Innovation for an inclusive future

This workshop will focus on setting the agenda for research, practice and policy in support of inclusive design for third generation computer-based products. The next generation of technology represents an unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of life for groups of users who have previously faced exclusion, such as those with impairments and older citizens. At the same time it risks creating a greater digital divide and further exclusion. How we approach design for this new generation will determine whether or not the third wave will provide positive advances towards an inclusive digital world. We therefore need to put forward both a rationale for inclusive design and provide pointers towards technical development and design practice in support of inclusion. It is our belief that there is not only a strong moral case for design for inclusion but also significant commercial incentive, which may be key to persuading influential players to focus on inclusion. Therefore one of our key objectives is to describe and promote the advantages of designing ‘in from the edges’ of the user population rather than designing for a notional ‘average’ user

Innovation for an inclusive future

This workshop will focus on setting the agenda for research, practice and policy in support of inclusive design for third generation computer-based products. The next generation of technology represents an unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of life for groups of users who have previously faced exclusion, such as those with impairments and older citizens. At the same time it risks creating a greater digital divide and further exclusion. How we approach design for this new generation will determine whether or not the third wave will provide positive advances towards an inclusive digital world. We therefore need to put forward both a rationale for inclusive design and provide pointers towards technical development and design practice in support of inclusion. It is our belief that there is not only a strong moral case for design for inclusion but also significant commercial incentive, which may be key to persuading influential players to focus on inclusion. Therefore one of our key objectives is to describe and promote the advantages of designing ‘in from the edges’ of the user population rather than designing for a notional ‘average’ user

Foresighting for Inclusive Development

We propose that foresight can contribute to inclusive development by making innovation systems more inclusive. Processes of developing future oriented innovation policies are often unsuccessful and rarely inclusive. We conceptualize such processes as foresighting. We focus on how the ex-ante design of policymaking processes affects the actual process with a focus on inclusion, and we discuss how it affects policy effectiveness and innovation system transformation. Our argument is that processes of policymaking must be inclusive to affect and transform innovation systems because a set of distributed actors, rather than ministries and innovation agencies, is the gatekeepers of change. From this perspective, inclusion is a precondition rather than an obstacle for transformation. Based on the notion of innovation system foresight, we develop an analytical framework that we use to study design and processes in foresight cases in two emerging economies: Brazil and South Korea. We conclude that better systemic and innovation oriented foresight is needed to enhance inclusive development

Transforming innovation for sustainability

The urgency of charting pathways to sustainability that keep human societies within a "safe operating space" has now been clarified. Crises in climate, food, biodiversity, and energy are already playing out across local and global scales and are set to increase as we approach critical thresholds. Drawing together recent work from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Tellus Institute, and the STEPS Centre, this commentary article argues that ambitious Sustainable Development Goals are now required along with major transformation, not only in policies and technologies, but in modes of innovation themselves, to meet them. As examples of dryland agriculture in East Africa and rural energy in Latin America illustrate, such "transformative innovation" needs to give far greater recognition and power to grassroots innovation actors and processes, involving them within an inclusive, multi-scale innovation politics. The three dimensions of direction, diversity, and distribution along with new forms of "sustainability brokering" can help guide the kinds of analysis and decision making now needed to safeguard our planet for current and future generations

U.S. SDG Data Revolution Roadmap

One year after adopting the SDGs, in an addendum to its Open Government National Action Plan, the U.S. Government committed to develop an SDG Data Revolution Roadmap that "charts the future course of efforts to fill data gaps and build capacity to use data for decision-making and innovation to advance sustainable development." The U.S. Government's SDG Data Revolution Roadmap will outline the government's commitments-to-action from 2017-2018. With a deadline of June 2017, it will be developed by the U.S. Government "through an open and inclusive process that engages the full range of citizen, non-governmental, and private sector stakeholders."This report represents the beginning of that engagement process. On December 14, 2016, the Center for Open Data Enterprise and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data convened a Roundtable to develop recommended priorities for the U.S. Government's SDG Data Revolution Roadmap The Roundtable brought together more than 40 stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector with expertise in achieving and promoting sustainable development

Frugality, grassroots and inclusiveness: new challenges for mainstream innovation theories

Author's post-print version originally presented at GLOBELICS International Conference on “Innovation and Development: Opportunities and Challenges in Globalisation” Hangzhou, China November 9-11 2012.Intriguing and provocative concepts such as frugal innovation, BOP innovation, empathetic innovation and inclusive innovation are attracting the attention of many scholars in emerging countries as well as raising concern in the Western. Those notions are often indicated as ‘below-the-radar innovations’. There are several reasons to believe that technical and social changes originating in the developing world will become a major driver of innovation in the near future. For those reasons it is crucial to understand how innovation is planned, design and deployed outside the comfortable territory of Western paradigm. The objective of the present article is to provide an overview of the alternative innovation paradigms that are emerging in the developing world. On the other hand, the article aims at analysing the determinants and drivers that are at the base of below-the-radar innovation

