain and maintain highly
  qualified staff and staff promotion based on merit

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Reforming higher education systems
• Innovative methods of teaching to produce new
  generations of problem-solving ST talent with
  good knowledge of social problems
• Twinning arrangements between universities in
  different countries staff and student exchange,
  sharing of experiences and best practices

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Reforming higher education systems
• Efforts to upgrade and reform universities in
  ST-lagging countries, especially in Africa
• Commitment by large developing countries (Brazil,
  China, India, ) to support training of
  postgraduates in ST-lagging countries

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

1. Reforming higher education systems
2. Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
   centres of excellence
3. Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
4. Influencing public policy and decision-making
5. Increasing funding for STI

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
  centres of excellence
• Centres of excellence take different forms
• Research groups within universities or research
  institutions
• National centres of excellence
• Regional centres of excellence
• International centres of excellence

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
  centres of excellence
• Establish a number of centres of excellence in
  each country within universities or research
  institutions
• Focus on upgrading existing competent
  institutions
• Ensure institutional autonomy and sustained
  funding

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
  centres of excellence
• Maintain leadership of international quality
  merit-based hiring and promotion
• Focused research agenda addressing local,
  regional and global issues
• Networks of centres of excellence to address
  specific problems

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

1. Reforming higher education systems
2. Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
   centres of excellence
3. Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
4. Influencing public policy and decision-making
5. Increasing funding for STI

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
• Establish an Internet-based 'bulletin board'
  listing programmes of various organizations and
  funding opportunities, to act as a central
  information source for students and researchers
  in developing countries, and to promote greater
  coordination of the activities of donor agencies

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
• Assist in providing research and training centres
  of excellence in developing countries with
  adequate ICT infrastructure to facilitate online
  dissemination of information about their
  activities

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
• Assist in providing universities and research
  institutions in developing countries (especially
  in LDC) with affordable and reliable Internet
  connections to ensure access to information on
  centres of excellence and opportuninties for
  education and research collaboration

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

1. Reforming higher education systems
2. Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
   centres of excellence
3. Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
4. Influencing public policy and decision-making
5. Increasing funding for STI

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Influencing public policy and decision-making
• Engage ST leadership in formulating national
  science policy and major national, regional or
  global development initiatives (e.g., NEPAD,
  Commission for Africa)

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Influencing public policy and decision-making
• Academies of science to provide independent,
  objective and unbiased advice on scientific
  issues of importance

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Influencing public policy and decision-making
• Establish "World Sustainability Forum" Periodic
  high-level event involving scientists,
  development practitioners and decision-makers

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

1. Reforming higher education systems
2. Establishing, strengthening and maintaining
   centres of excellence
3. Harnessing ICT to promote research and education
4. Influencing public policy and decision-making
5. Increasing funding for STI

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Increasing funding for STI
• Increase national funding for RD to at least 1
  of GDP (UNESCO, WB, IAC)
• Establish through national foundations or
  research councils schemes to support STI on the
  basis of merit and competition

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ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

• Increasing funding for STI
• Increase funding for organizations and programmes
  supporting competent researchers and research
  groups in poor countries (IFS, ISP, TWAS, ICSU,
  TWOWS, ICTP, IBSP, )

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Thank you for your attention

• Mohamed H.A. HassanExecutive Director, TWAS,
  Trieste, ItalyPresident, AAS, Nairobi, Kenya
• mhassan_at_twas.org