tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67153933348310797662024-02-19T10:57:24.548+00:00Innogen Insider:: a blog from the Innogen Institute ::Innogen Institutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02856125198025490059noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-11162063935692673732017-03-21T16:45:00.001+00:002017-03-22T11:09:34.732+00:00Growth with Apology: The Despondency in the African Rising Narrativeby <b><a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Fredrick%20Ajwang%20%28Student%29">Fredrick Ajwang</a></b><br />
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Is Africa really on the rise, or rather was it really rising? A couple of years ago, to be precise in December 2011, The Economist Magazine published an issue based on the idea that Africa was on the rise. From henceforth the narrative of Africa rising became popular in academia and policy circles primed on the impressive growth data from the continent. In a real sense the data was good; Africa had six of ten fastest growing economies in the world then with some like Angola and Ethiopia hitting double digits figures. A 2010 Mckinsey Global Institute report stated that Africa’s average real GDP rose by 4.9% annually from 2000 to 2008 more than twice the pace in 1980s and 90s. With over five years since The Economist publication of the continent on the move, what are the implications of the growth for African populace or was it just a mirage raising the hopes of the African citizens that better times were around the corner?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Through this period, I have frequently shuttled in and out of Africa and the breaks in between have given me the opportunity to analyse the continent from within and from a distance. What is clear is that much is changing in the continent in terms of infrastructure development, the marginal expansion of a small middle class and great accumulation of wealth by a few elites but beyond that not much is changing. Governance mechanisms are still bad in most African countries although some have made positive strides, institutions are being tested over and over again and cracking, elections are being rigged and incumbents are refusing to go while the peace that was previously prevailing in Africa was much more of a taste than the real thing. And then the old issue of extreme poverty is still disturbingly there, much as everyone would wish it goes away. While each African county is following its own growth path, A 2016 World Bank report, with an oxymoron title ‘Poverty in A Rising Africa’ stated that while poverty in Africa may be lower, there are more poor people today in Africa than in 1990, two in five adult Africans are still illiterate and violence is on the rise.<br />
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Seemingly alarmed by the lack of progress in Africa, The Economist Magazine penned an article last year in frustration wondering why poverty levels have not fallen in Africa despite the growth, and their conclusion; previously poverty in Africa was so extreme and so the growth occurring was simply pushing most from below the poverty line to just at the poverty line! And therein lays the growth paradox within the Africa rising narrative, where did the growth go? This is a difficult question to answer but a look at the 2010 Mckinsey Global Institute report reveals that a third of Africa’s growth was primed on resource extraction and the other two thirds from service sectors such as wholesale and retail, sectors which traditionally are not associated with job creation. And then there is the issue of infrastructural debt financing that has further pushed most African countries back to 1990s before the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative by the Word Bank and IMF. A 2015 Bank of Ghana report revealed that the country had crossed the 70% debt threshold; a ratio classified by the World Bank as the mark in which a country crosses into HIPC category.<br />
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Therefore a combination of factors such as reliance of resource driven growth, insatiable appetite for debt financing from China and minimal expansion of labour intensive sectors that ultimately is fundamental to poverty reduction has meant that there was/is no real time reduction of extreme poverty in Africa. And thus the question of quality of growth arises. I might argue that quality of growth should be related to who benefits. If the benefit accruing from growth is significantly accrued to a few, in most cases owners of capital, while the majority poor are left at the margins, then the quality of growth can be said to be very low if not negative. After all what is growth if it cannot be related to vertical incremental change towards a positive end for the citizens, such that we can step back and witness expansion of middle class in a certain country related to economic growth. Any horizontal increment then it is not growth but rather an expansion/ballooning of what is already there.<br />
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And thus, Africa was not really growing but expanding or in some cases it was merely a revitalization of sectors that had previously collapsed due to previous bad economic management. Therefore the narrative should never have been about Africa Rising, but rather on the Africa growth paradox. Having been in Kenya for the last 7 months I have seen shiny sky scrapers piercing the African sky, new railway lines being constructed and the rise and growth of luxury consumption driven by the mall culture that only a few can afford. At the same time I have seen breakdown in health care services, workers being laid off, citizens dying from famines and importantly traversing the country during fieldwork, I have witnessed extreme poverty. I believe we should never have raised Africans hope of better times ahead for now there is so much despondency in the populace. For in absolute terms, according to the earlier mentioned World Bank report, people are getting poorer in Africa because the population continues to grow with the number of people living in extreme poverty increasing by more than 100 million by 2016. And now alas, we development experts owe Africans an apology for first raising their hopes and then failing to create inclusive growth.<br />
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Fredrick Ajwang is a Doctoral student in Development Policy at Open University and his research is focused on the governance of vegetable and fruits export sector in Kenya<br />
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Innogen Institutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02856125198025490059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-43058161757057657182016-07-07T11:43:00.003+01:002016-07-07T11:45:27.115+01:00Dolly was an icon – but of what?By <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Ann%20Bruce" target="_blank">Ann Bruce</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6Q0I6N7WU3gXl-K8LygcpCqH9gcpWTY9FV33r1V1V8Er_1ufnNUo9ODAJn92_0uOh2dh3kt4wf5WGYe8a39jQrvzFpWzVN_3hVVLrJ4VMRv6a0A3WmAhReTv0Ys0f84rU5GkVr28FYA/s1600/Wilmut+and+Dolly+11+%255BDavid+Cheskin%255D-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6Q0I6N7WU3gXl-K8LygcpCqH9gcpWTY9FV33r1V1V8Er_1ufnNUo9ODAJn92_0uOh2dh3kt4wf5WGYe8a39jQrvzFpWzVN_3hVVLrJ4VMRv6a0A3WmAhReTv0Ys0f84rU5GkVr28FYA/s320/Wilmut+and+Dolly+11+%255BDavid+Cheskin%255D-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: David Cheskin</td></tr>
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When Dolly’s existence, and more particularly, her heritage became public knowledge, the world’s media and soon its politicians too, became mesmerised and shocked by the prospect of cloning humans. You cannot change the laws of physics, but it just looked like the laws of biology had been broken.<br />
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I first met Dolly when taking some journalists around to see her at Roslin Institute. If normally only a shepherd can tell one sheep from another, then Dolly was an exception to the rule, as she quickly made herself known and came over to claim the attention she was used to. She wasn’t just a sheep like any other. Dolly truly did re-write the laws of biology, although as is so often the case in science, there were a lot of giants on whose shoulders the scientists working on Dolly were standing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>While cloning as a technique hasn’t been widely adopted in agricultural practice and the original research purpose of ‘team Dolly’ of making genetically modified animals has been mostly overtaken by newer techniques, Dolly has brought in a new understanding of biology. The near contemporaneous discovery of human embryonic stem cells, and its later developments, have taken this biological understanding in new directions, some emergent and some of them yet to be discovered.
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Dolly still stands as an icon. Perhaps for some as irresponsible science, for others as a symbol of UK or Scottish scientific excellence, and or yet others, the start of something new and hope for the future. There is room for more than one perspective.
