Panel: How do we organise Lics’ Academy initiatives in Africa?

Alexandre O. Vera-CruzAlexandre O. Vera-CruzMetropolitan Autonomous University, MexicoMetropolitan Autonomous University, Mexico

Member of the 1st Conselho de Estratégia e Governo da UNI-CV (Cabo Verde) Member of the 1st Conselho de Estratégia e Governo da UNI-CV (Cabo Verde) Visiting Fellow at the University of Malaya Visiting Fellow at the University of Malaya

All African GLOBELICS Seminar on Innovation and Economic Development

Tanzania 22-23 March 2012

1. Learning from the experience of the Globelics academia:

•Interaction of students from different countries•Building of a shared vision•Building networking between young students over time

Some basic ideas

2. Broaden the approach of the Academia in Africa:•Enrolment targets:

•BA and masters, not only PhD•Policy makers, NGOs, officials working in municipalities

 •Languages: there are different Africas in terms of languages and culture

•Academia in different languages•Inclusive: looking to enrol in the English academia students from different countries •Look for being inclusive but recognising the existing differences

•Combine experts of Globelics with:•Experts from the region•Diaspora•Experts from other regions

Some basic ideas

•Look for connecting the existing theory with the African reality•Less econometrics and more development•Incorporate the vision of different regional agents: academia, policy makers, NGOs, donors, this will contribute to:

•The understanding of the reality•The generation of interaction between different agents

Ideas for the program contents

•Role of the University in Africa•Concentration of the well trained people•Possibility of focusing on local problems•Need to foster problems-oriented research without forgetting the basic science required for that•Promote the upgrading of productive activities through the formation of skills•Act as an intermediary between universities and the productive sector

Ideas for the program contents: linkages university-productive sector

•Type of existing linkages•Many informal linkages between a small segment of the population

•a small segment of the population, who is well trained, occupies positions in the academia, government and productive sector•They circulate within the 3 sectors

•Tend to be simple short term linkages of collaboration, with low technological content•Very limited collaboration through R&D activities

•The existing linkages•They may be a powerful way to to change agents behaviour and generate an innovation culture

•Need to identify these linkages and promote them

Ideas for the program contents: linkages university-productive sector

An example: Existing linkages in Cape Verde

Agents: • Universities: public and private (UNI-CV, ISCCE, JEAN PIAGET,

ISECMAR)• Research centres: INIA• Firms, farmers, public sector

Type of existing linkages• Stays of students in firms and the public sector • Students write final course papers based on practical cases of

firms• Entrepeneurs or officials teach some courses at the universities • Academias in specifc sectors (e.g. Software with Microsoft)• Joint projects with NGOs to develop activities focused on solving

problems of inclusiveness

• They are simple forms of interactions• Mostly related to human resources formation• They do not require a high degree of maturity of the research

capabilities • They do not require an inclination towards R&D by the firms • They cover a broader set of agents • They tend to be based on informal links between students,

researchers/teachers and entrepeneurs• In some cases they have moved toeards the formalization of

teh links to ensurethe quality of the process (stays of students in firms)

Cont... An example: Existing linkages in Cape Verde

•Implications for the Academia program:

•Include the topic of the role of the universities for development•Discuss the nature of university-productive sector linkages in Africa•Discuss a broader approach to universities-productive sector linkages than the linkages based only on R&D collaboration

Ideas for the program contents: linkages universities-productive sector