innovation in less favoured regions ( 8 )

Innovation in less favoured regions (8)

– For LFR’s in particular, promote product rather than process innovation

– Favour industrial clusters and networking (Saxony: micro-systems; Sweden : timber processing; Portugal: moulds, footwear)

– Support the creation of new companies, of spin-offs

– Reinforce the interface between those who create knowledge and those who implement technology transfer

– Establish within the regions specific evaluation systems

S&T in Developing Countries : a global catastrophe (1)

The access to S&T knowledge, the ability to innovate are strategic and decisive for the economic performance of developing countries in our globalised economy based on competitiveness

Moreover, S&T are essential for the solution of their social problems : malnutrition, population migration, infectious diseases, lack of water, etc


The S&T world is split into two very different groups :– Geographically : among the 50 most active S&T

countries, only one is in Africa, four in South America

– Economically and technologically : these 50 « S&T » countries, over a total of 185, represent :

• 75 % of world population• 90 % of world GDP


• 92 % of world industrial production• 99 % of foreign direct investment• 96 % of trade in manufactured products • 100 % of high tech exports

(multinationals' subsidiaries excluded)• 98 % of total world R&D spending• 98.5 % of education spending• 95 % of total number of scientists and engineers• 98 % of all scientific publications• 99 % of EU and US Patents


In the 50 leading S&T countries, the average economic wealth per capita has grown yearly by 1.1 % between 1986 and 1994

For the 135 other countries, the yearly decrease has amounted to 1.5 % over the same period

This leads to a new division of the global economy based on the access to knowledge and the ability to exploit it.


S&T efforts are generally insufficient in developing countries for having any real impact, they remain confined to few sectors (e.g. agriculture) and few disciplines ( e.g. biological and physical sciences) The weakness is great in social sciences and in engineering.


What can be done to reverse this catastrophic trend ?– Give a new impulse to S&T assistance programmes

for developing countries– Raise awareness of decision makers in these

countries on the importance of S&T in order to secure a minimum national effort in S&T

– Help in building a minimum of endogenous science base, required for ensuring an efficient science transfer

– Develop true, balanced partnerships,integrate the scientists of these countries in international research networks


– Contribute to capacity building notably by the training of scientists and engineers. Establishing or reinforcing infrastructure is also important, but it should not become a target per se. Lack of adequate staff and of funds for operation leads often to ineffective investment in infrastructure

– Assist in integrating S&T development in overall national strategies, promote the match of the technological offer with real needs


– Promote trans-border S&T co-operation between developing countries, create S&T clusters among them

– Leap frog, when possible, to the most modern techniques for education and R&D, having recourse to new information and communication technologies. This requires adequate ICT infrastructures which do not exist so far in LDC’s

S&T and Society: between acceptance and rejection (1)

The relation between S&T and Society oscillates between acceptance and rejection:S&T are generally well perceived, the public interest is wide, but there are signs of rejection, or at least uneasiness. This is not new: J.J.Rousseau was affirming that ’’The man who studies is a depraved, vicious animal’’ How can rejection be fought?– Stimulating a better perception of S&T– Taking into account ethical issues in the application of S&T– Reinforcing the dialogue with policy makers and the civil

society


Stimulating a better perception of S&T

Very poor degree of scientific literacy in the general public and among decision-makers. According to Leon Lederman, 90 to 95% of the Western World population are scientifically illiterate; the same percentage applies to political decision makers

How to react? – Favor Science education in schools, sometimes again the

apathy or antagonism of teachers: ’’ Children usually love science before schools squelch it ’’ (Sir George Porter)


How to react? – Favor Science education in schools, sometimes again the

apathy or antagonism of teachers

’’ Children usually love science before schools squelch it ’’ (Sir George Porter)

– Favor interdisciplinary teaching in Higher Education, expose humanities students to natural sciences, and vice-versa

– Increase the dissemination of S&T knowledge through the media (science pages in newspapers, scientific reviews on television e.g. CNN, Euronews, BBC World)


– Enhance at the same time the dialogue with these media in order to achieve, when dealing with hot subjects, a better balance between facts and emotion

’’Superstition will remain because it is cheaper to acquire superstition than truth’’(B. de Spinoza)

– Be attentive to the public preoccupation, increase the direct dialogue


Ethical issues: a bridge too far ?

