Ibero-American Science and Education Consortium (ISTEC): New challenges in a global collaborative environment

The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) is a non-profit organization comprised of educational, research, industrial, and multilateral organizations throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The Consortium was established in 1990 to foster scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology. After twenty years, ISTEC has established a presence in the region, but it also has experienced problems to interact with different cultures and interests. During 2010 it suffered important changes in its organization and big efforts were realized to accomplish new goals and to share worldwide expertise, to facilitate distributed problem solving, creating the local critical mass needed for the development of regional projects in areas such as: continuing education, libraries and repositories, globalization of the culture of quality and accreditation standards, R&D, intellectual property development, capital acquisition, and social responsibility, among others. ISTEC continues to be dedicated to the improvement of Science, Engineering, Technology, Math education, R&D, and Entrepreneurship. The Consortium will foster technology transfer and the development of social and business entrepreneurs through the implementation of a global network that pretends to reach other countries in the world creating clusters of businesses and institutions that share common interest, assisting in the establishment of strategic alliances/joint ventures, and the promotion of collaborative partnerships in general

Ibero-American Science and Education Consortium (ISTEC): New challenges in a global collaborative environment

The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) is a non-profit organization comprised of educational, research, industrial, and multilateral organizations throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The Consortium was established in 1990 to foster scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology. After twenty years, ISTEC has established a presence in the region, but it also has experienced problems to interact with different cultures and interests. During 2010 it suffered important changes in its organization and big efforts were realized to accomplish new goals and to share worldwide expertise, to facilitate distributed problem solving, creating the local critical mass needed for the development of regional projects in areas such as: continuing education, libraries and repositories, globalization of the culture of quality and accreditation standards, R&D, intellectual property development, capital acquisition, and social responsibility, among others. ISTEC continues to be dedicated to the improvement of Science, Engineering, Technology, Math education, R&D, and Entrepreneurship. The Consortium will foster technology transfer and the development of social and business entrepreneurs through the implementation of a global network that pretends to reach other countries in the world creating clusters of businesses and institutions that share common interest, assisting in the establishment of strategic alliances/joint ventures, and the promotion of collaborative partnerships in general.Servicio de Difusión de la Creación Intelectual (SeDiCI

Public Procurement for Innovation (PPI) – a Pilot Study

Public organizations may place an order for something (normally a product or a system) that does not exist. This “something” has to be developed by the supplier before it can be delivered. In other words, R&D and/or innovation are needed before delivery can take place. Until about 10 years ago this phenomenon was called “public technology procurement” Edquist et al 2000). This vocabulary of the 1990s and earlier has changed; the concept of “technology” has been replaced by the concept of “innovation”, reflecting a widening of the content of the notion. The phenomenon is a matter of using public demand (or similar) to trigger innovation. We will use the term “public procurement for innovation (PPI)” to denote this phenomenon. Further definitions are presented in section 2.4.Innovation Systems; innovation policy

Forging partnerships in health care: Process and measuring benefits

Universally, there is concern that much academic learning has dealt mainly in theory, removing knowledge from context with a resultant lack of practical experience. Here, the catalyst for strengthening university-community engagement, emanated from a desire to foster greater propensity within students to make connections between their academic courses and responsibility toward the community and people in need, and thus develop enhanced skills in social interaction, teamwork and effectiveness. This paper explores a variety of models of university-community engagement that aim to achieve and model good practice in policy making and planning around healthcare education and service development. Ways of integrating teaching and learning with community engagement, so there is reciprocal learning with significant benefits to the community, students, the university and industry are described. The communities of engagement for a transdisciplinary approach in healthcare are defined and the types of collaborative partnerships are outlined, including public/private partnerships, service learning approaches and regional campus engagement. The processes for initiating innovation in this field, forging sustainable partnerships, providing cooperative leadership and building shared vision are detailed. Measuring shared and sustained benefits for all participants is examined in the context of effecting changes in working relationships as well as the impact on students in terms of increased personal and social responsibility, confidence and competence. For the health professions, it is considered vital to adopt this approach in order to deliver graduates who feel aware of community needs, believe they can make a difference, and have a greater sense of community responsibility, ethic of service and more sophisticated understandings of social contexts. In the longer term, it is proposed the strategy will deliver a future healthcare workforce that is more likely to have a strengthened sense of community, social and personal responsibility and thus effect positive social change

