http://www.merit.unu.edu audio feeds of UNU-MERIT seminars and conferences en-us 2006 Thu, 31 Mar 2006 16:17:00 +0100 noreply@merit.unimaas.nl 1 Anthony Bartzokas, coordinator of the new UNU-MERIT PhD programme on Innovation Studies and Development. Fri, 1 Sep 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Pierre Mohnen is programme leader of UNU-MERIT’s research programme on micro-based evidence research on innovation and technological change. In this podcast, he highlights how the Institute’s work programme is being expanded to compare empirical innovation performance across countries and regions, both in developed, transition and developing economies. Sat, 1 Jul 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Geert Duysters explains how UNU-MERIT’s newest research group is grappling with the contradictions of globalization and taking a fresh look at the role of multinationals, foreign direct investment and innovation strategies in developing countries. Sat, 1 Jul 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Lynn Mytelka, coordinator of the UNU-MERIT Hydrogen Fuel Cell project highlights the progress made so far in Hydrogen Fuel Cell research and analyses the prospects for developing countries that have already started to plan for hydrogen. Fri, 2 Jun 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Claire Nauwelaers , Theme Coordinator, Governance of science, technology and innovation, talks to Wangu Mwangi about how the programme is making links between research and policymaking in this area. Fri, 2 Jun 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Robin Cowan, head of the UNU-MERIT PhD Programme in the Economics and Policy Studies of Technical Change provides an overview of the programme in an interview with Ezequiel Tacsir. Fri, 2 Jun 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Discussions following the presentation by Orobola Fasehun (WIPO) at the UNU-MERIT Research Symposium, New York, 13 April 2006 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 A WIPO representative, Orobola Fasehun argued that the debate on IPRs and access to knowledge is based on a misunderstanding of the patent system. He emphasized that what is needed is to provide sufficient flexibility, particularly for developing countries, and mentioned ways in which WIPO is building the capacity of developing countries to make the most out of their knowledge resources. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Discussions following the presentation by Tim Hubbard (of Human Genome Analysis, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Cambridge, UK) at the UNU-MERIT Research Symposium, New York, 13 April 2006 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 "Open Source, the Human Genome Project and Access to Medicines". Noting that where innovation means the difference between life and death, "society has a moral obligation to ensure the widest possible access," Tim Hubbard focused on recent developments in the field of medical research. One can now speak of a level playing field being created in certain sectors, he said, citing the multiplication of open access resources such as the Public Library of Science (PLoS). To secure this and ensure that all users have equal access, he identified three key facilitating roles that governments and public organizations can play: ( i ) providing high speed internet access to lower the costs of accessing data; (ii) investing more in standardization and management of available data (better databases); and (iii) establishing national centres of excellence for scientific research. He elaborated on a number of alternative proposals to fund health research and development that aim to spur innovation and lower the cost of essential medicines by de-linking innovation rewards (patents) from future sales of technology products. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Discussions following the presentation by Louis-Dominique Ouedraogo (Retiring Inspector, UN Joint Inspection Unit) at the UNU-MERIT Research Symposium, New York, 13 April 2006 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 "A Case for Open Standards and Open Source in the UN System". Louis Dominique Ouedraogo, a former UN Inspector, and author of a two-part UN Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) review on the Policies of United Nations System Organizations Towards the Use of Open Source Software, focused on strategies to promote access to information as a fundamental basic human right. The JIU review calls on the UN Secretariat and Agencies to agree on a UN Interoperability Framework (UNIF) to ensure that "...no Member State or other stakeholder should be obliged to acquire a particular type of software in order to exercise their right to access public information made available in electronic format by the organizations.” However the task ahead is formidable given the relatively low priority given to this issue, and the considerable resources needed to standardize the huge backlog of documents currently available in multiple formats. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Discussions following the presentation by Tadao Takahashi (Principal Investigator, Project Foresight ICTs-2015, Center for Strategic Studies, Brazil) at the UNU-MERIT Research Symposium, New York, 13 April 2006 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 "The Use of Open Source for Poverty Reduction in Brazil". Presenting Brazil 's experience in the use of information and communication technologies for poverty reduction, Tadao Takahashi highlighted a number of government open source initiatives, including financial incentives for local computer producers to build in open source operating software, and the use of open source in the country's 30,000 public telecentres . However he also sounded a note of caution, saying that the scale of adoption is still too small to yield major economic benefits. "Although it is a training game, it is also a market game," he noted, "... it is useless for children to learn to use linux if there is no matching demand by employers." He identified several unresolved issues that need to be addressed including the lack of a proven business model, licensing, and the lack of 'flagship applications' to accelerate the uptake of the technology amongst the general public. He also pointed out that to address the needs of the poorest users – whose priority is telephone access – there is need to focus on improving VOIP services and mobile phone convergence. