In an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the CSIR, a group of science and technology (S&T) leaders from around the world gathered in Pretoria to find new ways for S&T to play a part in sustainable development.
As the world struggles to address issues of poverty and growth, global leaders have reaffirmed their faith in the contribution of S&T to the achievement of development targets. Already S&T has demonstrated its power to generate wealth, eradicate infectious diseases, bring communication to the marginalised, and develop a wide range of valuable manufactured goods and services as well as improved means of delivering them.
Many global challenges remain including the need for new and sustainable energy sources, protection from emerging diseases and lower cost infrastructure.
A new set of actors has emerged in the quest to meet these challenges. Following sustained investment in education, research infrastructure and manufacturing in a number of developing countries, the Innovative Developing Countries (IDCs) have achieved high levels of economic progress and overall improvements in human wellbeing. How can these successes be generalised, and what role do the IDCs have in contributing to sustainable development?
The S&T leaders concluded that the IDCs can play a crucial role in developing innovative and appropriate solutions to global challenges, and at the same time strengthening their own S&T expertise. These leaders urged IDCs to coordinate their efforts, in order to increase investment in S&T aimed at the solutions to problems of developing countries. In particular, the leaders stressed the need for:
. developing nations, especially the poorest, to devote a proportion of their resources to S&T
. S&T leadership in developing countries to be strengthened and to define a clear set of priorities; this leadership needs to make a persuasive statement to the public that the scientific effort is essential and useful
. the political leadership of developing countries to press for a greater role in decision making on global development programmes, including bilateral and multilateral aid; and to insist that a proportion of these resources be devoted to research and nurturing local scientific and technical capacity
. the benefits of S&T need to be extended to all; S&T efforts need to be increasingly directed to the creation of affordable and accessible products and services for poor people
. the strengthening of institutions, such as Academies of Science & Engineering, that can advise high levels of government on issues of S&T
. access to careers in S&T to be widened, and at the same time systems that reward and offer S&T careers to the most talented to be developed
. the broadening of the science education base within schools, technical colleges, universities, science councils, academies of sciences, government departments and industry; these institutions are fundamental to development and wealth creation. It is clear that an environment of excellent research is necessary to attract and retain young talent in scientific careers.
Although it is highly desirable for all countries, and especially developing countries to have functioning S&T systems, the symposium noted that this is not presently the situation, and in the interim several steps need to be taken, including:
. the establishment of regional networks between national systems to overcome the lack of a critical mass, which is presently limiting the success of S&T in many developing countries
. the implementation of appropriate performance measures at all levels and for different types of S&T institutions in order to get the most out of the available resources
. the introduction of appropriate tax incentives and grants to encourage private sector participation in research and development (R&D); additional private sector resources for S&T could be accessed by addressing causes of market failure, including the preconditions for the entry of Technology Risk Capital
. the close networking of universities, research councils and industry in order to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and wealth generation; mission-oriented clusters of institutions focused on identified priority issues must be established to facilitate discovery, development and delivery.
In conclusion, the leaders noted that it is time for a number of important initiatives. It is time for developing and post-colonial societies to 'name the ghosts' of science, technology, and higher education. While benefiting many people, S&T has also systematically excluded many groups. Governments and industries have often used technologies in a way that harmed both people and the natural environment. Openness about these spectres will help to assure more equitable and constructive practices in the future.
It is also time for the IDCs to act collectively and think globally. An effective response to a number of shared global challenges, such as global climate change, infectious diseases and the loss of biodiversity, can only be achieved with the involvement of all countries, and especially the developing countries. The S&T systems of the innovative developing countries can play a crucial role in building such capacity, and in shaping their own futures.
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