Developing countries must
set research priorities

Viable research must be relevant locally and collaborative in its approach

PROF SUDIP K RAKSHIT

Uneven distribution of research

Technological innovations have occurred rapidly, and the rate of change is unprecedented. This has led to bigger gaps in the available know-how between the developed and developing worlds. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan put this in perspective when he announced "the unbalanced distribution of scientific activities generates serious problems not only for the scientific community in the developing countries, but for development itself."

There are options open to the developing countries. One is to leapfrog into cutting edge technologies by acquiring innovations. This will need a very high financial investment, but it may not be sustainable over time. Alternatively, developing countries need to have a strong scientific base and from there develop indigenous technology, which is suited to the needs of the particular region.

This has to be done with great care because scientific change that moves at too rapid a pace might lead to further disparities between the two worlds.

One may adopt the strategy of a developing, but technologically progressive country like Cuba. There the government decided to set as a priority the focus on biotechnology. As a result, Cuba is now one of the world's leading biotechnology nations, specialising in vaccine production.

Trained manpower, human resources, technologies, managerial methods and social-economic principles must be promoted and made a part of the core of whatever strategy is adopted by the government of the developing country. An increase in capacity through education is critical. Such elements are needed if their goals are to be met.

Bangkok's Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), was established by the South East Asian Treaty Organisation (Seato) in 1959. AIT promotes technological change and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. It does that through higher education, research and outreach as it develops highly qualified and committed professionals who will play leading roles in the sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific region and its integration into the global economy.

Call for collaboration

A problem found among researchers in developing countries is that they often work independently of each other. This sometimes results in duplications in research and does not foster the formation of local, regional or global research teams that address common problems.

There is thus an urgent need in the developing world to address this issue by adopting an interdisciplinary approach among thematic knowledge groups that are focused on preset goals. Only through these proven methods can world class results be obtained that can fulfil the needs of the people and empower developing countries.

Towards these ends, AIT is focusing its research in only a few areas that, in turn, will lead to clusters of researchers who are competitive and internationally respected. The result will be a pooling of thematic knowledge areas, which include Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), food and aquatic systems, water management and technology, and energy and environment.

ICT is rapidly changing our way of life: Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP), distance learning, e-banking. Remote regions of the world are now wirelessly connected to urban centres, and agro-industry supply networks are interconnected to major retailers.

The invasion of multinational companies has caused a gentle collision between Western corporate paradigms and Asian cultures and traditions.

Research in developing countries needs to be practical and relevant to the local or regional economy. Thailand, for example, would like to be the "kitchen of the world". In that vein, one aspect of Thai research focuses on food processing, packaging and food safety. Another example of relevant scientific research is Thailand's focus on becoming a regional leader in biofuel research and development. The Thai government plans to make the sale of gasohol (a mixture of gasoline and alcohol) mandatory in all petrol stations by 2007. The alcohol component can be produced from cassava starch, which is abundantly available locally. These are all thematic and regionally relevant.

Private sector myopia

The private sector continues to have little faith in the products and methods of universities and public sector organisations in developing countries. The latter often wait for private industry to take the initiative in forming partnerships. Thus, local industry often shops for technology in developed countries because it is unaware that technology and skills are available locally.

A systematic analysis of this problem could result in benefits to both parties, enabling local governments to kick start new relationships.

In Sweden, for example, a common platform with support from government agencies, universities and industries has lead to scientific developments that benefit all parties. Affected industries have used the resulting knowledge creatively to extend their respective product lines. Thailand has taken a step in this direction by setting up science parks, which are poised to encourage similar interactions.

It is hoped that with the strong network of researchers who work on relevant problems in the developing and less developed countries, the scientific community in such regions will be in a position to meet its basic mission of bringing about a higher quality of life to all sectors of society. This can certainly happen in Asia, one of the most rapidly developing regions of the world.

Prof Sudip K Rakshit is vice president of research at the Asian Institute of Technology.