1 / 34

Mohamed H.A. Hassan Executive Director, TWAS, Trieste, Italy President, AAS, Nairobi, Kenya

Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Developing Countries: Challenges, Opportunities and Action. Mohamed H.A. Hassan Executive Director, TWAS, Trieste, Italy President, AAS, Nairobi, Kenya.

natalya-penda
Download Presentation

Mohamed H.A. Hassan Executive Director, TWAS, Trieste, Italy President, AAS, Nairobi, Kenya

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  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

  2. Overview • Problems and Challenges • Opportunities • Action UNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships

  3. 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

  5. Disparities: South-South Overall number of SCI papers 1992-2001

  6. Disparities: South-South SCI-Listed Publications in Nanotechnology(January-August 2004)

  7. Disparities: South-South – within Africa African output of ISI-listed scientific papers 1996-2000 (1.5% of world output)

  8. Disparities: South-South – within Africa African patents listed by US Patent and Trademark Office (1997-2001)

  9. Disparities: South-South – within country Impact of past policies: South Africa's research output (%)

  10. 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)?

  11. 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?

  12. 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?

  14. 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

  15. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Establishing, strengthening and maintaining centres of excellence • Harnessing ICT to promote research and education • Influencing public policy and decision-making • Increasing funding for STI

  16. 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

  17. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Innovative methods of teaching to produce new generations of problem-solving S&T talent with good knowledge of social problems • Twinning arrangements between universities in different countries: staff and student exchange, sharing of experiences and best practices

  18. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Efforts to upgrade and reform universities in S&T-lagging countries, especially in Africa • Commitment by large developing countries (Brazil, China, India, …) to support training of postgraduates in S&T-lagging countries

  19. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Establishing, strengthening and maintaining centres of excellence • Harnessing ICT to promote research and education • Influencing public policy and decision-making • Increasing funding for STI

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Establishing, strengthening and maintaining centres of excellence • Harnessing ICT to promote research and education • Influencing public policy and decision-making • Increasing funding for STI

  24. 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

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Establishing, strengthening and maintaining centres of excellence • Harnessing ICT to promote research and education • Influencing public policy and decision-making • Increasing funding for STI

  28. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Influencing public policy and decision-making • Engage S&T leadership in formulating national science policy and major national, regional or global development initiatives (e.g., NEPAD, Commission for Africa)

  29. 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

  30. 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

  31. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Reforming higher education systems • Establishing, strengthening and maintaining centres of excellence • Harnessing ICT to promote research and education • Influencing public policy and decision-making • Increasing funding for STI

  32. ActionUNESCO-ICSU-TWAS partnerships • Increasing funding for STI • Increase national funding for R&D 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

  33. 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, …)

  34. Thank you for your attention Mohamed H.A. HassanExecutive Director, TWAS, Trieste, ItalyPresident, AAS, Nairobi, Kenya mhassan@twas.org

More Related