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If you'd like a learn more about Dolly the Sheep, be sure to read <a href="http://www.stis.ed.ac.uk/people/academic_staff/dmitriy_myelnikov" target="_blank">Dmitriy Myelnikov</a>'s post in <i>The Guardian</i>: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/the-h-word/2016/jul/05/dolly-clone-celebrity-sheep-short-biography" target="_blank">Dolly the celebrity sheep: a short biography</a>Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-87094121161566929422015-10-29T14:38:00.001+00:002015-11-03T11:46:24.110+00:00Innogen and IKD@OU at the 13th Globelics International Conference, 23rd – 25th September 2015: Havana, CubaBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/David%20Wield" target="_blank">David Wield</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNS4TrtvubP0vyZqzP-MkJxfiUnpJ1u4Tsv1-Hluq0PCmxEjGjw6czAa0v7K3kNl-6t5CQCEuk_SFXw5U059CEA4S9gXKxhF6dZ_kh9izKVpwCGn89dBNGiokQdD_3YB8QbNm24sYDLw/s1600/13th+Globelics+International+Conference.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNS4TrtvubP0vyZqzP-MkJxfiUnpJ1u4Tsv1-Hluq0PCmxEjGjw6czAa0v7K3kNl-6t5CQCEuk_SFXw5U059CEA4S9gXKxhF6dZ_kh9izKVpwCGn89dBNGiokQdD_3YB8QbNm24sYDLw/s320/13th+Globelics+International+Conference.png" /></a></div>
300 researchers from more than 40 countries attended the 13th Globelics International Conference to share findings on innovation, economic development and social inclusion in developing countries. There was a large Innogen contingent and the theme, <a href="http://2015.globelics.org/"><i>Innovation to Reduce Poverty and Inequalities for Inclusive and Sustainable Development</i></a>, was ideally suited to our world-class research into the interconnections between industrial innovation and health.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The conference, held in Havana, was jointly organised by the Cuban government and the scientific network Globelics, which focuses on innovation and knowledge-building systems for socio-economic development. There was a strong emphasis on challenges and opportunities within the health sector, with outstanding inputs from Cuban scientists and health specialists. Innogen members <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Dinar%20Kale">Dinar Kale</a>, <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Andrew%20Watkins">Andrew Watkins</a>, <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Theo%20Papaioannou">Theo Papaioannou</a> and <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Julius%20Mugwagwa">Julius Mugwagwa</a> also presented their paper <a href="http://oro.open.ac.uk/44534/"><i>Why Industry Associations Matter in Development of Healthcare Industries in Emerging Countries? Evidence from Indian Biotechnology and Medical Device Industries</i></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3tAIucPzD1TJOhLr15mCAY7OQ-LXFnOWaoL8saSPwtBjttX_cNtbMwh5Y9Gl8184-pLawH9uRNCXIPOI5YmhmbjeEYV7usFfPGYZK7BOk1N57YMKJ4DNP-TFw6zcb7EJYRytjZzEoMU/s1600/Havana+International+Conference+Center.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3tAIucPzD1TJOhLr15mCAY7OQ-LXFnOWaoL8saSPwtBjttX_cNtbMwh5Y9Gl8184-pLawH9uRNCXIPOI5YmhmbjeEYV7usFfPGYZK7BOk1N57YMKJ4DNP-TFw6zcb7EJYRytjZzEoMU/s320/Havana+International+Conference+Center.png" /></a></div>
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<i>The Havana International Conference Center</i></div>
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At a special session to inform the next Globelics Thematic Review (GTR) on <i>Health Systems Strengthening: Lessons from Innovation Studies</i>, Innogen Co-Director <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Maureen%20Mackintosh">Maureen Mackintosh</a> presented <i>Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals in Africa: Innovation and Health System Strengthening</i>. All the panellists, including Innogen Associate Professor <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Smita%20Srinivas%2C%20PhD">Smita Srinivas</a>, spoke about the GTR draft findings and provocations, and their presentations and the resulting Q&A session will be used to complete the final document ready for publication in early 2016.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0VPR_pMU6hRcoc87bbKMemlLNWp3yxEa4CRWFRVSvJXdgkXNg3VQLcB7D3LifP50GiW1tXV1mtRE06aGo1pT-QLkE6qVnOhF5od1ZzPqBFwIe6NUZhd72WgdWZQuoTOsdIkWNSAgWJw/s1600/Innogen+%2526+IKD+at+13th+Globelics+Conference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0VPR_pMU6hRcoc87bbKMemlLNWp3yxEa4CRWFRVSvJXdgkXNg3VQLcB7D3LifP50GiW1tXV1mtRE06aGo1pT-QLkE6qVnOhF5od1ZzPqBFwIe6NUZhd72WgdWZQuoTOsdIkWNSAgWJw/s320/Innogen+%2526+IKD+at+13th+Globelics+Conference.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>IKD and Innogen at the 13th Globelics Conference</i>
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Other Innogen members who took part include <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Rebecca%20Hanlin">Rebecca Hanlin</a> (who will co-draft the 2015 theme report, <i>Health Systems Strengthening: Innovation Studies Perspectives</i>), <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Joanna%20Chataway">Jo Chataway</a> and <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Geoff%20Banda">Geoffrey Banda</a>. <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/David%20Wield">David Wield</a>, who presented his paper <i>Biotechnology, Bioeconomy and the Global Economy</i> (presentation available <a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/conference-papers/1119">here</a>) at a special session on biotechnology in Cuba, commented: ‘It was a great privilege to present alongside the founders of the huge Cuban health biotechnology sector, where fundamental research is most effectively integrated with public health objectives and global health needs.’<br />
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Read more about the Globelics Conference, including the full programme, <a href="http://2015.globelics.org/">here</a>.Innogen Institutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02856125198025490059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-63741306546677492142015-07-09T10:47:00.002+01:002015-07-09T10:47:55.081+01:00OU DPP Guest Blog: Pharmaceutical Standards - A Challenging Balancing ActBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Dinar%20Kale" target="_blank">Dr Dinar Kale</a><br />
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Drawing on a pilot study carried out in India, Kenya and South Africa with funding from IKD, a new policy brief from Innogen,<i><a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/downloads/OU-Policy-Brief-3.pdf" target="_blank"> Standards and Their Role in Pharmaceutical Upgrading in Low- and Middle-Income Countries</a></i>, reveals that pharmaceutical standards have emerged as an undesirable barrier to market entry for firms based in African countries, which in turn impacts on development, health delivery and access to medicines. The financial cost and technical knowledge associated with complying with technology standards remains a significant challenge for developing country firms looking to upgrade their manufacturing facilities. This has created a major policy challenge for policy makers and regulators around the world, who want to facilitate the development of standards that will ensure safe, effective and quality products without their acting as barriers to development of local industries in African countries. <br />
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<a href="http://dpp.open.ac.uk/blog/pharmaceutical-standards-challenging-balancing-act" target="_blank">Read the whole post on the DPP blog</a><br />
Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-64745026384270008162014-12-04T15:30:00.002+00:002015-10-22T13:16:45.853+01:00Innogen and IKD@OU at the 12th Globelics International Conference: Addis Ababa, EthiopiaBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Geoff%20Banda" target="_blank">Geoffrey Banda</a><br />
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From the 29th to the 31th of October 2014, the African Union Centre in Addis Ababa was the venue for the 12th Globelics International Conference. The conference ran under the theme, Partnerships for innovation-based development.<br />
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At the Globelics International Conference, Innogen and the Innovation, Knowledge and Development Research Centre at the Open University (IKD@OU) hosted a special session on <i>Innovating for Local Health: Addressing Local Needs in a Globalised Context</i>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Organised by Julius Mugwagwa, the panel explored the scope for sharing local perspectives on local health systems, within the current globalised policy and funding context. The logic of the special session was premised on new thoughts being developed within Innogen/IKD.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The African Union Complex in Addis Ababa</td></tr>
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Our research acknowledges that local health needs of developing and developed countries are multifaceted and dynamic, but presents complexities for local actors in defining and addressing local needs within the highly structured context of 'global health'. The panel argued that Global health policies and practices tend to be top-down and aggregate initiatives, which can obscure the varying patterns of local health needs and local health sector environments. Our thinking identifies Global health initiatives as focusing disease of global significance. However, local actors bring to health policies their own local perspectives on local needs, and scope for addressing local priorities. These can both be supported by, and be in conflict with, the local impact of global programmes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpBTLtNHMTtP1noCJnv7hf4Y5ZarpQkXZPvVD8ttwK991VVLz4ijT54gjYUKdp7R933FsIP1x7pNLTGpCMN4s12u4CR2rGJFc7G2KfSAX4heWRU8f-owW6HNtFItKabb-7IsKNeD9l1w/s1600/globelics+panel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpBTLtNHMTtP1noCJnv7hf4Y5ZarpQkXZPvVD8ttwK991VVLz4ijT54gjYUKdp7R933FsIP1x7pNLTGpCMN4s12u4CR2rGJFc7G2KfSAX4heWRU8f-owW6HNtFItKabb-7IsKNeD9l1w/s1600/globelics+panel.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panellists left to right: Dinar Kale (OU), Geoffrey Banda (Edinburgh), Maureen Mackintosh (OU) - Chairperson, and Samuel Wangwe (REPOA)</td></tr>