South Asia and societal challenges : a regional perspective

This paper is a summary of the South Asian region’s status and interests concerning the seven thematic societal challenges identified under the EU’s Horizon 2020 research programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing; Food security, sustainable agricultures, marine and maritime research and the bio-based economy; Clean and efficient energy; Smart, green and integrated transport; Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials; A changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies; and, Secure societies - protecting freedom and security of the country and its citizens. This paper considers the position of seven countries in South Asia: Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Maldives; Nepal; Pakistan; and, Sri Lanka1. It also identifies national and regional priorities for the seven themes under consideration. This paper is an output of the CASCADE project (Collaborative Action towards Societal Challenges through Awareness, Development, and Education) that aims to provide the foundation for a future International Cooperation Network programme targeting South Asian Countries, which will promote bi-regional coordination of Science & Technology cooperation. The EU recognise a need to strengthen internationalisation through strategic policy action. The need for linkages with Asian countries has been highlighted given the region’s rapidly growing research and innovation capacities and the urgency to address global challenges. The project coincides with the launch of Horizon 2020, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with a budget of just over €80 billion, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to tackle global societal challenges, and create new growth and jobs. International cooperation in research and innovation is an essential element for meeting the objectives of Europe 2020. Recognising the global nature of producing and using knowledge, Horizon 2020 builds on the success of international cooperation in previous framework programmes and is fully open to participation from third countries

Analysis of the pilot survey INKLUGI about aging and disabilities to promote Inclusive Design in industry

This study is part of the project INKLUGI. The main objective of the project is to create new tools that help to introduce Inclusive Design methods in the industry of the region of Gipuzkoa. To make companies understand the aging of the population as an opportunity for innovation and competitiveness is necessary to create new quantitative tools. The survey about disability and aging is the best way to gather data for a quantitative data base that will feed the future quantitative tools for Inclusive Design. In this study the process followed to carry out the pilot survey INKLUGI is presented. Then, the results obtained from the survey are analysed and discussed in a collaborative workshop with stakeholders. Finally, the contributions of experts from different sectors are explained

Frugal Inclusive Design

While Inclusive Design and Frugal Innovation have gained separate academic interest in recent years, there lacks research on their integration. This Master’s major research project asks How might social enterprises in Ontario integrate Inclusive Design with Frugal Innovation to maximize economic and social value? The following theoretical framework is put forth: a harmony of Inclusive Design and Frugal Innovation would add value to the social enterprise model by using minimal resources to design for the maximum amount of people. This paper begins with an introduction to the subject matter by outlining key concepts and situating them within the research context. A literature review is then put forth to examine the research about Inclusive Design, Frugal Innovation, and social enterprise to provide a rationale for the theoretical framework. The Methodology chapter explains how using qualitative interviews and General Morphological Analysis as a foresight tool explore how these concepts could exist in a symbiotic relationship to make Frugal Inclusive Design. The Findings & Discussion chapter explores the opportunities and barriers for social enterprises to adopt this new concept as an integral part of their business. The research shows that social enterprises have adopted Inclusive Design and Frugal Innovation principles with varying degrees of success. It is suggested that social enterprises use lead user theory to strengthen the relationship between Inclusive Design and Frugal Innovation. This paper ends with a conclusion and suggestions for areas of future research

Stakeholders Awareness Workshop on the 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)

Cite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2019). Stakeholders Awareness Workshop on the 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). DOI 10.17159/assaf.2019/0055This was the 2nd of three Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) seminars held on 02 July 2019, at Future Africa Conference Centre, University of Pretoria, Gauteng by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The workshop provided an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on the policy intents of the 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The White Paper sets a long-term policy direction for the South African Government to ensure the growing role for the STI, which is aligned to developmental challenges of the country. The paper is based on the extensive review of the National System of Innovation (NSI) and focuses on using STI to accelerate inclusive economic growth and to assist South Africa to benefit from global development such as rapid technological advancements, geo-political and demographic shifts. The new White Paper seeks to ensure that South Africa benefits from the potential of STI to advance the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) by instilling a culture of valuing STI, expansion and transformation of research systems, institutional landscape and human resource base of the STI, increased funding and funding efficiencies etc. The outcomes of the workshop will feed into the DSI’s Decadal Plan to direct the implementation plan for the 2019 White Paper on STI. Further engagements will be conducted with stakeholders in preparation for the drafting of the Decadal Plan.Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), South Africa