Academies call for new global funds to advance science in developing countries
The InterAcademy Council, an organisation bringing together 90 of the world's scientific academies, has called for two new global funds to enhance science and technology capacity in developing countries. The proposal, outlined in the report 'Inventing a better future; a strategy for building worldwide capacities in science and technology', proposes that the new funds are used to fund centres of excellence (around 20 per country or region), and to set up a system of competitive grants. The report starts from the premise that 'The world is changing at a rapid pace, driven by science and technology. [...] Yet the global reality is that many innovations fail to accrue to those who need them most; and the benefits are not all shared equitably around the planet.' 'Our goal in producing this report is to mobilise academies of science, development agencies, and international organisations around the world to support policies to strengthen science and technology for the benefit of all humanity,' said co-chair of the panel responsible for the report, Jacob Palis. Professor Palis added that now is the time to act, as developing countries 'are coming to accept the importance of science and technology, while the international scientific community is becoming convinced that they have something to contribute to the whole world.' Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), has welcomed the report, claiming that the UN wishes to mobilise 'the best scientific minds of our time', and that the international community must now do all that it can to translate the report's recommendations into actions. The report highlights five areas for action in order to enhance scientific capacity in developing countries: strategy; human resources; institutions; the public-private interface and financing. The global funds would address each of these issues. Centres of excellence are described in the report as 'the key to innovation', the importance of which 'cannot be overestimated'. And developing countries would not have to start from scratch in creating such centres - 'the bolstering or reform of a country's most promising existing research and development programs can achieve the desired outcome,' states the report. The InterAcademy Council emphasises the importance of engaging the private sector, but stresses that for this to happen, the public sector should maintain an 'enabling environment'. It is also important to define a framework, claims the report, outlining the public-private interface so that each party is aware of the boundaries as well as areas open to overlap. 'The international community has given inadequate attention to the needs of capacity building in science and technology as the engine that drives knowledge-based development. It is precisely this issue - the need to correct that critical omission - that we address here,' states the report, summarising its objectives.