The Role of Research and Higher Education for Economic Growth

1. The Role ofResearch and Higher Education for Economic Growth Prof. Said Irandoust President Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok Thailand

2. The Role of Research and Higher Education for Economic Growths CONTENTS • A Global View on Higher Education • Rise of Knowledge Society and Knowledge Economy • Relevance of Research in Higher Education • Building Research Capacity within the University and in the Region

3. Fundamental Changes in Higher education: In the region and globally Experimenting with new ways of funding, forging partnerships Changes: four reasons Massification of higher education; rise of the knowledge economy; globalization, and lastly, competition WB calculates: Global spending on higher education amounts to $300 billion a year, or 1% of global economic output More than 80 million students worldwide, and 3.5 million people are employed to teach them or look after them UNESCO statistics (UIS, 2004): Total student population in the world ↑ 608 million in 1970 to 1,199.8 million in 2000 A Global View on Higher Education

4. A Global View on Higher Education Asia is the top regional source for International Students Source: OECD Education Database and IIE's Open Doors Report (http://opendoors.iienetwork.org)

5. A Global View on Higher Education • The most popular disciplines: Business, IT, engineering, science and technology-related studies • Countries in the Asian region: Innovative forms of managing and regulating international education e.g. • Singapore is seeking to become a regional education hub • India is establishing transnational education operations • The total investment in higher education in the EU and Japan is about 1.1% of GDP which is lower compared to those in Australia (1.5%), Canada (2.5%), US (2.7%) and Korea (2.7%).

6. A Global View on Higher Education Source: European Commission

7. Knowledge is the core of today's social progress Demands by society and industry upon knowledge and competence change Universities lie at the heart of successful leading economies around the world The OECD calculates: 1985 and 1997 the contribution of knowledge-based industries to total value added ↑ 51% to 59% in Germany and ↑ 45% to 51% in Britain Harvard and seven other Greater Boston research universities infuse more than $7 billion into the regional economy The fundamental changes taking place in the higher education environment Understanding of the knowledge background of the students Rise of Knowledge Society and Knowledge Economy

8. Rise of Knowledge Society and Knowledge Economy • New knowledge must be meaningfully connected • Ability to apply knowledge to new contexts • Universities must also work to understand better the skills employers want • Surveys reveal the need for skills • communication, negotiation and persuasion, problem solving including analysis and logical thinking, leadership, management and organization, and an ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines • Increased need for efficient, low-cost, adapted technologies • Major changes in pattern of economic growth in many regions

9. Relevance of Research in Higher Education • Traditionally, science is viewed as the accumulation of new knowledge as a goal in itself • Research is planned and performed by independent and autonomous individuals • The ultimate goal is to produce knowledge for practical application with high relevance, utility and economic impacts • Other important features of a modern university are: • Global cultural awareness, communication, multicultural learning and collaboration, global initiatives, action-based learning, ethics, sustainable development in terms of both economic (trading), environmental, and social aspects, for both industrialized and the developing nations

10. Research management is about issues such as How to identify strategic areas for research, how to concentrate resources, how to interact with stakeholders, fund-raising, participation in policy discussions, research ethics etc Successful research capacity building requires strong networking with other key actors Research is essential also for regional development Developing countries, with more than 80% of the world's population, account for only 2% Developing countries need significant scientific research capacity and here the universities have a major responsibility Capacity Building Building Research Capacity within the University and in the Region

11. Brain war : growing competition in research, new industrialized powers with advanced engineering skills like China, India Implement a new system for research direction & research performance Scientific knowledge is to be the highest level of knowledge and is valued far more than the praxis-based knowledge Structure the hidden knowledge Integration of tacit knowledge : Strong integration of experience-based/praxis-based and scientific knowledge and also involving a close and strong partnership between academia and industry / public sector Building the capacity: Research (Region) & University: Major development challenge of the university leader Linking universities and other research institutes Implementation of new technologies to enhance the quality of life and strengthen the economic development of the region Concluding Remarks

12. THANK YOU Sources: www.eolss.info/eolss/ images/CF03-4.jpg