Transcript Slide 1

Investment in S&T Capacity:
A view from the ISTS Dialogues
Comments to the TWNSO Ministerial Session on
Government Investment in Science and Technology
Capacity Building
TWAS 20th Century Celebrations
17 October 2003 -- Bejing, China
William C. Clark
Center for International Development
Harvard University
([email protected])
Investment in S&T Capacity:
A view from the ISTS Dialogues
• Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability
– independent scientists, development workers from around world
– cooperating with TWAS, ICSU, others to ask…
• “How can the world scientific community improve its
contribution to sustainable development?”
• Conduct dialogues among the science, policy and
development communities: Abuja, Chiang Mai, Santiago,
Trieste, Ottawa, Bonn, Mexico City and, virtually, at
– http://sustainabilityscience.org
• Result was many kind words for science… But realization that S&T capacity remains far below what’s needed.
– If science is so useful, why don’t we invest more in it?
How the world sees Science…
• Society does not believe that scientists are
interested in working on solutions to the most
urgent problems of development…
• …and doesn’t appreciate what science has in
fact contributed, so it underinvests in science;
• Idealistic young people do not see science
careers as a way of helping to solve social
problems, so they seek other professions;
• Academies of Science are seen to be part of
the problem (“An old men’s club for the
preservation of traditional disciplines…”).
7 Challenges for TWAS & friends
• Measure and publicize the impact of investments in S&T
on development in the language of economics/bugets;
• Create forums for listening to the development
communities to learn what they most need from S&T;
• Encourage investment in excellent (and often
interdisciplinary) research on those user-defined needs;
• Provide opportunities for young idealists (also from the
‘north’) to train as apprentice scientists in that R&D;
• Design guidelines for ethically engaging the private
sector (and its capital) in that R&D and training;
• Tell the universities of the N how they could (really) help;
• Elect to our Academies of Science the scientists who do
excellent research in support of development.