Research in Focus

UNU-INTECH develops methodology for Africa-wide innovation survey
UNU-INTECH has developed the methodology for an Africa wide innovation survey, the first of its kind to be undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa. The project was initiated at the request of the Secretariat of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The Secretariat is drawing up a programme of activities that will generate a comprehensive profile of the innovation landscape - dubbed the African Innovation Outlook. A team of six UNU-INTECH and University of Maastricht researchers led by Professor Lynn Mytelka analysed a wide range of existing surveys in the OECD as well as developing countries, and elaborated a framework, methodology, and timetable for conducting such surveys in Africa. The methodology underlines three key factors considered to be necessary ingredients in the African setting: (1) a focus on generating policy relevant information; (2) an emphasis on the core elements in an innovation process - linkages, learning and investment; and (3) the selection of a few strategic sectors to enable collection of high quality data, and ensure manageability of the survey process. Once completed, the African Innovation Outlook will enable countries to benchmark their innovative performance, identify problems and devise solutions for capacity development.


A mobile seed cleaning machine of the Koffele seed cleaning plant in Ethiopia.
The NEPAD Innovation Survey will identify factors that stimulate innovation by
small and medium enterprises in Africa.
Photo courtesy of IFAD

Other Research Activities.

Training Programmes
Applications are invited for the UNU-INTECH PhD Internship Programme in 2005. The three month residential programme is open to advanced PhD students working in the broad area of innovation and technological development. The closing date is 31 December 2004 .

The second workshop on Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policy in Developing Countries (DEIP) , will be held at UNU-INTECH from 24 - 29 January 2005. The deadline for receiving applications is October 30, 2004 .

Five PhD candidates, from China,Nigeria, Uruguay and India, participated in the UNU-INTECH PhD Internship Programme in 2004. Isabel Bortagaray and Rajesh Upadhyayula (pictured) have been carrying out research at the Institute between September and November 2004.

Networking

UNU-INTECH participated in the Global Innovation Policy Dialogue on sub-Saharan Africa, facilitated by the World Bank . The two day video conference, which included sessions on South and East Asia, tackled a range of issues relating to Innovation and Poverty Reduction, and explored strategies for tapping local and global knowledge systems to boost innovation in sub-Saharan Africa. Participants on the Africa session were drawn from technology-related institutes in Uganda and Ethiopia, as well as experts from UNCTAD, UNIDO and the World Bank. UNU-INTECH provided an overview on ""Building Innovation Systems in Natural-Based Industries" (Professor Mytelka) and "Building Capacity Amongst policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa" (Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka).

UNU-INTECH participated in the Third Bellagio Series on IPRs and Development from 12-16 October 2004 at the Rockefeller Foundation Center, Northern Italy. The Bellagio Series on IPRs and Development is part of the UNCTAD-ICTSD Project on Intellectual Property Rights and Sustainable Development. Dr. Gehl Sampath participated in this series, which was titled: Policy Options for Ensuring Affordable Access to Essential Medicines .The Bellagio Series responds to concerns that recent trends in the formulation of intellectual property policies may be detrimental to economic, technological, social and cultural development as well as povery eradication. The results are used to mobilize Geneva-based negotiators, capital-based policy makers, NGOs and distingushed experts, as well as to identify strategic objectives, entry points and levels in the short, medium and long term intellectual property negotiations. The full report of the Meeting can be obtained here .

The first meeting of the Rural Innovation Policy Working Group, jointly convened by UNU-INTECH and the Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP) took place in September 2004 in New Delhi, India. The Working Group brings together a range of policy stakeholders from government Ministries and Departments, non-governmental organizations, and donors working in rural innovation. The Working Group, which will meet four times a year, aims to link research more closely to policy processes. The initiative is an integral part of a UNU-INTECH research project coordinated by Dr. Andy Hall , which is investigating innovation processes in civil society initiatives, and drawing lessons for policymaking.

UNU-INTECH participated at a recent seminar on Bridging Research, Policy and Development Work , organized by the Danish Development Cooperation Agency (DANIDA) in Denmark on 30 September 2004. The seminar explored factors that contribute to the utilization of knowledge produced in developing countries, and addressed the links between research, policy and development work. Professor Lea Velho presented a keynote address titled: "Which Role for Knowledge and Innovation in the Development Process?"

UNU-INTECH Events October to December 2004

Two UNU-INTECH researchers, Dr. Padmashree Gehl Sampath and Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, participated at the second conference of The Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (GLOBELICS). The Conference, Innovation Systems and Development: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges , took place in Beijing, China, from 16-20 October, 2004. UNU-INTECH presented two papers: Learning through Inter-Organizational Interactions: The Case of Public Research Institutes in Nigerian Biotechnology (Dr. Gehl Sampath); and Determinants of Inter-Organizational Collaboration in Africa's System of Innovation (Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka).

UNU-INTECH is participating at ' Bionale 2004 ' from 2-4 November in Maastricht. The initiative brings together leading industrialists, finance institutions, scientists and government bodies involved in biotechnology and the life sciences. UNU-INTECH director, Professor Lynn Mytelka, will make a keynote address in the session on "Enabling Society and Life Sciences". This session will also be addressed by, among others, the CEO of Philips, a founding member of GreenPeace, and the UK Minister for Science and Innovation.

Recent UNU-INTECH Research Seminars

" Business strategies in a China in transformation ", By Professor Jonathan Story, Professor of International Political Economy, INSEAD.

" Rehabilitation and Capacity Development of Agricultural Systems in Post Conflict Situations ". By Dr. Kate Longley, Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute, and Special Project Scientist, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT-Nairobi

New Publications
UNU-INTECH has coordinated the production of special issue of the Oxford Development Studies journal in honour of Linsu Kim, a Professor of Management at Korea University and member of the UNU-INTECH board until his death in February 2003. Titled "Learning, Capability Building and Innovation at the Firm Level", the Special Issue contains contributions by INTECH board members, research fellows and close research associates of Professor Kim. The collection was edited by Lynn Mytelka.

UNU-INTECH researchers and research associates have published close to thirty peer-reviewed academic papers this year. Details are available in the publications section of the website. To view entire publications listing, please follow appropriate links on the right hand menu.