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 "New evidence on Open Standards and Open Source Software: Why they Matter for Economic Development". Rishab Aiyer Ghosh started off the discussions with an overview of common misconceptions in the debate. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are often viewed as being essential for innovation and economic growth, he noted, while in reality, there is need to achieve a balance between "... protecting existing creations (which IPRs support), and enabling future creations (which IPRs can hinder)." He stressed that IPRs are not moral rights but economic rights – "temporary monopolies" granted by the state with specific economic aims. He presented the results of several recent studies in Europe and globally that have identified three main economic benefits of using open source software – low costs, skills development (including both technical and management skills), and increased employment opportunities and for local service providers. Going by the empirical evidence, therefore, the current trend towards extending protection for patent holders is inhibiting innovation and access, he said. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Tim Hubbard, Head of Human Genome Analysis at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK , was one of the speakers at the UNU-MERIT research symposium on "Open Source" and "Open Medicine" at UN Headquarters, New York, on 13 April 2006 . He talks to Philipp Schmidt about a bold new proposal being discussed at the World Health Organization to promote research into neglected diseases and enhance access to medicines for the world's poorest populations. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 In our continuing series focusing on research and policy analysis at UNU-MERIT, Anthony Arundel, programme leader Knowledge and Industrial Dynamics analyses some conceptual challenges that underlie the measurement of knowledge flows and innovation in a changing global context, and highlights new analytical tools how the Institute's research programme is breaking new ground in dealing with these problems. Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Gordon Smith and Ramesh Thakur assess the outcome of the March 8 Conference that discussed a possible S&T Agenda for the "Leaders at the Global Level" (L20) Project. Wed, 8 Mar 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Kicking off our new podcast series, which will feature interviews with researchers, policymakers and experts in science, technology and innovation, UNU-MERIT director Luc Soete shares his vision for the future of the Institute. Tue, 4 Feb 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Presentation by Giovanni Dosi, University of Pisa, at the Inaugural mini-conference held in honour of Keith Pavitt on January 26, 2006. Abstract: This paper discusses, first, the properties of scientific and technological knowledge and the institutions supporting its generation and its economic applications. The evidence continues to support the broad interpretation which we call the 'Stanford-Yale-Sussex' synthesis. Second, such patterns bear important implications with respect to the so-called 'European Paradox', i.e. the conjecture that EU countries play a leading global role in terms of top-level scientific output, but lag behind in the ability of converting this strength into wealth-generating innovations. Some descriptive evidence shows that, contrary to the 'paradox' conjecture, European weaknesses reside both in its system of scientific research and in a relatively weak industry. The final part of the work suggests a few normative implications: much less emphasis should be put on various types of 'networking' and much more on policy measures aimed to both strengthen frontier research and strengthen European corporate actors. Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Presentation by Luc Soete, UNU-MERIT, at the Inaugural mini-conference held in honour of Keith Pavitt on January 26, 2006. Abstract: During the 1980s and 1990s "Active labour" market reforms opened up labour markets in Europe, making them more flexible without putting in jeopardy the essence of the social security protection model. Countries that went furthest in such "active labour" market reforms such as the UK, the Scandinavian countries, and the Netherlands witnessed not just reductions in unemployment, but also impressive increases in employment participation rates, particularly among underrepresented groups in the labour market. The challenge today appears more or less similar, but this time with respect to knowledge. Interestingly, it is those EU Member States that have succeeded most in "activating" their labour markets and developing better functioning social welfare models that have performed best in terms of knowledge investments. This suggests, that success in boosting knowledge investment generates the public resources for the development of social welfare models capable of addressing rapid change, and in particular the global changes of the 21st Century. Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Presentation by Bart Verspagen, University of Maastricht, at the Inaugural mini-conference held in honour of Keith Pavitt on January 26, 2006. Abstract: This paper explores the channels for knowledge transfer between university and industry. We perform a case study of the faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands), aimed at gaining insight in the relative frequency and perceived importance of different channels of knowledge transfer. The empirical material is based on a survey among university faculty. We use factor analysis and cluster analysis to arrive at a taxonomy of the knowledge transfer channels. The taxonomy distinguishes three types of respondents, and we employ regression analysis to relate the types to respondents characteristics. Our main finding is that part-timers (staff that holds both an appointment in industry and university) and respondents with 'traditional academic values' form special types of 'knowledge transferors'. Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:00:00 +0100 Discussion at the Inaugural mini-conference held in honour of Keith Pavitt on January 26, 2006. Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:00:00 +0100