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Chaired by Maureen Mackintosh, four papers were presented to a participative audience on the 29th of October 2014. The presenters were drawn from the Open University, Edinburgh University and REPOA in Tanzania and covered the following topics:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Enhancing industrial productivity, health sector performance and policy synergies for local health in Kenya and Tanzania</i>: Samuel Wangwe, REPOA, Tanzania</li>
<li><i>Refracting global health innovations into local contexts: who decides and how?</i>: Julius Mugwagwa, The Open University</li>
<li><i>Local pharmaceutical production for stronger local health systems: fact or myth?</i>: Geoffrey Banda, Edinburgh University</li>
<li><i>How can local medical device industries play a bigger role in local public health?</i>: Dinar Kale, The Open University</li>
</ul>
Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-45263829926283429452014-10-10T15:54:00.005+01:002014-10-10T15:55:39.965+01:00The poor and their health needs: hard-to-reach, still?By <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Julius%20Mugwagwa" target="_blank">Julius Mugwagwa</a><br />
<br />
In early September, I attended a three-day Zimbabwe all stakeholder conference on health in Victoria Falls, as part of the ‘innovative spending in health’ project. This event revealed, among other challenges, that just over 10% of Zimbabwe’s 15 million population has medical aid cover. This means that the majority of the country’s urban and rural poor, and those in farming and other remote communities, cannot access private or specialist healthcare unless they can pay for the service out-of-pocket.<br />
<br />
One of the reasons why such a big proportion of the population is not covered is that the country’s economy is now dominated by an informal employment sector, one that poses challenges to businesses in the medical insurance trade on how to collect monthly premiums from would-be clients. Current medical insurance business models are suited for the formal employment sector, where people are employed in registered companies and have predictable incomes that are dispensed through banks. It is important to note, however, that the country’s 33 medical aid providers have not been found wanting with respect to the innovative packages that they provide – from individual and family packages, packages that allow access to different categories of health facilities, to medical insurance schemes that also encompass funeral cover.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Intense competition between the players has necessitated these various forms of service innovation. However, the innovations have not led to an increase in the numbers and geographical spread of people under medical aid cover. Further reasons, apart from the formal-sector bias, include the following:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Innovating to survive – indeed, innovation has always been about business survival and staving off competition, but in an environment where the proportion of the population able to pay for services is decreasing rapidly, and where operational and regulatory uncertainty are increasing, the focus on survival becomes the rule rather than the exception. </li>
<li>Fallacy of composition – there is competition between the various players, as much as they are in the business to provide a service. This increases and makes it justifiable to focus on the population that can pay.</li>
<li>Innovation incentives – the supposedly limited economic value from covering the low-income populations serves as a disincentive for business. Government presently acknowledges the need for more players in this sector to augment the services it provides, but they are running short of viable and innovative incentives to encourage investors to enter this segment, which the government has in the past ably covered with the help of mission hospitals and other civil society actors.</li>
</ul>
However, getting players to spread out is only part of the challenge. Ensuring ethical and fair play in the field, including that there be complementation and not displacement of one by the other would be key in guaranteeing that the reshaped health provision space is stronger, more accessible and more equitable. This raises the bar for the already-constrained regulators, leaving the patients waiting and hard to reach, still. But, how did they stray or stay out of reach in the first place?Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-42135647521148366872014-07-10T16:15:00.000+01:002014-07-10T16:18:24.102+01:00Foresighting Trajectories for Advanced Innovative Technologies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIJNRxuke2hM4g2_DQXSmrNCOGdHp4ICP_vql1Nf46LN1TRwJ7D_WrbpHvyxNJoSVV74cMnD8rNhIQxBYdL11wJs2AhoNSjLn_hF-bhN6nRKczpMi7Dq_pM27jyHxCFLK3xBtbfk7ZII/s1600/iStock_000012834227Large+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIJNRxuke2hM4g2_DQXSmrNCOGdHp4ICP_vql1Nf46LN1TRwJ7D_WrbpHvyxNJoSVV74cMnD8rNhIQxBYdL11wJs2AhoNSjLn_hF-bhN6nRKczpMi7Dq_pM27jyHxCFLK3xBtbfk7ZII/s1600/iStock_000012834227Large+2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>There is a renewed determination in the UK to ensure that we capitalise on the excellence of our scientific research and capture the economic and societal benefits from the basic research that we fund. Many important initiatives from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), in collaboration with the Research Councils UK, are designed to support the translation from basic science to practical outcomes, encouraging public and private bodies to work together to facilitate innovation processes.<br />
<br />
These investments are leading to an innovation environment that may be better today than it has been in<br />
living memory.
In order to capture this potential, however, we need a radically new approach to innovation support from the social sciences, to help businesses navigate the many uncertainties along the way from basic science to practical impact. This should build on a better understanding of the multiplicity of factors – technological, regulatory and societal – that determine not just which innovations reach a marketplace, but also the innovative capacity and competitive advantage of industry sectors, regions and countries.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The Innogen Institute bases its research and advisory work on a framework that captures the important aspirations, opportunities and pathways to impact for advanced innovative technology sectors – and adds to that an integrative analysis of interactions between innovators, policymakers and stakeholders. This allows us to foresight more effectively the future outcomes of specific policies, regulatory initiatives, innovation support mechanisms and investment decisions, as well as to identify gaps in the capacity of policymakers, regulators, funders and other important actors to be responsive to the rapid pace of innovation.<br />
<br />
At the recent National Science and Innovation Conference: Achieving Scientific Excellence and Economic Growth, Innogen presented a plenary session on “Foresighting Trajectories for Advanced Innovative Technologies,” which explored Innogen’s approach to the analysis of innovation generation, focusing on where our ideas are having most traction in innovation and policy communities. Joyce Tait discussed foresighting future value chains, Joanna Chataway explored public private partnerships with a particular emphasis on Structural Genomics Consortium, and Michele Mastroeni concluded with a presentation on mission-oriented research.<br />
<br />
Read the <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/workshops/888" target="_blank"><i>Foresighting Trajectories for Advanced Innovative Technologies</i> </a>briefing<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/36705679" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="427"> </iframe><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px;">
<strong> <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/Innogen/science-innovation-2014-foresighting-trajectories-for-advanced-innnovative-technologies" target="_blank" title="Science & Innovation 2014: Foresighting Trajectories for Advanced Innnovative Technologies">Science & Innovation 2014: Foresighting Trajectories for Advanced Innnovative Technologies</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/Innogen" target="_blank">Innogen</a></strong> </div>
Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-14344624390051133932014-07-10T16:03:00.001+01:002014-07-10T16:11:11.040+01:00Pitfalls and Benefits of an STS-Africa NetworkBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Norman%20Clark" target="_blank">Prof Norman Clark</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycFhhVWouc73TtGk5EgsHC4nhxF0mPwzaYz0OLHrqp6k_mCAFveeM2_V-va1yAvUnzFR72juP9M5sZEqlsI-upMufb5TqQU9gQ2QQsb3ohBGW-_cyAmIwrLw9qwagFgdvQ_I1sK0Q8uA/s1600/1358287_39274782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycFhhVWouc73TtGk5EgsHC4nhxF0mPwzaYz0OLHrqp6k_mCAFveeM2_V-va1yAvUnzFR72juP9M5sZEqlsI-upMufb5TqQU9gQ2QQsb3ohBGW-_cyAmIwrLw9qwagFgdvQ_I1sK0Q8uA/s1600/1358287_39274782.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
<i><br />Earlier this year, Prof Norman Clark participated in the STS-Africa meeting, ‘Mapping Science and Technology in Africa: Traveling technologies and global disorders” in Johannesburg, South Africa. A main component of the event was around establishing an STS community for sub-Saharan Africa, and Prof Clark reflects on the pitfalls and benefits of such an endeavour.</i><br />
<br />
At the STS-Africa conference, I gave a paper on research into use, and it became clear to me that many participants were not really understanding each other, and this was largely due to the wide range of disciplines present. One of the biggest barriers to creating an African STS community is the difficulty of establishing a viable language of discourse, and this is not really an “Africa” issue; it arises as a problem that confronts all interdisciplinary dialogue. What my be necessary is to pin down discourse to a set of STS issues that are indeed “African” (not just “South African”), which would encourage communication across disciplines and attract relevant funding.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
In my view, the major issues in much of sub-Saharan African now are the lack of employment opportunities for young people and the failure of educational institutions to provide the types of knowledge needed to create jobs. This first became clear to me when I was running a university in Kenya, where I found the whole educational establishment to have little understanding beyond acting as the regulator of degree certificate provision. Most aspiring students could not get places, and for those who did the resultant “degrees” were often of doubtful quality and could seldom act as an avenue into a job. There was little in the way of technical training opportunities for the overwhelming majority of young people whose academic performance was not up to university entrance standard.<br />
