| |
Previous Issues
2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
July-August 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009 2008
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
July-August 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008 2007
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
July-August 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007 2006
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
July-August 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006 |
|
| Latest news |
 Top |
|
| |
EU-Commissioner sets out the role of science and research in the economic crisis
Posted: 2009-04-27 | Updated: 2009-05-28
On April 20, Dr. Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for Science and Research paid a visit to UNU-MERIT. He attended the final meeting of his independent advisory body, the ‘Knowledge for Growth’-group, in which several UNU-MERIT-linked researchers participated. At the end of his visit to Maastricht, the EU-Commissioner held a public lecture in which he elaborated on the destructive force but also on the creative opportunities that the global economic crisis brings forward. He linked this to the role of science and research and the importance of ‘green’-innovation to combat the crisis. He also made clear that long term solutions should be preferred and prioritised over short-term fixes. Furthermore, the EU-Commissioner stated that the current crisis should not draw the attention away from global challenges like climate change.
|
|
 |
Progress on twinning with CRES in Senegal
Posted: 2009-04-29 | Updated: 2009-05-01
|
 |
| From left to right: Abdoulaye Diagne, Theo Azomahou, Luc Soete, Mbaye Diene. |
From April 5th until April 12th, Theophile Azomahou and Luc Soete from UNU-MERIT visited Senegal to discuss further with the director and the researchers at the Consortium pour la Recherche Economique et Sociale (CRES)
of the Université Cheik Anta Diop of Dakar, the possibilities for closer collaboration leading ultimately to twinning between the two institutes. The director of CRES, Professor Abdoulaye Diagne, also arranged visits with the Senegalese Minister of Higher Education and the president of Senegal, Mr. Abdoulaye Wade. A first twinning proposal between CRES and UNU-MERIT leading to the eventual creation of a UNU institute in Dakar was discussed. A joint document called “Towards the creation of a UNU institute INDI-DARA” (Institut de l’Université des Nations-Unies à Dakar pour l’Innovation et le Développement Accéléré de la Recherche en Afrique) was prepared for the meeting of the CAMES, the association of francophone Africa higher education ministers, which met in Dakar on April 20. CRES is for UNU-MERIT the perfect partner since it covers similar research interests and it has a very complementary research portfolio. Furthermore, the institute has a strong academic research and independent policy advising reputation and also hosts an important group of young PhD students. The CRES picture gallery collected by Luc Soete, which can be found below, gives a visual overview of the current CRES-staff met during the Dakar visit.
|
|
|
|
Prof. David Kaplan holds third annual Charles Cooper-lecture
Posted: 2009-06-04 | Updated: 2009-06-25
|
 |
| Prof. David Kaplan |
On June 24, Prof. David Kaplan (University of Cape Town) will give the third annual UNU-MERIT public lecture in honour of the founding Director of the UNU-Institute for New Technologies (INTECH), Charles Cooper. Prof. Cooper oversaw the establishment and expansion of the Maastricht-based Institute from its creation in 1990 till 2000. He passed away in 2005. UNU-MERIT was eventually born out of a merger between UNU-INTECH and MERIT. The annual Charles Cooper lecture follows on from the Amilcar Herrera lecture series initiated by Prof. Cooper in 2001. Previous lectures include: Carlotta Perez, Nathan Rosenberg, M.S. Swaminathan, Eugene Skolnikoff, Raphie Kaplinsky and last year Shyama Ramani.
In this year’s lecture Prof. Kaplan, who is a professor in business government relations at the University of Cape Town, will elaborate on past developments of science and technology in South Africa and will assess future government policies on science and technology. Afterwards, a panel of eminent scholars will lead a debate on the topic. The event will take place from 16:00 – 17:30 in UNU-MERIT’s conference room. After the lecture, all attendees are kindly invited for a small drink.
|
|
|
|
Former UNU-rector holds first lecture in new UNU-MERIT conference room
Posted: 2009-04-29
|
 |
| Prof. Hans van Ginkel, speaking at UNU-MERIT |
A lecture by former UNU-rector Prof. Hans van Ginkel, heralded the opening of UNU-MERIT’s brand new conference room on April 14. The new space is larger, better technologically equipped and easier to access than the previous one. Prof. Van Ginkel’s lecture emphasized future problems related to mass-urbanization and the expected problems and deprivation of living standards in new large- and mega-cities. One of the prominent solutions he put forward is the necessity for centralized (state) controlled strategic urban planning combined with the principle of subsidiarity, which should increase the involvement of local civil society movements and private persons in urban planning.
