Human resources management practices and learning for innovation in developing countries: pharmaceutical firms in Mexico

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Fernando Santiago Rodriguez, UNU-MERIT

This doctoral thesis contributes to the literature on human resources management practices and learning for innovation in the context of developing countries. It brings together literature on:
(1) systems of innovation;
(2) human resource management practices and innovation performance at the level of the firm; and,
(3) learning through R&D. The thesis broadly interprets R&D as learning, a mechanism promoting absorptive capacity and supporting technology capability-building.

About the speaker
Fernando Santiago-Rodriguez joined UNU-MERIT as a PhD student in September 2003. Since February 2010 he is based in Ottawa, Canada where he works for Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). As part of the program Innovation, Technology and Society, Fernando is responsible for projects in Northern, Eastern and Southern Africa and the Middle East. Fernando is an economist with experience in economic development, innovation management, pharmaceuticals and energy. He has substantial work experience within the Mexican government, including: the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and Finance and Public Credit, respectively, and at the Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). He holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from UNAM, Mexico and an MSc in Science and Technology Policy from SPRU, University of Sussex, UK. Fernando's research interest include science, technology and innovation (STI) policy, especially the role of STI in growth and development. He has published on subjects including the Mexican government’s policies on science and technology, managing human resources for R&D, and the challenges of conducting clinical trials in Mexico. In his view, STI policy can be better informed by understanding the internal dynamics of the agents undertaking those activities. Accordingly, his PhD thesis explores the contribution of human resources management practices to learning for innovation in the context of developing countries. The study focuses in the case of the Pharmaceutical industry in Mexico.

Venue: Minderbroedersberg 4-6, Maastricht

Date: 21 December 2010

Time: 16:00 - 17:30  CET