Towards Effective international Towards Effective international Partnerships in Science, Technology, Partnerships in Science, Technology,

Production and InnovationProduction and Innovation

Francisco SagastiFrancisco Sagasti Emeritus Director, FORO Nacional/Internacional;Emeritus Director, FORO Nacional/Internacional;

Chairman of the Board, Science and Technology ProgramChairman of the Board, Science and Technology ProgramPrime Minister’s Office of PeruPrime Minister’s Office of Peru

Member of the Board of Governors, International Development Research Member of the Board of Governors, International Development Research Centre – IDRC (Canada)Centre – IDRC (Canada)

Global Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation Global Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation Capacity Building Partnerships for Sustainable DevelopmentCapacity Building Partnerships for Sustainable DevelopmentThe World BankThe World BankDecember 10-11, 2009December 10-11, 2009

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The Sisyphus Challenge Creating, consolidating and maintaining Creating, consolidating and maintaining

science, technology and innovation capacitiesscience, technology and innovation capacities Difficult task: pushing a stone up a hillDifficult task: pushing a stone up a hill Capacity building (long term) vs. destruction process Capacity building (long term) vs. destruction process

(very short term): (very short term): “It takes 15 years to build a world “It takes 15 years to build a world class research institution but only two years to class research institution but only two years to destroy it” (Jorge Sábato)destroy it” (Jorge Sábato)

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The Sisyphus challenge has no end:The Sisyphus challenge has no end:If it were possible to maintain the rock on top of the hill instead of falling down, there will be other hills ahead and Sisyphus will have to continue on pushing up

Creating capacities for science, technology and innovation is a permanent and endless task

The Sisyphus Challenge

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Science, technology, production Science, technology, production and innovation (STP&I)and innovation (STP&I)

Endogenous STP&I capabilities are essential:Endogenous STP&I capabilities are essential: It is crucial to build a minimum of scientific research, It is crucial to build a minimum of scientific research,

technology development, production and innovation technology development, production and innovation capacities —and to link all of these effectivelycapacities —and to link all of these effectively

Important to take into account traditional and modern Important to take into account traditional and modern knowledge, technologies and production activitiesknowledge, technologies and production activities

Need to be selective, choose key fields and areas for Need to be selective, choose key fields and areas for gradual, but accelerated build upgradual, but accelerated build up

Forge links with external sources of knowledge, Forge links with external sources of knowledge, technology, production and innovationtechnology, production and innovation

International partnerships are key instrument to International partnerships are key instrument to build endogenous STP&I capabilitiesbuild endogenous STP&I capabilities:: Linkages with research centers, private firms, public

agencies, academic institutions, professional associations, financial entities, consulting firms, venture capital, etc.

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Science, technology, production Science, technology, production and innovation (STP&I)and innovation (STP&I)

modernmodern

SStraditionaltraditional

modernmodern

TTtraditionaltraditional

modernmodern

PPtraditionaltraditional

TT PPSS

Countries Countries with an with an exogenous exogenous STP&I STP&I basebase

Countries with Countries with an endogenous an endogenous STP&I capacitySTP&I capacity

Other factors

InnovationInnovation

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International Partnerships for International Partnerships for STP&I: Lessons LearnedSTP&I: Lessons Learned

Several decades of experience with Several decades of experience with partnerships indicate the need for:partnerships indicate the need for: Clearly enunciated goalClearly enunciated goal (how to measure progress) (how to measure progress) Long-term commitmentLong-term commitment (staying power) (staying power) Scale and critical massScale and critical mass (quantity, quality, interface) (quantity, quality, interface) Patience and tolerance for errorsPatience and tolerance for errors (risk taking, (risk taking,

learning)learning) Enabling environmentEnabling environment (context, incentives, rules) (context, incentives, rules) Follow-through and systemic approachesFollow-through and systemic approaches

(downstream and upstream initiatives)(downstream and upstream initiatives) Leadership developmentLeadership development (recognize and support (recognize and support

outstanding talent)outstanding talent)(From K. Bezanson and G. Oldham, 2000, and nearly 40 years of IDRC experience)(From K. Bezanson and G. Oldham, 2000, and nearly 40 years of IDRC experience)

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International Partnerships for International Partnerships for STP&I: Global Calls for Action (1)STP&I: Global Calls for Action (1)

1963: UN Conference on S&T for the Benefit 1963: UN Conference on S&T for the Benefit of Less Developed Nations (Geneva)of Less Developed Nations (Geneva) ““Supermarket” of “off the shelf technologies”, Supermarket” of “off the shelf technologies”,

just choose and reach to get them (C. S. Powell)just choose and reach to get them (C. S. Powell) 1970: UN World Plan of Action on S&T for 1970: UN World Plan of Action on S&T for