<br />
The danger of the present set-up is one of leaving poor countries with a massive disenfranchised population, and this does not bode well for the future. What an STS community could do is treat such matters as major social science issues, with the primary focus of radically reforming institutional structures to help unwind what is slowing become an institutional mess – of which STS would naturally be a part. Academic discourse would have a key focal point of organisation and might act as a change vehicle, though the task is a big one. Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-19022650793931478372014-02-14T11:48:00.000+00:002014-02-14T11:48:23.478+00:00Post-Competitive collaboration: a new concept for the era of big data and real world data?By <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Joanna%20Chataway" target="_blank">Joanna Chataway</a> & <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Joyce%20Tait" target="_blank">Joyce Tait</a><br />
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We are now familiar with the idea of pre-competitive collaboration amongst firms. The idea is that there are areas of basic science, research and technology where firms, in many cases together with public sector researchers, benefit from investing jointly and sharing the outputs of work. The research is early stage and it would be wasteful for public and private sectors to carry out discrete research programmes, duplicating effort and not sharing results. There is much debate about how pre-competitive research should best be carried out in different areas of science and technology, but the concept is firmly rooted in current R&D practice and policy.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The advent of big data and the use of 'real world data' (RWD) may also give rise to what we are beginning to think of as 'post-competitive' collaboration. A number of recent studies and observations suggest that constraints on collection and effective use of big and real world data lie in funding and in organising collection and access to data. This, perhaps, points to the possibility of increasing collaboration between companies in establishing partnerships, collaborations and norms to enable collection of and access to RWD across European countries. This kind of collaboration can be thought of as post-competitive in the sense that it is a point in the value chain that is beyond release of individual products into the market place and health systems, and is about how these products are used and experienced by consumers and patients. The focus is on a range of factors that impact on use, including tracing and understanding behavioural and economic patterns. These patterns could be useful to companies in multiple ways, and different firms may use the data in distinct ways in much the same way as basic pre-competitive research feeds into product development and improvement.<br />
<br />
However, it would, perhaps, be naïve to expect a significant degree of non-competitive behaviour at the market end of a value chain, unless that market is only weakly competitive. If data are strongly competitive, measures would need to be taken so as to avoid the integrity of the data being jeopardised, as companies amplify negative or positive data to support their competitive position. The terrain clearly needs more thought and research, but the concept of post-competitive collaboration is helpful in opening up possibilities for future initiatives and policy interventions.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-21234781258464500062014-01-23T13:24:00.001+00:002014-01-23T13:25:39.612+00:00OU DPP Guest Blog: Local pharma in Africa - going nowhere, slowly?By <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Julius%20Mugwagwa" target="_blank">Dr Julius Mugwagwa</a>, recently in South Africa and Zimbabwe<br />
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A recent visit to South Africa and Zimbabwe for field work on the ESRC-funded ‘innovative spending in health’ project and NEPAD conference on medicines regulation and access confirmed to me that indeed the multi-pronged search for effective solutions to Africa’s health care challenges has resulted in unending academic, policy and practice debates on the role that local production and supply of pharmaceutical products can play in availing safe, efficacious, affordable and high-quality products. As players in the health care system face sustained pressure from rising health care costs, changing regulations and an influx of patients demanding the same or even better quality care, one consistent argument is that local production will contribute positively to health system targets, and is thus a good place to spend the ‘health dollars’.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://dpp.open.ac.uk/blog/local-pharma-africa-going-nowhere-slowly" target="_blank">Read the whole story on the DPP Blog</a>.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-41582609843211150422013-12-04T16:58:00.000+00:002013-12-04T16:58:57.267+00:00ESRC Future of the UK & Scotland: Science, research and Scottish independence?By <a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/people/Omid%20Omidvar">Dr Omid Omidvar</a><br />
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<br />
This article was originally produced for the<a href="http://www.futureukandscotland.ac.uk/blog" target="_blank"> ESRC Future of the UK and Scotland</a> blog on 4 December 2013.<br />
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In November, two papers were published regarding the future of Scotland. The first, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255788/bis-13-1115-scotland-analysis-science-and-research.pdf" target="_blank">‘Scotland analysis: Science and research’</a>, written by the UK government, and unveiled by David Willetts, UK Science Minister earlier in November, focuses solely on the issues related to science and research in Scotland, whereas the second one, a <a href="http://82.113.138.107/00439021.pdf" target="_blank">Scottish Government White Paper</a>, addresses a whole range of issues associated with independence in Scotland with a brief discussion of the futures of science and higher education in Scotland (Chapter 5- Education, Skills and Employment).<br />
<br />
Both papers testify to the strength of the Scottish science base and the contribution of Scottish universities to the UK research base as a whole. They agree on the significance and success of the presently developed research infrastructure, funding system, collaboration platforms and research support organisations across the UK. The importance of the mutually reinforcing research capabilities developed across the boundaries of the UK in a single integrated system goes unquestioned in both papers.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://futureukandscotland.ac.uk/blog/science-research-and-scottish-independence" target="_blank">Read the full post</a>Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-44611881215439468912013-12-02T13:03:00.000+00:002013-12-02T15:31:22.150+00:00ESRC Future of the UK & Scotland: White paper reflections – Health and Clinical ResearchBy <a href="http://www.futureukandscotland.ac.uk/about/people/james-mittra" target="_blank">Dr James Mittra</a><br />
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<i><br />This article was originally produced for the <a href="http://www.futureukandscotland.ac.uk/blog" target="_blank">ESRC Future of the UK and Scotland blog</a> on 2 December 2013.
</i><br />
<br />
The recently published Scottish White Paper on independence includes a relatively small section on health, social care and the NHS (pages 170-176), as part of a larger chapter on Health, Wellbeing and Social Protection (chapter 4). Like the rest of the document, the narrative is very positive in explaining the many benefits that have come with devolution, such as allowing Scotland to respond to its own national needs, which are different from the rest of the UK. The unique challenges that continue to face Scotland are also outlined and full independence is presented as creating new opportunities to respond to these more effectively. As many commentators have pointed out, however, the document is weighty in terms of the sheer volume of pages, but rather light on detail. This is perhaps unsurprising when considering the range of issues that are implicated in the independence debate.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.futureukandscotland.ac.uk/blog/white-paper-reflections-%E2%80%93-health-and-clinical-research" target="_blank">Read the full post</a>Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-34144998769066649052013-10-31T10:37:00.002+00:002013-10-31T10:54:09.456+00:00Regional Innovation Policies in a Globally Connected Environment: Lessons from EuropeBy <a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/people/Michele%20Mastroeni" target="_blank">Dr Michele Mastroeni</a><br />
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<i style="text-align: center;"><br />This article was originally produced for the <a href="http://cips.uottawa.ca/cipsblog/" target="_blank">CIPS Blog</a> at the Centre for International Policy Studies at the University of Ottawa, as a preview to Michele Mastroeni's <a href="http://cips.uottawa.ca/event/regional-innovation-policies-in-a-globally-connected-environment-lessons-from-europe/" target="_blank">CIPS Lecture </a>on 18 October 2013.</i><br />
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Industry leaders and governments have pursued innovation as a source of economic growth for the last two decades. While firms have been striving to harness innovation in order to move beyond their competitors, governments have struggled to find a way to create and maintain an environment that encourages innovation within their jurisdictional boundaries.<br />
<br />
The European Union’s efforts to encourage innovation-led economic growth focus predominantly on the regional level of governance, with its most recent approach being ‘Smart Specialisation’. Smart Specialisation offers a potential solution to Europe’s challenges in pursuing its innovation agenda—but as described to date, such an approach is limited.