Towards Sustainable Development of Small-Scale Fisheries in the Philippines: Experiences and Lessons Learned from Eight Regional Sites

The focus of this paper is on the governance of small-scale or municipal fisheries in the Philippines in light of the critical role they play in the livelihoods of coastal communities and in the nation as a whole. The information and insights presented in this lessons learned brief derive from the project entitled Strengthening Governance and Sustainability of Small-Scale Fisheries Management in the Philippines: An Ecosystem Approach. The project was funded principally by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), and implemented from 2008 to 2011 by WorldFish in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and selected partners. The underlying project's goal was to 'strengthen governance and sustainability of small-scale fisheries management in the Philippines.' There were a variety of objectives spread across two project phases but the primary objectives relevant to this brief include: (1) identifying issues at project sites and assessing potential for an ecosystem based approach to fisheries management, and (2) assessing current fisheries management practices at different levels of governance and identifying best practices. The purposes of this paper are twofold. First, it aims to provide brief highlights of the project findings; second, it aims to present the lessons learned in project implementation covering substantive sectoral concerns as well as methodological issues. It wraps up with some strategic directions that need to be undertaken to reverse the deteriorating conditions of small-scale fisheries (SSF) while at the same time promoting their sustainable development

Improving industry science links through university technology transfer units: An analysis and a case.

Connectivity has become one of the critical success factors in generating and sustaining high-performing National Innovation Systems. Industry Science Links (ISLs) are an important dimension of this connectivity. Over the last decades, multiple insights have been gained (both from theory and practice) as to how 'effective' ISLs can be fostered through the design and the development of university-based technology transfer units. In this paper, we document and analyze the evolution of 'effective' university-based technology transfer mechanisms, towards a matrix structure allowing an active involvement of the research groups in commercial exploitation of their research findings, while specialized supporting services like intellectual property management and business plan development are centralized. We show that the establishment of:(1) an appropriate context within academia;(2) the design of stimulating incentive structures for academic research groups and,(3) the implementation of appropriate decision and monitoring processes within the interface unit itself, are critical elements in fostering 'effective' linkages between industry and the academic science base.Decision; Factors; Industry; Management; Matrix; Processes;

Consideration of space applications transfer centers for the NASA office of applications

The concept of Space Applications Transfer Centers is examined to consider the design of the first of these facilities. The questions to be considered are listed

Beyond Green: The Arts as a Catalyst for Sustainability

The creative sector has played a significant role in efforts to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change and encourage sustainable social, economic, and environmental practices worldwide. Many artists and cultural organizations have embarked on remarkable projects that make us reflect on our behaviors, our carbon footprints, and the claims of infinite growth based on finite resources. Sometimes treading a fine line between arts and advocacy, they have sparked extraordinary collaborations that reveal new ways of living together on a shared planet. The 'art of the possible' will become even more relevant as 2016 dawns - bringing the challenge of how to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and the Climate Change Agreement adopted at the end of 2015. Yet with negotiations overshadowed by scientific controversy, political polemic and geographic polarization, individuals can easily lose faith in their own ability to shape change beyond the hyperlocal level. Against this challenging backdrop, could the arts and creative practice become a particle accelerator - to shift mindsets, embrace new ways of sharing space and resources, and catalyze more creative leadership in the public and private spheres? The goal of this Salzburg Global Seminar session was to build on path-breaking cultural initiatives to advance international and cross-sectoral links between existing arts and sustainability activities around the world, encourage bolder awareness-raising efforts, and recommend strategic approaches for making innovative grassroots to scale for greater, longer-term impact

OECD reviews of higher education in regional and city development, State of Victoria, Australia

