The seminar was organized by Prof. José Manoel Carvalho de Mello, Adviser for Innovation Policies to the rector of Fluminense Federal University; Researcher from the Nuclei of Studies in Knowledge, Innovation and Work, Fluminense Federal University. The seminar took place on the 6th November 2007, in the School of Engineering , Fluminense Federal University Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (more…)

Joint workshop: ”How can Nordic Countries Support Higher Education and Research in Africa? An Initiative by Nordic Academic Institutions”

As the general issue of the extension or ”third mission” of universities is widely discussed in the Scandinavian countries, it was decided instead to do a workshop together with African partners on the above theme. The workshop gathered over 30 researchers and representatives from the donor community from the Nordic countries as well as from Africa. Participating countries included Denmark, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania & Uganda. The workshop addressed issues related to how Nordic universities can become more active partners in the development of HER in Africa.
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Meeting at the Latvian Academy of Sciences on the evolving role of academic institutions in Latvia

The UniDev Latvian team took part in the organisation of a regular meeting of the Latvian Academy of Sciences entitled “The evolving role of academic institutions in Latvia: challenges and perspectives” which was held on 14 December 2006 in Riga, Latvia. Presentations were given by representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science, the University of Latvia, the Transport and Telecommunication Institute and the Latvian Academy of Sciences. They were followed by a general discussion with contribution made by several invited discussants. The meeting altogether was attended by around 40 people representing high-level personnel both from the public authorities and the academic community (academy, research institutes, higher education establishments). (more…)

Universities and Development: Third Role and Social Inclusion

Montevideo, Uruguay, 23 November, 2006-12-20

1.- Framework

This workshop was conceived as an opportunity to present the results of the case study “Universidad de la República”, which followed the guidelines of the UniDev project, and to share the first results of an exploration of the direct linkages between academic research and social inclusion.
Which should be the “third role” of universities, moreover, of public universities? This is a controversial question, not only in the developing world. On the one hand, we have the controversy around the “new” third role of universities: should it be committed to economic development or to development tout court? On the other hand, we have the controversy, mainly present in Latin American public universities, around the “classical” third role: how should extension, born as the third mission in the early XX Century, be conceived today? How should the notion of solidarity be understood nowadays, in the knowledge society, from a university perspective? (more…)

The regional workshop in Germany was held on June 27, 2006, in Bonn with stake-holders from 9 different organisations active in economic co-operation with and support of developing countries. The aim of the workshop was to increase the awareness of the organisations with regard to the specific role of universities in developing countries. The workshop was introduced by two presentations on the chances and limitations of knowledge-based strategies in developing countries. The following discussion showed that the attendants saw an increasing relevance of universities in developing countries and agreed on the need of a more pronounced support. An inventory of the existing instruments revealed that at present, the most effective instrument is the support of students and researchers from developing countries working in German research insti-tutions, in particular in universities. Furthermore new possibilities exist to support re-search projects in developing countries on-site. The attendants considered this ap-proach as very promising and see the necessity of a stronger focus on this type of sup-port. A substantial problem is still the general support of institutions in developing coun-tries without a link to specific research projects. This requires a reorientation of the pol-icy of German support institutions, on the one hand, but also a clear request from the site of the partner countries, on the other hand. Furthermore, the workshop showed a good potential of an improved co-ordination of the different German organisation en-gaged in the co-operation with developing countries in the field of research activities.

During the last two years the Cuban UniDev team has been organizing some National Workshops at the University of Havana, all of them with the support of UniDev Project.

The first National Workshop was held on 1- 4 February, 2005. More than sixty researchers and professors from universities of the whole country were invited to the workshop to present their contributions about the present situation of the Cuban System of Science and Technological Innovation and the role of Universities. The participants visited one of the most important Biotechnological Research Centre and the the newest Cuban University, the Informatics Science University. In the workshop also participated ten researchers from other countries Brazil (3), Sweden (3), Mexico (2) and Uruguay (2).
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A daylong national workshop on Developing Universities was held on November 30, 2005. More than ten experts from academia, policy bodies as well as industry and private sector participated. The theme of the workshop was “The Evolving Role of Universities in the National System of Innovation of China.”

The core issues addressed in the workshop were: the history of Chinese universities, the role universities play in the national system of innovation of China today, what challenges and opportunities Chinese education system face, and how innovation policy can stimulate the university to be more proactive as knowledge-producer, incubator and networker and can enforce the linkage and cooperation between universities, research institutes and industry.
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The Brazilian UniDev team organized a national workshop in Rio De Janeiro on 15-16 May 2006. Over 30 Brazilian researchers and other stakeholders from various parts of Brazil were invited to the workshop. Most of the participants are stakeholders in the ongoing discourse on the changing role of Brazilian universities. Many are involved in research on different aspects of the university, such as its linkages to industry and its developmental role. Funding agencies such as FINEP also took part in the workshop. There were also representatives of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Government representatives.

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At our meeting in Havana in February it was decided that the Mid Term Workshop will be held in Vietnam. The date for this workshop has been changed to the second part of January next year (instead of the end of November -05, as originally suggested). The meeting will take place during 8-10 days in the end of January (exact date will be decided later). The preliminary agenda looks as follows:

- UniDev workshop in Hanoi (3-4 days) for presentation and discussion on drafts of Third Mission Case Studies,
- Cultural visits in the Danang-Hué area (week end),
- Joint session with the RoKS network in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon (2-3 days).

The Vietnamese team organized the national workshop on the role of academic institutions (R&D institutes and universities) in national system of innovation on December 1, 2005. About 70 people attended, coming from National Council for S&T policy (NCSTP) under the PM, several ministries (S&T, Education and Training, Industry, Agriculture and Rural development, Planning and Investment, etc.) and universities and R&D institutes. Also the private sector was represented in form of companies mainly from Hanoi but also from HCMC and other regions. Participating journalists were present to secure media coverage.

Lessons Learned

The workshop concept was positively accepted by the audience, however some suggested future adjustment of the presentations in order to be more applicable in Vietnam. Thus, the lesson to draw from the Vietnamese workshop, is to focus less on the theoretical framework, and in stead pay more attention to the practical side of the issue, including case studies and evidences from the specific national context.

Please see more information and programme below.

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