<br />
<br />
Read the full post at the <a href="http://cips.uottawa.ca/regional-innovation-policies-in-a-globally-connected-environment-lessons-from-europe/" target="_blank">CIPS Blog</a>.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-17682751018025223532013-10-31T10:30:00.001+00:002013-10-31T10:35:19.033+00:00'Golden rice', 'wicked' NGOs and the need for rational dialogue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9hUDyQlQY3QEpnostSN5L_J6E9F4fWkLpaqYLHnG2OSd8DP8UhDg6PvTP-_yT3PX97MpLmqiOrOLbqgP_k1RYKE2Vc_6Y-0vZVZoskj59Ep4FRkXSDQydAKceTmBER4fnI6zhT26d6U/s1600/1328235_19354410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9hUDyQlQY3QEpnostSN5L_J6E9F4fWkLpaqYLHnG2OSd8DP8UhDg6PvTP-_yT3PX97MpLmqiOrOLbqgP_k1RYKE2Vc_6Y-0vZVZoskj59Ep4FRkXSDQydAKceTmBER4fnI6zhT26d6U/s320/1328235_19354410.jpg" width="287" /></a>Those opposed to GM crops in developing countries are “wicked”, according to the Environment Secretary, <br />
Owen Paterson.<br />
<br />
In a recent interview with <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/opponents-of-third-world-gm-crops-are-wicked-says-environment-secretary-owen-paterson-8877634.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a>, Mr Paterson backed an open-letter by international scientists calling for the rapid development of “golden rice” – a vitamin A-enhanced rice strain, which scientists believe capable of helping save the lives of around 670,000 children in third world countries who die each year from the deficiency and another 350,000 who go blind.<br />
<br />
Mr Paterson attacked NGOs such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth for their opposition to GM technology.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>“It’s just disgusting that little children are allowed to go blind and die because of a hang-up by a small number of people about this technology,” he said. “I feel really strongly about it. I think what they do is absolutely wicked.”<br />
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These comments come at a time when governments and scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the influence of NGOs in opposing GM crops in developing countries, particularly in light of protester destruction of test crops.<br />
<br />
In Professor Joyce Tait’s reaction to Mr Paterson’s comments, she spoke about the need for balanced and rational dialogue, commenting:<br />
<br />
"The near-impossibility of having a rational dialogue around the important questions relating to the role of biotechnology in food production is a major concern for democratic decision making in Europe and beyond. GM and a range of related technologies need to be used intelligently as part of an integrated effort to meet the current and future challenges of feeding the world.
“I agree with the opponents of GM crops that societal initiatives like better food distribution, alleviating poverty and eliminating wars are also an important part of the overall picture, but so far we have been singularly unsuccessful in these areas. On the other hand the technologies we have developed to date, despite their acknowledged defects, have had a positive impact on our ability to feed the world, and if allowed to evolve in future they could improve on the positive side while eliminating at least some of the defects.<br />
<br />
“We need to create a series of spaces for dialogue that start from the perspective of the challenges to be resolved and focus on what combination of societal and technological initiatives can best be combined to address these challenges. The most extreme and strident elements among commentators on these issues will not disappear, at least in the short term, but their role in shaping future food production systems needs to be balanced by inclusion of a wider range of societal voices, including those who grow our food, those who supply the inputs and those who process and distribute it.”<br />
<br />
Read more from Innogen on the appropriate and adaptive governance of GMOs:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/briefings.php?id=429" target="_blank">Regulating GM Crops: lessons for next generation technologies</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/briefings.php?id=435" target="_blank">Pros and Cons of the Precautionary Principle: European Experience with the regulation of GM Crops</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/journals.php?id=313" target="_blank">Upstream engagement and the governance of science: The shadow of the genetically modified crops experience in Europe</a><br />
<br />Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-54086352444918358902013-10-09T11:40:00.003+01:002013-10-09T11:40:39.694+01:00Interrogation of the ‘inclusive innovation’ conceptBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Rebecca%20Hanlin">Dr Rebecca Hanlin</a><br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45XcyJm67fh0bJSyvW4oYkdb-BvDOYB5oS21FDEVUd58kt9LvHdpl5mKYT_xzp7lRcj-S514YjM7Aei2hx_amNfRb_qqneLbWgC7V6lWiPi4whonaSNIBmbw4bpanOrHkeQTxzvWqx8A/s1600/ou_cmyk_masterlogo_12mm+(4).png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45XcyJm67fh0bJSyvW4oYkdb-BvDOYB5oS21FDEVUd58kt9LvHdpl5mKYT_xzp7lRcj-S514YjM7Aei2hx_amNfRb_qqneLbWgC7V6lWiPi4whonaSNIBmbw4bpanOrHkeQTxzvWqx8A/s200/ou_cmyk_masterlogo_12mm+(4).png" width="200" /></a>Is the Tata Nano an example of ‘inclusive innovation’? What about solar lighting? How do we determine what is inclusive or pro-poor? Is it about the degree of income generation or saving that is created, the degree of viable business opportunity that a new product creates or is it about the process of innovation around the product more generally?<br />
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On 6-8 July researchers from around the world gathered at the Open University to discuss these questions, and particularly what we mean by ‘inclusive innovation’.
Over one and a half days using a range of interactive sessions – many conducted outside in the sunshine as the UK basked in an heat wave – researchers considered how their own standpoint – and not just current research results – determine how we think about inclusive innovation.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>On the last morning, we asked a range of policy stakeholders to join us so that we could see how current academic thinking matches the policies and programmes currently being put forward by donors and NGOs.<br />
<br />
The workshop set out with the following aims:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Further our understanding of the role of innovation in the distributional outcomes of growth, particularly in the context of developing economies</li>
<li>Develop a holistic understanding of the dimensions of inclusive innovation</li>
<li>Identify the major knowledge gaps in our understanding of inclusive innovation and the role which it plays in the distributional outcomes of growth</li>
<li>Identify policies which might mitigate the exclusionary impacts and further the inclusionary impacts of innovation</li>
<li>Identify the key stakeholders who might further these policy objectives</li>
<li>Identify the circumstances in which these key stakeholders can work together to achieve these aims</li>
</ul>
No definitive outputs were arrived upon by the end of the event to any of these aims. However, for me, the workshop did result in a recognition of the importance of multiple voices in this discussion area, and the opportunities that are created from multiple voices.<br />
<br />
The discussions highlighted the need for multiple voices from a range of perspectives in order to ensure that the complexity of this very area is not lost in any attempt to formalise. Diversity of opinion and debate is essential at this burgeoning period of research in inclusive innovation.<br />
<br />
Further discussion on this topic occurred at the Globelics 2013 conference held in Ankara, Turkey on 11-13 September 2013 during a roundtable discussion on ‘inclusive innovation’. The roundtable included two short presentations of examples of inclusive innovation from the health and energy sectors, which were used to stimulate discussion on the multiple approaches to inclusive innovation, relating to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Innovations for and/or by the poor</li>
<li>The poor as consumers, and/or as producers</li>
<li>Innovation in products and/or services</li>
<li>Innovations as final consumer goods and/or intermediate and capital goods</li>
<li>Innovations by particular types of stakeholders and/or in collaborations between different stakeholders</li>
<li>Spillovers between innovation for the bottom billion (<$1pd) markets and the “second bottom billion” (<$2pd>$1pd) markets</li>
<li>Strategic choices between alternative developmental trajectories, at the levels of national industrial or distributional policies, sectoral specialisation, or specific innovation systems.</li>
</ul>
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<br />If you're interested in the work of Globelics, find out how to participate in the forthcoming <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/news.php?id=300">AfricaLics research partnership building workshop</a>. </div>
Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-17509944309310758332013-10-01T12:59:00.001+01:002013-10-01T13:01:30.091+01:00The Green Party - A new found faith in science?By <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/Joyce%20Tait">Professor Joyce Tait</a><br />
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<br />
Caroline Lucas, MP and Leader of the Green Party, took part in Friday's Any Questions on BBC Radio 4 (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03bg4wg">Listen here</a>). In her response to a
question on whether climate change is man-made - in the context of the IPCC report - she seemed to have rediscovered a faith in science as a basis for policy decision making.<br />
A few choice soundbites:<br />
<br />
<i>"This is a rigorous, robust piece of research, compelling"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"We can now put aside the question of whether the science is right ...98% of scientists say that it is ...We should get on and start talking about what we're going to do about it"</i><br />
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<i>"It is a concern that even as the science becomes more certain, the public opinion is more confused. That is something we absolutely have to address head-on"</i><br />
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<i>"I was quite shocked...At the 1 o'clock news ...A large amount of time was given over to someone who was bringing the science into doubt."</i><br />