With more than 5.3 million inhabitants Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Once a manufacturing economy, Victoria is now transforming itself into a service and innovation-based economy. Currently, the largest sectors are education services and tourism. In terms of social structure, Victoria is characterised by a large migrant population, 24% of population were born overseas and 44% were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. About 70% of the population resides in Melbourne. Victoria faces a number of challenges, ranging from an ageing population and skills shortages to drought and climate change and increased risk of natural disasters. Rapid population growth, 2% annually, has implications for service delivery and uneven development as well as regional disparities. There are barriers to connectivity in terms of transport and infrastructure, and a high degree of inter-institutional competition in tertiary education sector. The business structure in Victoria includes some highly innovative activities such as in biotechnology, but other sectors, especially those with high number of small and medium-sized enterprises, are lagging behind. Most of the larger manufacturing enterprises are externally controlled and there is uncertainty over the long term investments they will make in the state, as well as the place of Victoria in the global production networks

Networks for Science-Informed Innovation in the Arctic: Insights on the Structure and Evolution of a Canadian Research Network

In remote peripheral regions like the Arctic, research networks have been identified as an important mechanism for nurturing science-informed innovation. Given that relatively little is known about the network structures that support Arctic innovation processes, we employ social network analysis techniques to examine the structural organization and evolution of ArcticNet, a large Canadian Arctic scientific research network over a 13-year period (2004 – 17). ArcticNet funded 152 multidisciplinary research teams, connecting multiple types of science-based innovation actors, not including students (301 organizations and 1659 individuals). The research network grew without reaching saturation (increasing size, decreasing density), suggesting that ArcticNet was successful in recruiting new actors over the 13-year period. ArcticNet was centralized around non-local, public-sector actors (mainly Canadian academics). The emergence of collaborations across several boundaries (sectoral, geographic, thematic) suggests that non-local Canadian academic actors played an important boundary-spanning role, particularly in the early stages of the network. Participation by local northern actors doubled from Phase 1 to Phase 4, and with time, local northern actors had an increasing propensity for carrying out boundary-spanning roles and addressing structural holes. This study presents new insights into the networked nature of Arctic scientific research with potential implications for future research and innovation policy.Dans les régions périphériques éloignées comme celle de l’Arctique, les réseaux de recherche constituent un mécanisme important pour encourager l’innovation fondée sur la science. Puisqu’on en sait relativement peu sur les structures de réseau qui soutiennent les processus d’innovation dans l’Arctique, nous recourons à des techniques d’analyse des réseaux sociaux pour examiner l’organisation structurelle et l’évolution d’ArcticNet, vaste réseau de recherche scientifique dans l’Arctique canadien, sur une période de 13 ans (2004–2017). ArcticNet a assuré le financement de 152 équipes de recherche multidisciplinaire, reliant par le fait même plusieurs types d’acteurs de l’innovation fondée sur la science, exception faite des étudiants (301 organisations et 1659 particuliers). Le réseau de recherche a pris de l’ampleur sans devenir saturé (augmentation de la taille, diminution de la densité), ce qui laisse entendre qu’ArcticNet a réussi à recruter de nouveaux acteurs pendant la période de 13 ans. Le réseau ArcticNet était centralisé autour d’acteurs non locaux relevant du secteur public (principalement des universitaires canadiens). L’émergence de collaborations englobant plusieurs facettes (sectorielle, géographique, thématique) suggère que les acteurs universitaires canadiens non locaux ont joué un rôle important en matière de chevauchement des diverses facettes, plus particulièrement durant les premiers stades du réseau. La participation d’acteurs du Nord a doublé de la phase 1 à la phase 4. Au fil du temps, les acteurs locaux du Nord ont eu une propension de plus en plus grande à assumer des rôles chevauchant diverses facettes et à combler les vides structurels. Cette étude présente de nouvelles perspectives de la nature réseautée de la recherche scientifique dans l’Arctique de même que les conséquences éventuelles sur les futures politiques en matière de recherche et d’innovation