|
|
|
|
| Training & capacity development |
Top |
|
| |
UNU-MERIT hosts DIME-conference on eco-innovations
Posted: 2009-04-29
|
 |
| DIME participants |
From 28 until 30 April, UNU-MERIT organized the DIME – RAL2 on eco-innovations and global sustainable development conference. DIME (Dynamics of Institutions and Markets in Europe) is part of the European Union 6th Framework Network of Excellence. With global policy-action being taken to combat the economic crisis, the theme of the conference addressed the worldwide economic state of affairs in combination with ‘green’-technologies and eco-innovation that function as key parts of the international economic stimulus plans. Special attention was given to developments in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the so-called ‘BRICS’.
|
|
|
|
| Events & networking |
Top |
|
| |
High number of papers submitted for Globelics Dakar 2009
Posted: 2009-04-29
|
 |
| Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal, will open the Globelics Conference in Dakar. |
On April 1st the deadline ended for the submission of papers for the Globelics Dakar 2009 conference. More than 480 papers were submitted from all over the world, making the task of the Globelics scientific committee to select papers a particularly difficult one, since there is only room for some 120 papers. The selected papers will be presented at the three-day conference taking place from 5 until 8 October 2009. At the end of April, all researchers that have submitted papers will be notified whether their paper has been accepted. Up to 300 participants will attend the conference that will take place at the Meridien President hotel in Dakar, Senegal, and will be officially opened by the Senegalese president. The program will be finalized in May.
|
|
|
|
International workshop on the Open Source community and education
Posted: 2009-04-29
The Collaborative Creativity Group of UNU-MERIT research-fellows Dr. Sulayman K. Sowe and Ruediger Glott in cooperation with colleagues from Aristotle University, Greece and the Open University, UK, will organize the 1st International Workshop "D4PL - Designing for participatory learning". The workshop’s theme involves the building of open source success and the breaking of barriers between teachers and learners for today's internet-savvy young people and ways to design and co-construct sites for participatory learning. Content creation, knowledge exchange, open source projects as bazaars of learning, community dynamics and the impact on the boundary between formal and informal education will be the key-topics of this workshop. The workshop is part of the 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems and will take place on June 6 from 10:00 until 18:15 in Skövde, Sweden.
|
|
|
|
| New publications |
Top |
|
| |
UNU-MERIT policy brief: The internationalization of Chinese and Indian firms
Posted: 2009-04-29
Written by Dr. Suma Athreye, senior research-fellow at UNU-MERIT and Dr. Sandeep Kapur. Published by United Nations University Press.
The policy brief draws on ideas that emerged at two UNU-MERIT workshops on “The internationalization of Chinese and Indian firms” in September 2008. The rapid rise in the overseas investments of Indian and Chinese firms has attracted widespread attention in recent years. To a large extent, the growing internationalization of these emerging economies has been driven by a search for resources, technology and related assets. The policy brief deals with questions like: What are the implications of this for foreign direct investment policy in both the source and the recipient countries? Furthermore, how will the ongoing global financial crisis affect the continued expansion of multinationals from the two countries, which have relied on international markets to fund their investments?
|
|
|
|
The Bioeconomy to 2030: Designing a policy agenda
Posted: 2009-04-29
Written by Dr. Anthony Arundel, senior research-fellow at UNU-MERIT and Dr. David Sawaya, published by edited by OECD Publishing.
The Bioeconomy to 2030: Designing a policy agenda begins with an evidence-based technology approach, focusing on biotechnology applications in primary production, health, and industry. It describes the current status of biotechnologies and, using quantitative analyses of data on development pipelines and R&D expenditures from private and public databases, it estimates biotechnological developments to 2015. Moving to a broader institutional view, it also looks at the roles on R&D funding, human resources, intellectual property, and regulation in the bioeconomy, as well as at possible developments that could influence emerging business models. Fictional scenarios to 2030 are included to encourage readers to reflect on the interplay between policy choices and technological advances in shaping the bioeconomy. Finally, the book explores policy options to support the social, environmental and economic benefits of a bioeconomy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