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<i>"We shouldn't only talk in terms of uncertainty but also talk in terms of risk - when you say the word uncertain people think in terms of ignorant..."</i><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Many of us have been frustrated by the Green Party’s steadfast rejection of scientific evidence of safety and efficacy of GM crops, using the same tactics Caroline Lucas is now condemning. So should we expect to see a U-turn, with the Green Party calling for us to address head-on the need to benefit from growing GM crops in Europe, and condemning those who seek to confuse public opinion in the face of robust and compelling science?<br />
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Let's not hold our collective breath. When it suites their ideology we can still expect to see green politics engaging in what another MP Ed Davey called the 'corruption of public understanding of science for political ends'.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-91982026619549829792013-09-24T12:17:00.002+01:002013-09-24T12:17:57.908+01:00Interdisciplinary Doctorates for International DevelopmentBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people/James%20Smith">Professor James Smith</a><br />
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Engaging with African Neglected Zoonotic Diseases</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JiKDDFzDczUypapYam0wOzDECnF968dk6g9ZIqQYVSjE6IVeSBXmV1eHBx7hZ03thZGQOz6yHxZKJ1vXMdIwS7YKTN_OPUJaS1I7jNL1UGQjm_TaAcC4vejm7h0kdMl6z1xNYWgiT7g/s1600/c93f81635e3c7432ecb950ce32d10f3a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JiKDDFzDczUypapYam0wOzDECnF968dk6g9ZIqQYVSjE6IVeSBXmV1eHBx7hZ03thZGQOz6yHxZKJ1vXMdIwS7YKTN_OPUJaS1I7jNL1UGQjm_TaAcC4vejm7h0kdMl6z1xNYWgiT7g/s200/c93f81635e3c7432ecb950ce32d10f3a.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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We are pleased to welcome a cohort of four new PhD students whose doctoral research will focus on how we stop the ‘neglect’ of African Neglected Zoonotic Diseases (NZDs). These ESRC and University of Edinburgh-funded students will contribute to the <a href="http://www.cas.ed.ac.uk/inzi" target="">INZI project</a>.<br />
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The group of a dozen or so so-called ‘neglected tropical diseases’ (NTDs) infect one billion people at any one time and more than one third of the world’s population – almost all in the poorest parts of the world - is exposed to these diseases. Infected individuals often suffer from multiple debilitating infections, limiting life and livelihoods, requiring expensive treatment and consequently driving cycles of poverty.<br />
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An especially problematic sub-set of NTDs are also zoonotic, and are the focus of this research. These endemic or (re)emerging diseases infect humans and animals, and often transfer by vectors, which presents greater challenges for control and treatment. They are also contingent on changing environmental contexts, and generate new risks in terms of food insecurity and emergent disease.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><h3>
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Grappling with complexity</span></h3>
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We need to couple a greater multidisciplinary bio-physical understanding of the context, drivers and implications of these diseases with a much more nuanced sense of the socio-economic and institutional contexts – at multiple levels – that shape, for example, exposure to risk or the ways in which disease may be detected, prevented or treated.<br />
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Multidisciplinary social science, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative approaches and equipped to engage with cognate medical and natural sciences, can make an enormous contribution to our understanding and ultimately management of neglected diseases. This contribution can extend from explaining why these diseases are neglected in the first place, through understanding the policies and power that shape the relationships between actors who engage with research, outbreaks and impacts, how people evaluate risk and take decisions under conditions of uncertainty and what are the sources of information and knowledge people draw on in doing so, and finally, ultimately, to ensuring that these diseases do not remain ‘neglected’ in perpetuity.<br />
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A key challenge is training people able to comfortably work across disciplines, analyse these interconnections, place them in context and generate policy and practice that can control the risk of neglected zoonotic infections. The ESRC have funded this doctoral cohort <b>to ensure the development of multidisciplinary social scientists equipped to deal with complex emerging health issues in developing country contexts, at different scales</b>.<br />
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To achieve this, the students will be able to draw on training and research opportunities from the ESRC Scottish Graduate School for Social Sciences (Link) and the BBSRC East of Scotland Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership.<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Welcome to the students… </span></h3>
<b><br />Nadia Bemgten</b>, who has completed an MSc in Medical Anthropology. She will work on a project entitled <i><b>Tracing international policy networks</b></i>, which will look at the new forms of networks, alliances and partnerships that shape global health policy and contribute to product development around NZDs.<br />
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<b>Shona Lee</b>, who has completed degrees in Social Sciences and Health and Evolutionary Medicine at Durham. Shona will be analysing<b><i> Big Data and global health</i></b>: what it means; how it is shaping policy and practice; what knowledge is being built up.<br />
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<b>Rebekah Thompson</b>, who holds an MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology and Development form Edinburgh. She will be undertaking an ethnography of research practice, and its implications, in the International Livestock Research Institute, in a project entitled <b><i>Mapping international livestock research</i></b>. Rebekah will complete an MSc in Medical Anthropology as a component of her training.<br />
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<b>Simon Zappia</b>, who holds a BSc and MSc in biological sciences and has been working on insect vector control in East Africa. His project, <b><i>‘Below the radar’ innovation</i></b>, will focus on why innovations around vector control rarely scale up in East Africa.<br />
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So, welcome to Nadia, Shona, Rebekah and Simon, who have chosen to undertake extremely ambitious projects that will extend them intellectually, challenge them to work in new environments and countries, and develop their ability to analyse and articulate their findings. In return we are sure they will challenge the contexts, drivers and dynamics that have perpetuated NZDs in Africa.</div>
Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-13716988281081965812013-08-07T16:53:00.000+01:002013-08-07T16:53:09.610+01:00OU DPP Guest Blog: Punching above their weight in pursuit of good healthby <a href="http://innogen.org.uk/people.php?id=31" target="_blank">Julius Mugwagwa</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEsslwIOKcOR3blMHOmQbScbxI8uMuW5TcThK27_bw_dWvthrF55SOm_SD8cUy0yKg-FfMi6xoGazju_iewj2jv45o6aYBFtmp4sM8yHPI2MPaLAHbh3HObHHkqf7tSOMTNUyrbvQX00/s1600/DPP+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEsslwIOKcOR3blMHOmQbScbxI8uMuW5TcThK27_bw_dWvthrF55SOm_SD8cUy0yKg-FfMi6xoGazju_iewj2jv45o6aYBFtmp4sM8yHPI2MPaLAHbh3HObHHkqf7tSOMTNUyrbvQX00/s200/DPP+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />A field trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa in July for meetings and discussions with stakeholders as part of the <i>innovative spending in health project</i> was, as expected, thought-provoking in more ways than one. Discussions with various people in the continuum, from ordinary people and families in rural communities to leading academics and surgeons, revealed that indeed there are many innovative practices being employed for the sake of delivering health to people. As would be expected, the practices have positive and negative effects alike on the individuals, institutions and the broader health care system.<br />
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<a href="http://dpp.open.ac.uk/blog/blog-punching-above-their-weight-pursuit-good-health" target="_blank">Read the whole story on the DPP Blog</a>.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-1426176150169027942013-07-01T15:07:00.001+01:002013-07-01T15:26:35.011+01:00The Life Science Innovation ImperativeBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people.php?id=42" target="_blank">Professor David Wield</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9w4q3bSNLlSlBrnMyX_9A8rmApUQk-zA9nERZi_vEDGMNnGmKA6XhR29YrVWm_9LK0DTfd_ToM2htQtOGqjvPdzVcMaesSRn1cuzD1VMVJpSMD20TfvQrNl3Z9Oi5yTcPkFVLYYLHgo/s408/website-size-apple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9w4q3bSNLlSlBrnMyX_9A8rmApUQk-zA9nERZi_vEDGMNnGmKA6XhR29YrVWm_9LK0DTfd_ToM2htQtOGqjvPdzVcMaesSRn1cuzD1VMVJpSMD20TfvQrNl3Z9Oi5yTcPkFVLYYLHgo/s200/website-size-apple.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Reporting from the <a href="http://scienceinnovation-conference.co.uk/" target="_blank">Science and Innovation 2013</a> conference at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster</b><br />
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There is an economic and moral imperative to innovate. Yet, advances in the life sciences meant to deliver significant socio-economic benefits in health, agriculture and the environment are often constrained by developmental and regulatory dynamics. This was the basis for a session organised by the new Innogen Institute (daughter of the ESRC Innogen Centre) on the 'Life Science Innovation Imperative' at the Science and Innovation Conference.<br />
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As an Innogen member I was incredibly proud to see our research being picked up and used. Innogen’s four presentations addressed current issues affecting our ability to innovate – covering topics, including innovation and its relationship to the real economy, intellectual property rights, innovation-industrial policy, private and public sector collaborations, and the goals and practicalities of the responsible research and innovation framework - and brought a wide range of positive questions and comments. It’s always good to hear someone say: 'this is the best thing I’ve heard on this topic'.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Iain Gillespie kicked off, explaining that he was the first speaker after lunch because he was the loudest. Indeed, he was quite loud, but also pretty cogent, with his case that 'innovation is both an economic and a moral imperative', persuasively evidencing why ‘society wants us to invest in innovation’.<br />
