Research partnership for Development: Migration of Science?

Commission for Development Studies at the Austrian Academy of Scienceshttp://www.oeaw.ac.at/kef

Research partnership for Development:

Migration of Science?

Birgit Habermann, KEF Coordinator


Science and the poor

‚It is not surprising that the rich get richer in a continueing cycle of growth while the poorest are often left behind. A special effort should be made by the powerhouses of world science to address the unmet challenges of the poor.‘

Jeffrey D. Sachs, The End of Poverty

ROLE OF RESEARCH


The global scientific divide

• DCs represent 78 % of population but only 28 % of researchers worldwide

85

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10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

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Industrialisedcountries

India, China andEastasia

Remaining countries

Research expenses in global comparison (KFPE, 2001)

ROLE OF RESEARCH


Commission for Development Studies

• Founded in 1981 as a follow up to UNCSTD (United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development)

• Head of Commission: Prof. Gerhard Glatzel

• Coordinator: Birgit Habermann


• Multi- and interdisciplinary platform• Hosted by Austrian Academy of Sciences,

funded by BMWF

30 members:

Donors/Ministries

(5)

Scientific members

(10)

DC & internationalcooperation

(10)

Other members

(5)

Commission for Development Studies


Our aims…

• to unite scientific questions with development-political objectives

• to embed the development-political approach into science and research


• KEF provides funding for research partnerships– 63 KEF projects in 29 countries, 2

multinational projects– 13 projects in implementation phase– Annually 6-7 new projects– Budget ca 25 000 Euro/18 months

What do we do ?


KEF research partnerships

Distribution of projects on differentcontinents

(n= 13)

ASIA31%

LATINAMERICA23%

AFRICA46%


KEF research partnerships

Projects according to OECD/DAC sector definitionsn=13

Environment23%

Health23%

Water and sanitation15%

Social and socio-economic

development8%

Agriculture/ forestry / fisheries

31%


KEF research partnerships Prerequisites for funding

• Eligibility: Austrian scientists and their scientific partners in developing countries

• Significant proportion of funds remains with partner country

• Institutional integration (capacity building)


What do we do ?


KEF Publication

• Joint Research, Joint Learning: Research partnerships in development cooperation.



Is there a need for scientific partnership?

• Global research questions, e.g. climate change, international treaties, pandemic diseases, security,…

• Global competition takes place in research as well: what role for Austria in the future?

• Changes in Aid Architectcure (General budget support), modalities of cooperation and accessibility of knowledge, global awareness,…



Impeding factors for partnership & cooperation

• Structural issues, limited career options for scientists

• Lack of networking among Austrian institutions in development research

• Capacities in Austria often inadequately trained to meet the high and diverse requirements: lack of training and capacity development,…




• Lack of policy coherence

• Demand for experts / expertise in development cooperation – a lot remains still unclear !

• No tradition in Development Studies, Development Policy Research,… - individual initiatives struggle with structure and limitations




• Resources:– Lack of an adequately equipped

funding programme (ca 140 000 Euro/year KEF funding, Austria:ca 400 000 Euro/year )

– Sweden: 54 Mill. Euro (2005)


Summary

• Is it the powerhouses of world science we need?

• What kind of partnership can we offer, are we willing to offer?

• Power & participation – what does it mean?

• Are we ready to stop dividing, categorising, classifying the world and accept a new global concept & understanding of science?



Contact

Birgit HabermannCommission for Development Studies at theAcademy of Sciences (KEF)

Dr. Ignaz Seipel Platz 2 • 1010 WIENAUSTRIA Telefon:++43(0)1 515 81– 3202Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.oeaw.ac.at/kef

Documents

Research partnership for Development: Migration of Science?