Realizing the Promise of Science for a Better

Realizing the Promise of Science for a Better Future for All: Centrality of Partnerships for Capacity building in Developing Counties Goverdhan Mehta International Council for Science (ICSU)

The Paradox of Our Time Despite spectacular advances in science and technology, unprecedented economic progress and improvement in the quality of life…. . there are….

Growing inequalities Knowledge Divide A troubled world

What is the way forward……? Bridge the S & T divide Pivotal role for international partnerships Capacity building in the Developing Countries Primacy of international partnerships A challenging opportunity for industry (facilitation of global reach) & Academia (human resources) G Opportunities galore…. .

The essentials: An inclusive world view; the perception* that “its all about us” must be discarded; “its about all of us” Everyone has aspirations & Everyone is vulnerable In the 21 st century national interests and international partnerships have to be viewed as complementary *Ms. Karen Hughes, US under Secretary Intl. Herald Tribune, Sept 10, 2005

We are …… “……travelers together on this bright blue ball in nothingness” -Carl Sandburg

Partnerships work best between equals and for this to happen: All countries need to learn to deal with one another as equals The rich nations must put high on their agenda, the obligation and commitment towards building world-wide S & T capacity Building Science and Technology Capacity world-wide should be regarded as an essential component of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility

Partnerships-How? There are no universal models for either international cooperation or industryacademia partnership. However, there are several success stories to learn from. Share experiences and evolve local strategies Many flavors: North-North, North-South, South-South

Complementarity is so obvious……. . Developed world has wealth & infrastructure Industry has capital and global reach Developing world has human resources Young vibrant, ambitious population - raring to go (cf. 54% of India’s population is below the age of 30) Human capital Knowledge capital Economic development

Innovation knows no boundaries……. v There are many colors and flavors to it v Cross cultural interactions can create new innovations that are not accessible in monoculture v Innovations flourish under stress, competition and necessity (DC have it all) Yet, half of the world’s talent pool remains untapped due to lack of access and opportunity. This is unacceptable for a world that aspires to be knowledge driven and thrives on competition

S & T partnerships- Points to ponder v Understanding of the developing world -- talent is all pervasive, access & opportunity are not v Modify the vocabulary -it may be symbolic but it is important-era of partnerships and alliances v Restore dignity and self esteem among scientists of the south to fully harness their potential v How best to leverage the imperatives of people as a renewable knowledge resource ? -building on the rich human capital

S & T partnerships- Some basic issues v Acknowledge the special flair of scientists from south in tackling the core challenges of human existence v Recognize S & T capacity building as a continuum v “Brain drain” is now shifting from people to jobs and tasks-opportunity to retain knowledge intensive capita v Renewed commitment and rethink by global and national institutions that deal with S & T

Some legitimate concerns • Issues related to IPR. They must be addressed and the inventors rights to returns on investments must be protected. However, ‘public good’ must be factored in. • Apprehensions that others may catch-up and lead to cost cutting related distortions • Many parts of the world have unstable polity and systems of governance TRUST

But, there is a great promise… The ‘HOLE-IN-THE WALL’ EXPERIMENT, NIIT, INDIA Experiments in Minimally Invasive Education

………and opportunities for facing the global S & T challenges of the 21 st century v v v v Sustainable energy - new sources Climate change - global warming Health - emerging diseases- AIDS, SARS, obesity Natural hazards -Tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones Environment - biodiversity conservation, extinctions Knowledge divide – ICT penetration Population stabilization – 9 bn by 2025! Sustainable development – a new way of life

A role and opportunity for ICSU • An enviable track record- forging partnerships and reaching out to the developing countries • Reach and expertise of Unions- access to best available high science • National members- policy, Governments • Regional offices - synergy between local and global problems, regional networks

Thank you