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David Castle argued the need for better measures for the hard to analyse ‘knowledge intangibles’ held in people’s heads, hugely more important than tangibles, like patents. He posed the question: ‘Is investment in knowledge production a cost or an asset?’ Although most accountants cost R&D against profits, it can just as easily go on the other side of the ledger, he argued.<br />
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Joanna Chataway made the case for public-private partnerships as ways of improving the innovation process. She went beyond Ben Goldacre’s ‘bad pharma’ critique that pharma industries hide results and act unethically, to emphasise that ‘bad academe’ has also been uncovered. A recent Nature paper found that 47 out of 53 scientific results could not be reproduced. ‘Bringing the two together might improve both,’ she suggested.<br />
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Finally, Joyce Tait critiqued the penchant for public engagement to focus only on minutely anticipating every possible future impact of every small piece of potential technology, years in advance of any possible product. She urged instead the need for an adaptive approach – looking at ways to improve regulatory science so that it put ‘society at the core of regulation and governance, not special interest groups’. Bluntly, David Castle also added that we have an urgent need to get beyond exceptionalism – ‘treating every new science as if it were the atomic bomb’.<br />
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For more information about the presentation topics, read our <a href="http://www.innogen.org.uk/conference-papers.php?id=729" target="_blank">Life Science Innovation Imperative</a> brief.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/23737552" width="476"></iframe>Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-51239574000578811162013-06-25T10:26:00.001+01:002013-06-25T10:26:39.577+01:00Transformation in AfricaBy <a href="http://innogen.ac.uk/people.php?id=42" target="_blank">Professor David Wield</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbeDhNARD5iLb76llavbLhauTlaVgm6AQwNqOh_RfRUq8LbZS9AU5kHHgAa16zmcjGT0Dhb5NI5MZC92yxm7MidtmqdRCbP99-qaeeMi2wxzUlrCKUbx34AnUm2X9_KC8BlPxvO1xuXw/s1600/bg_logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbeDhNARD5iLb76llavbLhauTlaVgm6AQwNqOh_RfRUq8LbZS9AU5kHHgAa16zmcjGT0Dhb5NI5MZC92yxm7MidtmqdRCbP99-qaeeMi2wxzUlrCKUbx34AnUm2X9_KC8BlPxvO1xuXw/s1600/bg_logo.gif" /></a></div>
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<b>Reporting from the <a href="http://www1.wider.unu.edu/L2Cconf/" target="_blank">L2C Learning to Compete</a> conference, 'Industrial Development and Policy in Africa' in Helsinki</b><br />
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Many African economies have been growing quickly in the last decade and are far from the ‘basket cases’ portrayed in many media and, sadly, research reports. The countries I know best, Tanzania and Mozambique, have more than doubled their economic activity in the last ten years – the differences are very tangible in trade and investment data.<br />
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But industrial development has been uneven and quite chaotic. Sometimes being on the edge of chaos is good – entrepreneurs can take advantage of opportunities to build new ventures – but chaos can be hard for industrial development, and stability is important for those who take risks.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Innogen is involved in a wide range of research on industry in Africa with a number of African colleague institutions, like the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and REPOA (Research for Policy Development, Tanzania). There is a joint workshop just this week in Dar es Salaam, for example, on local pharmaceutical manufacture. And, <a href="http://dpp.open.ac.uk/people/geoffrey-banda" target="_blank">Dr Geoff Banda</a> (Innogen OU) has just finished his PhD, which shows how weak financial capabilities are holding back investment in local Anti Retro Viral (ARV) drug therapies.<br />
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So, it’s good to be here at the UNU WIDE event. There are papers from more than 20 developing countries, and I’m trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can. It’s been ten years since I finished my last book on follower firms in developing countries and how they can catch-up with global leaders – I’m in catch-up mode myself!<br />
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Benno Ndulu, Governor of the Bank of Tanzania, gave the opening plenary underlining the massive changes since the mid-1990s. As he put it, ‘the pessimism has turned into a renaissance’ and he talked of ‘Africa being the next frontier for driving the global economy’. He’s always been an optimist since he was student in Dar es Salaam (where I was a young lecturer at the time), but even he was surprised at the rapid transformation.<br />
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Let’s hope Innogen can play a small part in the transformation.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-51357453533108535702013-05-06T14:55:00.000+01:002013-05-06T14:55:30.045+01:00Want to help remove the Neglect from Neglected Tropical Diseases?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepgejhu238OltDe28IgJzp-6TiaJPSs714OEv5KeLGY4O1yb1j6ut52ie7vUe_L95HIM5ig6_oVTRIrumzrqcXI24pZw_Gq4kyBtLPTdTQlSR8RLzT7LyLeU6fvpGn8uD2lw4Eez1tpw/s1600/globalhealth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepgejhu238OltDe28IgJzp-6TiaJPSs714OEv5KeLGY4O1yb1j6ut52ie7vUe_L95HIM5ig6_oVTRIrumzrqcXI24pZw_Gq4kyBtLPTdTQlSR8RLzT7LyLeU6fvpGn8uD2lw4Eez1tpw/s1600/globalhealth.jpg" /></a>Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) infect over a billion people, causing significant illness and death and limiting lives and livelihoods in poor countries. Yet, they have received far less attention than diseases like HIV and malaria and relatively little regarding research, control and treatment.<br />
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A particularly problematic subset of NTDs are neglected zoonotic diseases (NZDs) – endemic or (re)emerging diseases that afflict humans and animals, often transferred by vectors, and which present greater challenges for control and treatment. Despite their major impact on animal and human health, such diseases that are transferred between humans and animals are under-sourced in terms of health care provision, and scientific research, cultural, geographical and political aspects are poorly understood.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>However, developing better control and treatment methods for these diseases has recently become a major health priority. Professors Sue Welburn and <a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/people.php?id=40" target="_blank">James Smith</a> at the University of Edinburgh are leading on a cluster of research that seeks to better understand the interrelationships and contexts that shape many zoonotic diseases, as well as the role that science and technology plays in global health and African development.<br />
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To assist in these efforts, the Centre for African Studies is looking for three outstanding candidates to examine these crucial, yet neglected issues in the governance of human and animal health. These studentships are unusual in that they are highly multidisciplinary, drawing on both the social and biological sciences, and have the opportunity to make a strong impact on NZDs.<br />
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As Prof Smith further explains: “I hope that this cohort of studentships, in conjunction with existing University of Edinburgh research in the social and biological sciences can do two things. Firstly, lessen the ‘neglect’ in NZDs by helping us understand how to generate accessible sustainable technologies from new knowledge, and secondly, better understand the systems that drive the impacts of NZDs in order to improve that new knowledge.”<br />
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The deadline for application is 20 May 2013 and for further information, please visit the <a href="http://www.cas.ed.ac.uk/news/2013/phd_students_on_neglected_zoonotic_diseases_in_africa" target="_blank">Centre for African Studies</a> website. Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-68217526558752920032013-04-26T15:53:00.000+01:002013-06-11T10:51:46.711+01:00PhD Studentships on Neglected Zoonotic Diseases in Africa Available<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JiKDDFzDczUypapYam0wOzDECnF968dk6g9ZIqQYVSjE6IVeSBXmV1eHBx7hZ03thZGQOz6yHxZKJ1vXMdIwS7YKTN_OPUJaS1I7jNL1UGQjm_TaAcC4vejm7h0kdMl6z1xNYWgiT7g/s1600/c93f81635e3c7432ecb950ce32d10f3a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JiKDDFzDczUypapYam0wOzDECnF968dk6g9ZIqQYVSjE6IVeSBXmV1eHBx7hZ03thZGQOz6yHxZKJ1vXMdIwS7YKTN_OPUJaS1I7jNL1UGQjm_TaAcC4vejm7h0kdMl6z1xNYWgiT7g/s1600/c93f81635e3c7432ecb950ce32d10f3a.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" /></a>The Centre for African Studies at the University of Edinburgh is looking for three outstanding candidates to explore crucial, yet neglected, issues in the governance of human and animal health.<br />
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As part of a new initiative by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the studentships will examine the policies, research activities, and the control, diagnosis and treatment initiatives that aim to control neglected zoonotic diseases (NZDs).<br />
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These studentships are highly multidisciplinary and drawing on both the social and biological sciences. Students will receive tailored training from the ESRC Scottish Doctoral Training Centre and the EASTBIO Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership, both based at the University of Edinburgh, before embarking on one of three PhD projects:<br />
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1.) Tracing International Policy Networks – focusing on the role of international organisations – for instance the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières - in shaping research into and control of African Trypanosomiasis. The nature of this project means that fluency in French is desirable.<br />