DevelopmentDevelopment 5% of rich countries R&D expenditures for S&T 5% of rich countries R&D expenditures for S&T

problems of poor nationsproblems of poor nations 1979: UN Conference on S&T for 1979: UN Conference on S&T for

Development (Vienna)Development (Vienna) $250 million fund agreed, but not launched$250 million fund agreed, but not launched 1989 Update: “multiplicity of cooperation 1989 Update: “multiplicity of cooperation

initiatives”initiatives”

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International Partnerships for International Partnerships for STP&I: Global Calls for Action (2) STP&I: Global Calls for Action (2)

1999: UNESCO World Science Conference 1999: UNESCO World Science Conference (Budapest)(Budapest) Focus on strengthening North-South and South-Focus on strengthening North-South and South-

South cooperation and international South cooperation and international agreementsagreements

2009 Update: proposals for regional S&T 2009 Update: proposals for regional S&T strategic programs and fundsstrategic programs and funds

These calls have led to many programs and These calls have led to many programs and cooperative arrangements … cooperative arrangements … but not on the but not on the scale and to the extent commensurate with scale and to the extent commensurate with the 21the 21stst century challenges of mobilizing century challenges of mobilizing STP&I for sustainable developmentSTP&I for sustainable development

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International Partnerships for International Partnerships for STP&I: STP&I: Problem solvingProblem solving vs. vs.

capacity buildingcapacity building Dilemma of Dilemma of using existing developed country using existing developed country

capacities to solve development problemscapacities to solve development problems (short term), or (short term), or build capacity for developing build capacity for developing countries to solve their own problemscountries to solve their own problems (long (long term)term)

Problem solving

Capacity building

(a)

(b)

(c)(e)

(d)

(f)

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Towards Effective International Towards Effective International Partnerships for STP&I (1)Partnerships for STP&I (1)

Need for more information, better Need for more information, better coordination and harmonization of STP&I coordination and harmonization of STP&I cooperation initiatives (apply Paris cooperation initiatives (apply Paris Declaration?)Declaration?)

Essential to expand level of resources for Essential to expand level of resources for STP&I partnershipsSTP&I partnerships Initiatives of the past few decades fall short of Initiatives of the past few decades fall short of

what is required and what can be achievedwhat is required and what can be achieved Need for a new “Financial Facility” toNeed for a new “Financial Facility” to::

Cover incremental costs of engaging in Cover incremental costs of engaging in partnershipspartnerships

Assist poorer countries to mobilize resources (domestic and external) to join partnerships

Significantly increase resources for STP&I

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Towards Effective International Towards Effective International Partnerships for STP&I (2)Partnerships for STP&I (2)

Possible objectives of the proposed Facility Possible objectives of the proposed Facility and its Secretariat:and its Secretariat: Policy advice and informationPolicy advice and information Conduct studies and gather statistics on STP&IConduct studies and gather statistics on STP&I Organize and launch science, technology and Organize and launch science, technology and

innovation educational programs (graduate, innovation educational programs (graduate, management training, teacher exchanges, etc.)management training, teacher exchanges, etc.)

Identify, design and launch research, adaptation Identify, design and launch research, adaptation and innovations programs and projectsand innovations programs and projects

Establish venture capital and scaling-up fundsEstablish venture capital and scaling-up funds Provide science, technology and innovation Provide science, technology and innovation

servicesservices Monitor and evaluate programsMonitor and evaluate programs

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Towards Effective International Towards Effective International Partnerships for STP&I (3)Partnerships for STP&I (3)

Design criteria for the proposed Facility:Design criteria for the proposed Facility: Quantitative increaseQuantitative increase (help bridge knowledge (help bridge knowledge

divide)divide) Variety of sources of financeVariety of sources of finance (channels and means) (channels and means) Problem solving and capacity buildingProblem solving and capacity building (balance) (balance) Diversity and differentiationDiversity and differentiation (tailored (tailored

interventions)interventions) Coordination and dissemination of best practicesCoordination and dissemination of best practices Flexibility and continuityFlexibility and continuity (stability and renewal ) (stability and renewal ) Existing and new initiativesExisting and new initiatives (reinvent the wheel?) (reinvent the wheel?) Learning from othersLearning from others (lessons of experience)(lessons of experience) Effective governance and legitimacyEffective governance and legitimacy

(representation, transparency, accountability)(representation, transparency, accountability) What can the World Bank do?What can the World Bank do?

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Concluding remarksConcluding remarks Promotion and support of STP&I partnerships:Promotion and support of STP&I partnerships:

An idea whose time has come Dangers of knowledge divide (greater than any

other fracture in the global order) Clearly felt need in transition to knowledge

society Unique character of our times:

Not a crisis, or even a combination of crises, but…a fundamental change of epoch: the planet and the human species are undergoing a profound shift of unprecedented proportions

The least we can do is to explore the creation of a new generation of international institutions to face the challenge of an epochal change