CSPC2016

Organized by: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Matthew L. Wallace, Senior Program Officer

The science and innovation landscape in developing countries has changed significantly over the last decade.

More science and innovation is taking place in developing regions, there is an emergence of new agencies to fund science and catalyze innovation and, local, regional, and international collaboration is on the rise.

For example, scientific publications featuring developing country authors are on the rise. Between 1996 and 2012 the share of the world’s articles with African authors almost doubled. Likewise, new research funding agencies are being created across developing countries, in places such as Panama, Nepal, and Botswana. Rapid developments have also taken place in India, Brazil, and newly emergent scientific nations in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North Africa.

These positive trends are captured in the latest Global Innovation Index report, which reports that “innovation-driven growth is no longer the prerogative of high-income countries alone”.

At same time local and global problems that need attention through science and innovation have never been more pronounced, such as Ebola and Zika, or how to provide education for displaced people.

Moreover, scientists are often unable to communicate coherently and offer advice to their governments on how to solve these problems.

Many have pointed to a lack of opportunities for individuals to begin collaborations, or to the need for new, innovative funding schemes to coordinate regional science, for instance.

The need for capacity building and international scientific collaboration has never been greater, nor more helpful. International scientific collaborations also play a significant role in “science diplomacy” by strengthening ties between countries beyond the research arena.

This panel will explore a range of new models for tackling these challenges, from new arrangements for South-South collaboration, to new approaches for regional capacity-building in key scientific organizations. These include:

- Building the capacity of science granting and innovation councils in emerging countries,

- Developing collaborative research chair programs,

- Improving the ability of scientists in developing countries to provide science advice to their governments, and;

- New platforms for building internationally-aware Canadian and developing country scientists.