National Research And Technology Audit Database

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CSIR A Working Example of Networking African
Research and Technology Organizations

Berenice Lue Marais Head CSIR Africa Business
Development
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The Concept

• During the resurgence of industrialization
  throughout the world in the middle and late
  1960's a large number of industrial and
  technological research institutes were
  established.
• It was soon recognized that there was a need to
  establish an association for effective liaison
  and exchange of ideas, information, experience
  and resources among research organizations, and
  to promote co-operation and mutual support at
  both the regional and international levels.
• It is to fulfill this need that WAITRO was
  founded in October 1970 under United Nations
  auspices at a meeting attended by 96 officials
  representing industrial research organizations,
  and representatives of several governmental and
  non-governmental international bodies.
• WAITRO collaborates with several institutes and
  organizations including agencies of the United
  Nations system, intergovernmental and
  non-governmental bodies, private industry and
  academia.

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Aims and Objectives

• WAITRO's aims are to provide a voice for
  technological research and development, a global
  clearing-house for technological information, and
  an agency for promoting co-operation between
  research establishments from developed and
  developing countries.
• These aims are achieved, inter alia, through
• advancing the level and capabilities of member
  organizations through encouraging and
  facilitating the exchange of research results and
  technical know-how and the transfer of technology
  to industry
• fostering and promoting co-operation between
  member organizations and other national and
  international agencies for the conduct of
  research and development
• identifying areas of research where international
  or regional co-operation between members is
  needed. WAITRO assists members to locate funds
  for pilot projects which will often result in
  large full-scale collaborative projects. Recent
  collaborative initiatives have included various
  projects in the fields of food technology, best
  practices and information technology
• arranging training programmes for staff of member
  institutes from developing countries, including
  management workshops for senior research and
  management staff and special in-plant courses for
  middle-level technical personnel. WAITRO's
  biennial international seminars bring together
  hundreds of research managers, administrators,
  funding agencies and other international research
  bodies to discuss issues of common interest.

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Benefits

• Presentation of project ideasWAITRO assists
  members by helping to formulate their project
  ideas in a form acceptable to most international
  funding agencies.
• Training and exchange of know-howMany research
  institutions in the industrialized world have
  found it beneficial to send their experts to work
  for short periods in developing countries.
  Through its extensive membership network, WAITRO
  is able to arrange local assistance.
• Identification of sources of fundsWAITRO's
  "Directory of Source of Funds for International
  RD Co-operation" provides profiles of all major
  funding agencies for technological activities,
  especially for developing countries.
• Consultancy servicesWAITRO members together
  employ several thousand scientists and
  technologists who are in close touch with their
  local industry, and many of them act as advisers
  to national governments on technological matters.
• International contactsWAITRO maintains a
  comprehensive computerized database of its
  members and is thus able to match specific
  requests with the most appropriate potential
  partner.
• Current information on new technological
  trendsThe WAITRO Secretariat provides a central
  clearing-house for information on current
  international trends in industrial and
  technological research, and a channel for
  information exchange on projects and the results
  of research. Similarly, WAITRO members are kept
  informed about opportunities for international
  research funding, training, consultancy and
  contract research through its homepage
  (http//www.waitro.org).

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WAITRO Africa Regional Focal Point Network
Nigeria (4) 1. Foundation for African Development
Through International Biotechnology (FADIB) 2.
Federal Inst of Industrial Research, Oshodi
(FIIRO) 3. Projects Development Institute
(PRODA) 4.Technology Planning Development Unit
(TPDU) Raw Materials RD Council
Mali (1) 1. National Centre for Solare Energy
Renewable Energies (CNERSOLER)
Senegal (1) 1. Ecole Superieure Polytechnique
Kenya (4) 1. Appropriate Technology Centre Dept.
of Mechanical Engineering 2. Kenya Industrial
Research Development Institute (KIRDI) 3. Jomo
Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Guinea (3) 1. Guinea Assoc. for Women in
Research 2. Direction Nationale de la Recherche
Scientifique et Technique 3. Laboratoire des
Composes Naturels Conakry
Niger (1) 1. Centre National dEnergie Solaire
Uganda (1) 1. Uganda Industrial Research
Institute (UIRI)
Ethiopia (1) 1. Ethiopian Health and Nutrition
Research Institute
Tanzania (3) 1. Institute of Production
Innovation, University of Dar es Salaam 2.
Tanzania Engineering. and Manufacturing Design
Org 3. Tanzania Industrial RD Organisation
Burkina Faso (3) 1. Laboratory of Applied Organic
Chemistry 2. Oagadougou Institute for Energy 3.
Department of Food Technology
Sierra Leone (1) 1. University RD Service Bureau
Rwanda (1) 1. Scientific and Technological
Research Institute
Cameroon (2) 1. Dept of Organic
Chemistry 2.Observatoire Camerounaise de Qualite
Cote DIviore (1) 1. Station de Recherches
Technologiques
Dem. Rep. of Congo (1) 1. Agro-Alimentary
Research Centre
Malawi (1) Malawi Industrial Research
Technology Development Centre (MIRTDC)
Ghana (7) 1. Building Road Research Inst
(BRRI) 2. Institute of Industrial Research 3.
Food Research Institute 4. Deng Limited 5. ST
Policy Research Institute 6.Savanna Agricultural
Research Institute 7. Biotechnology Nuclear
Agriculture Research Institute
Congo (1) 1. Centre de Recherche et dInitiation
des Projets de Technologie
Mauritius (1) 1. Small and Medium Industries
Development Organisation (SMIDO)
Botswana (3) 1. Botswana Technology
Centre 2.National Food Technology Research
Centre 3. Rural Industries Promotions Company
(RIPCO)
Zimbabwe (2) 1. Development Technology Centre 2.
Scientific Industrial RD Centre
Zambia (2) 1. Ntl Institute for Scientific and
Industrial Research 2. Small Enterprises
Development Board
Lesotho (1) 1. Appropriate Technology Section
South Africa CSIR - The Africa Regional Focal
Point
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Aims of Africa RFP WorkPlan (2002-2006)