A very thin boundary between what is needed for Society or at least opportune for it, and what is science driven without any consideration for moral or social issues. Very much dependent on religious, ethical evolving approaches

Issues exist primarily in life sciences, biotechnologies as well as in information technologies, and in the combination of both


Information Technologies constitute a wonderful tool for improving many aspects of our quality of life, BUT they present the danger of intruding in our privacy, of favoring new forms of crime

Information technologies, combined with life sciences foresee the development of artificial vision for blind people, BUT project also the creation of small animals with artificial brains and later, of humans with brain electronic implants, or the advent of self organizing robots (’’artilects’’)


Biotechnologies contribute to circumvent infertility of couples,to develop new tissue for skin repair,to realize bionic organs,to prevent cancer with gene therapy, to develop more pest resistant crops, BUT they lead also to the trade of embryos, to human cloning, to GMO`s in foods,to genetically modified animals, to terminator seeds, to chimera constructs and ’’novichoks’’ and to human clones aimed at providing “spare parts”


What can be done to prevent going a bridge too far?– Develop the democratic debate between all

components of Society on applications of Science, not necessarily on Science itself

– Exercise self discipline within the S&T Community; the ’’ethics of responsibility’’ rather than the ’’ethics of conviction’’(Max Weber) should be exercised. The mind should not forget the heart


Science and Democracy: the dialogue with stakeholders

Strange ballet alternating attraction and repulsion– There is a lack of interest from the S&T Community

for communicating with the political circles– Political decision makers require firm, clear-cut,

immediate answers from Science in a Society which insists upon no risk in daily life. The recent “juridicalisation” of our Society is reinforcing the pressure for taking no risk, in order to avoid legal proceedings


– To this requirement for clear cut answers, scientists respond in a cautious way by affirming ’’…to the best of our knowledge…’’ or exhibit dissenting views such as in the recent cases of climate change, BSE and CJD, GMO’s, health effects of cellular phones,etc

– This mismatch leads to misunderstanding, disappointment and irritation


The result of such an uneasy situation is an excessive application of the precautionary principle. Avoiding the risk of political, social or even legal sanctions, is understandable, but the cost to the Society at large, of the consequences of not taking risk, is not always correctly evaluated. Furthermore, the precautionary principle is not applied equally to all types of risks. In most cases, political considerations prevail, leaving little room for scientific or technical evidence. If the trend persists, S&T could become the great absentee from the risk debate


How to improve this situation?– Promote more dialogue within the scientific

community– Favor integrity rather than publicity in scientific

work – Enhance the debate between scientists and policy-

makers at an early stage of the problem-solving process, increase the mutual understanding on common issues, promote mutual respect


– Reinstate a certain delegation of powers to the S&T community and to democratically elected structures, by restoring trust in these structures

’’ All passengers of a plane do not participate in the choice of the pilot ’’(J.M.Lehn)

Conclusion (1)

In spite of difficulties and drawbacks, S&T remain one of the most attractive enterprises conducted by Man , not just for ’’ the honor of the human mind ’’ but essentially for the benefit of Mankind.

It is the responsibility of the S&T Community to ensure their continuous development, in close harmony with all components of Society

Conclusion (2)

In doing so, the S&T Community should keep constantly in mind Albert Einstein’s recommendation:

’’ The concern of Man and his destiny must always be the chief interest of all technical effort. Never forget it among your diagrams and equations ’’

innovation in less favoured regions ( 8 )

Documents

leading st countries

active st countries

st world

global catastrophe

st knowledge

st development

importance of st

global economy