Successful conference on higher education and research in developing countries

From a classroom in Bangalore, India. (Photo: Fredrik Naumann. (Samfoto)

The conference was made possible by a grant from the Norwegian government. Various projects designed to support academic institutions and research activities in developing countries will be presented. The activity of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and other international scientific organizations will be given special attention. Such scientific organizations have direct links to the developing regions through professional contacts and individual memberships. The support programs run by these organizations therefore often represent an alternative and a supplement to the support initiated more directly by governments or multi-government organizations like UNESCO.

The aim of the present conference was to illustrate why the creation of academic institutions and research groups is vital for further progress and growth in developing countries, and to evaluate the efficiency of different strategies for the support given by the developed world. In particular, focus will be given to the possibility of improving the efficiency of this support by increased cooperation between governments and international scientific organizations.

Conference Program

February 12:

12.00 Lunch

13.15 Opening address by Jens Revold, State Secretary for the Minister of Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland 

13.30 Director Jan Egeland, The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs:
"Building academic institutions - a prerequisite for development and welfare"

14.30 Coffee

15.00 - 17.00: Experiences from developing countries and a panel discussion:

During this session we will have shorter presentations from several active university professors and researchers from various regions of the world.

They will share with us their experiences in building academic institutions and research groups in their homeland, and they will describe some of the critical factors for further progress. Furthermore, they will discuss the importance of building academic institutions for the development in their region.

Hopefully, these presentations with lead to an interesting and fruitful discussion with the rest of the audience.

• Professor Thara Tritrakarn, Thailand
  Director of Bangkok Anesthsia Regional Training Center, BARTC

16.00  Break

• Professor José A. de la Peña, Mexico
   President of the Mathematical Union of Latin America and the Caribbean
• Dr. Chan Roath, Cambodia
  Director of Scientific Research Department, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and  President of Cambodian Mathematical Society

17.30 Professor Olabiyi B.J. YAI, Chairman of UNESCO's Executive Board

19.00 Dinner

February 13:

9.00 Professor Wandera Ogana, Department of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Kenya: Promoting mathematics in Africa thorough the African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative (AMMS)

9.30 Andreas Steigen og Eldad Banda, Uganda:
"South - North co-operation on research and capacity building at African universities - experiences from a co-operation project at Makerere University" 

10.00 Coffee

10.30 Anubha Verma, Science, Technology and Innovation Specialist, World Bank:
"Building Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Capacity in Developing Countries"

11.00 State Secretary for International Development Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen,
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Towards a more knowledge based policy for development

11.30 Director Gunn Mangerud, Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU):
South - South - North cooperation for strengthening higher education and research in developing countries - Norwegian initiatives.

12.00: K.R. Sreenivasan, Abdus Salam Research Professor and Director, ICTP:
"Building Scientific Capacity in Developing Countries: The Role of ICTP"
The speech will be delivered by Dag Harald Johannessen, Assistant Director, ICTP

12.30  Sir John M. Ball: Concluding remarks

13.00 Lunch