• To facilitate the exchange of ideas, information
  and experience among members
• To advance the technical and managerial
  capabilities of members
• To encourage and support co-operation at regional
  and international levels in technological
  research and its industrial application
• To promote active engagement of African RTOs in
  the achievement of the objectives of New
  Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD)
• Mobilising Utilising Resources for Priorities
  of NEPAD - Conditions for Sustainable
  Development, Sectorial Priorities (ICT,
  Agriculture, Health, ST Platforms,etc).

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Best Practices for the Management of Research and
Technology Organizations

• WAITRO Benchmarking Study
• The overall project objective was to identify,
  document and disseminate "best practices" found
  in RTOs in different parts of the world relating
  to their development of services to SMEs. The
  specific objectives involved in the research
  phase include
• to identify RTO processes and practices including
  their underlying principles
• to benchmark the practices
• to identify "best practices" using appropriate
  measurement criteria
• to examine the practices in relation to the
  prevailing national socio-economic conditions
• to undertake a literature survey in order to
  assess various recomendations relating to RTO
  transformation, and
• to establish realistic recommndations for
  implementation
• The project team contacted over 200 RTOs, funding
  agencies and industry associations during the
  research phase. This collaboration yielded the
  information required to carry out the
  identification of best practices. During the
  implementation phase the team selected and worked
  closely with about 15 RTOs.

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Best Practices for the Management of Research and
Technology Organizations

• Project Partners
• DTI (Denmark), NISTADS (India), SRC (Canada)
• FRI, IRI, SIC, FRIG, BRRI (Ghana)
• KIRDI, ICIPE (Kenya)
• TEMDO, CAMARTEC, TIRDO (Tanzania)
• CSIR (South Africa)
• MRI, U of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

• Sponsors
• International Development Research Centre, IRDC
  (Canada)
• Danish International Development Assistance,
  DANIDA (Denmark)
• Duration 1995 - ongoing

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EU-FP6 Biotechnology Projects

• Six EU-FP6 Biotechnology Projects involving
  WAITRO Africa Members (Ghana. Nigeria, Kenya,
  Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa Côte dIvoire
  and Sudan) and European partners (BFE in Germany,
  KVL in Denmark)
• Implementation of on-going projects on
  Aflatoxins, Coffee, Cocoa and Soumbala
• Seminars and programmes on Capability Building
  for Research and Development in Traditional
  Fermented Foods
• Establishment of networks for the preparation of
  applications under FP6
• Total value of projects up to 5.32 million
• Two projects completed and 4 are ongoing up to
  2005

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Incubators Programme

• Sharing Experience in implementing Technology
  Based Incubators
• To assist RTOs in the development of small
  businesses by sharing learning and experiences
• Technology Based Incubators Workshop in SADC
  countries
• 24 28 February 2003, Grand Bay, Mauritius
• Technology Based Incubators Workshop in Pafos,
  Cyprus, on May 2002

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Ongoing Incubator Implementation Programmes

• Development of a a database of Incubators and
  Incubatees at national level and link through a
  global network to facilitate collaboration and
  sharing of experiences.
• Development of an on-line system at
  www.ekkolapsisonlin.com that allows many to
  simultaneously add data
• Preparation of an Incubator manual encompassing
  definitions, objectives, procedures, policy and
  flow charting of activities, best practices and
  pitfalls, success and failures, in the planning
  and management of Incubators that can be used for
  adaptation to suit the local environment
• Preparation of an inventory of Incubators
  world-wide and compilation of country-wise
  monographs of incubator operations

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WAITRO Africa Regional Focal Point Ms Berenice
Lue Marais Head CSIR Africa Business
Development P O Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South
Africa Tel [phone] Fax 27 12
841-3789 Email blue_at_csir.co.za Internet
http//www.waitro.org/ http//www.csir.co.za/plsq
l/ptl0002/PTL0002_PGE100_LOOSE_CONTENT?LOOSE_PAGE_
NO7084141 ' Your Success is our Success'