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Issue 1, April 2012

UNU NEWSLETTER ON INNOVATION & GOVERNANCE

from UNU-MERIT and the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance


WELCOME to our first quarterly newsletter: rounding up the latest news and events from our twin institutes in Maastricht. We explore the push and pull of international development: innovation through science and entrepreneurship, and governance through public policy analysis.



LATEST NEWS
FIELD TRAINING: This March we went to Phuket and trained 50 Thai officials in the 'Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policy' (DEIP). It's the latest in a series of courses, training 800 officials in 15 developing countries since 2004. See our photos and interviews with lecturers and local officials. MASTER RECRUITMENT: At our Spring Open Day we hosted 50 aspiring students, who came to learn more about our Master in Public Policy and Human Development (MPP). See our director, lecturers and graduates give the full story on our YouTube channel. AFGHAN GOVERNANCE: In our latest podcast we spoke to Melissa Siegel, who runs a migration project in Afghanistan. She talked about our work with Afghan Ministries and our survey of 1000 households in the country. Final results are due here in May. UN PARTNERSHIP: This year we joined forces with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. UNIDO sponsors two of our PhD fellows from developing countries, on a special track that includes an internship at their offices in Vienna.



BOOKS & PAPERS
TRANSPORT INNOVATION: Will we see a 'greening' of cars through technology? Or will new policies reduce our dependence on motor vehicles? These are among the questions of Automobility in Transition? a new book co-authored by René Kemp. MOBILIZING AFRICA: Mobile transfers - by text message - are changing lives in developing countries. We spoke with two researchers who wrote a paper on this hot topic, with a focus on Africa. It was among our first Working Papers of 2012. EU INNOVATION: Over in Brussels, Hugo Hollanders joined EU Commissioners Tajani and Geoghegan-Quinn to launch the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2011. Their message to Europe: 'boost innovation to compete globally'. MAA BLOG: Our UNU-Maastricht blog features the 'trials and cogitations' of fellows from both institutes. This year we've explored the rise of fragile states, the future of eco-innovation, and social welfare in Cambodia.



UPCOMING EVENTS
MIGRATE ONLINE: On 4 June, we launch our online migration course. For eight weeks we explore the causes and impacts of migration, and how it's at the heart of development. Designed for practitioners, but also open to students. Apply by 13 May. JOINT SEMINARS: On 21 June, we host John Loughlin from Cambridge University. His seminar theme is 'Territorial Governance and Planning in the new Egypt – from centralized dictatorship to decentralization?' Watch our seminar series here in high definition. RESEARCH TRAINING: Starting 14 September, our course on Research Methods and Skills provides the tools for doing research at the highest of levels. It's particularly relevant to junior researchers and decision-makers in developing countries. Apply by 15 August. INNOVATING DEVELOPMENT: Join us in Cape Town on 21 November? We're co-organizing the 6th Conference on 'Micro Evidence on Innovation in Developing Economies' (MEIDE). The call for papers closes on 1 June.



MEDIA CHANNELS
NEXT QUARTER: We present a BBC-style jargon buster for innovation and development. That's due in early July. In the meantime please keep an eye on our media channels: from short interviews to full lectures to infographics, updated weekly. PODCAST audio channel PREZI visualizations channel SEMINARS video channel Images: Lovebooks42, J.Isaac, S.Thies, A.Graham, M.Osama, S.Vandekerckhove, Aquila.

More news:
I&T Weekly
Innovation and Technology news

Address:
UNU-MERIT / MGSoG
Keizer Karelplein 19
6211 TC Maastricht
The Netherlands
+31 (0)43 388 44 00
info@merit.unu.edu
info-governance@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Websites:
http://www.merit.unu.edu
http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/governance

Questions or remarks about this newsletter?
Email: info@merit.unu.edu

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