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2.) Mapping the post-MDG Agenda – will examine the evidence base, funding streams and policies that shape the future global health agenda in relation to NZDs, especially in the content of debate around the replacement of the current 2015 Millennium Development Goals.<br />
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3.) ‘Below the radar innovation’ – will analyse how technological innovation may generate appropriate, sustainable, local-level vector control and diagnostic measures in East and Central Africa.<br />
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Students will also have the unique opportunity to work with a wide range of interdisciplinary scholars from the University of Edinburgh School of Social and Political Science, including the Centre for African Studies and the <a href="http://www.innogen.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Innogen Institute</a>.<br />
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Each of these studentships is fully-funded for four years and will provide an enhanced stipend (c. £15,000 per annum).<br />
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We anticipate that successful applicants will already hold a masters degree in an appropriate area of study. These studentships are available to UK citizens or EU citizens who ordinarily resident in the UK.<br />
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To be considered please indicate which project you wish to be considered for and attach an academic cv and a letter explaining your suitability and interest to: <a href="mailto:james.smith@ed.ac.uk" target="_blank">james.smith@ed.ac.uk</a>. If you have any queries you can contact James Smith at the same email address.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-5305407142361392992013-04-02T12:50:00.000+01:002013-04-02T12:50:53.941+01:00A BIG impact on the bioeconomy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the heart of the bioeconomy is a desire to make the world a better and more equitable place to live. From biotechnological advances in health, agriculture and environment, we have the opportunity to cure currently incurable diseases, grow new crops that feed more people, and find cleaner and more efficient energy sources.<br />
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There is rapid growth in the European and global bioeconomy. In Europe, the bioeconomy makes €2 trillion a year and employs more than 22 million people, yet as it grows the shortage of people skilled to work in it also increases. Living up to the future promises of the bioeconomy requires a workforce skilled in innovation and governance of scientific, technological and social change.<br />
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With unemployment in the Eurozone currently reaching over 20% of those under the age of 25, Europe now has a unique opportunity to overcome the evident mix-match of skills and provide training options and job opportunities that meet labour demands in areas such as agriculture, energy production, health, manufacturing, environmental clean-up, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, while at the same time ensuring its economic competitiveness on the global stage and a better quality of life for its citizens.<br />
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Innogen has expertise in understanding the social and economic implications of life science innovation and, through its Masters in Management of Bioeconomy, Innovation and Governance (MSc BIG), is working to provide a new generation of bioeconomy workers with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in this rapidly evolving sector.<br />
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Offered at the University of Edinburgh, the MSc BIG provides students with a dynamic set of competencies and knowledge about life science innovation – as highly desired by prospective employers in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Graduates excel in strategic thinking that brings globally contextualised solutions to practical problems relating to firm strategy, policy and regulation, collaboration and intellectual property. A work-based dissertation ensures that students gain experience directly relevant to careers in the bioeconomy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/media/MScBIG%20UofE2012.pdf" target="_blank">Download the MSc BIG programme flyer</a>.Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-4881945718522111832013-04-01T14:17:00.002+01:002013-04-01T14:18:20.863+01:00OU DPP Guest Blog: Mission PossibleBy <a href="http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/innogen/people/academicstaff/forename,2404,en.html">Julius Mugwagwa</a>, recently in South Africa and Zimbabwe<br />
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Spending a week each in South Africa and Zimbabwe doing a pilot study for my new ESRC-funded project on ‘innovative spending in global health’ from the end of February to early March was indeed an eye and ear opener…for me and the various people I met and talked to.</div>
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I met and had discussions with people ranging from officials in ministries/departments of health, universities, civil society organisations with activities in the health arena, retail pharmacists, private health practitioners to people going about their everyday lives in cities and rural areas.<br />
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The issue of being creative and innovative in raising resources is a dominant one, not only in health, but all facets of human endeavour. In fact, there are all sorts of names and phrases in the local languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe to describe the innovative and entrepreneurial ‘wiring’ of those who are successful at accumulating resources. There is an unwritten consensus that once the resources are there, spending them in an impactful way will not be a problem.<br />
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It gave a bit of a jolt, therefore, when I asked the various people I spoke with whether they had stopped for a moment to think about innovative spending?<br />
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<a href="http://dpp.open.ac.uk/blog/mission-possible-julius-mugwagwa" target="_blank">Read the whole story on the DPP Blog</a>.<br />
<br />Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6715393334831079766.post-91585034271187037572013-02-15T12:21:00.000+00:002013-02-15T12:22:22.705+00:00Technology Justice and Inspirational Innovation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkavHa9Z6Q2_lYE7PzzRxMR72miQq2o8WGInvIzN69S52Lisz8vvgnslqrT42HuQwDjm9qh-dOmpixkWjnn4SlMCPQpaBak7PqwGf6tdwGnU5iD4ooEgEoA80PePQtFyS45LybQ11Dj4/s1600/1097849_55999651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkavHa9Z6Q2_lYE7PzzRxMR72miQq2o8WGInvIzN69S52Lisz8vvgnslqrT42HuQwDjm9qh-dOmpixkWjnn4SlMCPQpaBak7PqwGf6tdwGnU5iD4ooEgEoA80PePQtFyS45LybQ11Dj4/s200/1097849_55999651.jpg" width="200" /></a>By <a href="http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/innogen/people/academicstaff/forename,1568,en.html" target="_blank">James Smith</a><br />
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Technology is inextricably linked to development. Neither exists without the other, each propels the other along, and the successes and failures of both are bound together. However we choose to conceive of development, as a deeply historical process of change or as the small-scale activities non-governmental organisations (NGOs) engage in, as macro-economic policy or community development, technology is always present.<br />
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That ubiquity may well be a problem in itself. If we have access to the results of technology - clean water for example - we become blind to the technology itself. From another perspective, if we focus development around targets and end products - improved health, improved education, or access to energy - we may not focus on the technological and knowledge-based building blocks we need to get there (and often it’s not easy to understand for the non-expert, anyway). Technology, and underpinning science, may be hidden both by its presence <i>and</i> its absence.<br /><br />
<a name='more'></a>Commentators on development have tended only to focus on the headline-grabbing, global impacts of the Green Revolution, the explosion in the use of mobile phones, the possibilities of the internet or the search for a vaccine for HIV or TB. Technology, though, is not only about vaccines, agricultural biotechnology or IT; it concerns almost everything we do, or hope to do.<br />
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Problematising technology in and for development is incredibly important, from the simplest and most local to the most complex, networked and global. There are key issues here, one of process and one of justice. <b>Process</b>: How do we germinate innovation - the process of applying new knowledge, learning and technologies to solve problems and meet needs? <b>Justice</b>: How do we ensure that people have access to the technologies they need to alleviate their poverty and meet their developmental needs?<br />
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These issues are intimately related to each other. Innovation means equipping people with the tools to articulate their needs, building the networks through which they may do so, and inculcating learning that will allow those needs to be met. Justice means acknowledging that people have a right to access the resources they need to live the lives they value, and finding ways through which people may realise those rights – more often than not, other than simply through a market.<br />
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Acknowledging the mutually constitutive relationship between technology and justice – to unlock the transformative power of knowledge - would go a long way to placing technology, and in particular how we articulate, understand and drive its innovation, at the centre of sustainable poverty alleviation.<br />
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Practical Action, one of the leading INGO advocates of technology for development, is currently recruiting for someone to reflect exactly on these issues. Apply!<br />
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<a href="http://practicalaction.org/senior-policy-and-practice-adviser">http://practicalaction.org/senior-policy-and-practice-adviser</a>Elisabeth Barlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13929259027713256561noreply@blogger.com0