Investment in S&T Capacity: A view from the ISTS DialoguesSlide 2How the world sees Science…7 Challenges for TWAS & friendsInvestment in S&T Capacity:A view from the ISTS DialoguesComments to the TWNSO Ministerial Session on Government Investment in Science and Technology Capacity BuildingTWAS 20th Century Celebrations17 October 2003 -- Bejing, ChinaWilliam C. ClarkCenter for International DevelopmentHarvard University([email protected])Investment in S&T Capacity:A view from the ISTS Dialogues•Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability –independent scientists, development workers from around world–cooperating with TWAS, ICSU, others to ask…•“How can the world scientific community improve its contribution to sustainable development?”•Conduct dialogues among the science, policy and development communities: Abuja, Chiang Mai, Santiago, Trieste, Ottawa, Bonn, Mexico City and, virtually, at–http://sustainabilityscience.org•Result was many kind words for science… But realiza-tion that S&T capacity remains far below what’s needed.–If science is so useful, why don’t we invest more in it?How the world sees Science…•Society does not believe that scientists are interested in working on solutions to the most urgent problems of development…•…and doesn’t appreciate what science has in fact contributed, so it underinvests in science;•Idealistic young people do not see science careers as a way of helping to solve social problems, so they seek other professions;•Academies of Science are seen to be part of the problem (“An old men’s club for the preservation of traditional disciplines…”).7 Challenges for TWAS & friends•Measure and publicize the impact of investments in S&T on development in the language of economics/bugets;•Create forums for listening to the development communities to learn what they most need from S&T;•Encourage investment in excellent (and often interdisciplinary) research on those user-defined needs;•Provide opportunities for young idealists (also from the ‘north’) to train as apprentice scientists in that R&D;•Design guidelines for ethically engaging the private sector (and its capital) in that R&D and training;•Tell the universities of the N how they could (really) help;•Elect to our Academies of Science the scientists who do excellent research in support of