As part of the Water Future Conference in Bengaluru, we organized a special session on “Science Diplomacy and Global Water Challenges” on 26 Sept 2019.

Session Details:

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Title of the Session: Role of Science Diplomacy in Addressing Global Water Challenges

Date: 26 Sept 2019 (Thursday) | 16.30 to 19.30 IST | Hotel Sheraton – Grand Ball Room 2, Bangalore, India

Science Diplomacy, as a practice, is gaining prominence around the world as part of the emerging multi-track diplomacy system. It functions at the intersection of ‘internationalization of science’, ‘science and technology as a foreign policy tool’ and ‘scientific evidence for global policy’. The relevance of non-state, non-diplomatic actors is constantly increasing in international engagement, particularly, towards addressing some of the pressing challenges that the world faces today. Globally, the water crisis has been raising alarm – prolonged droughts, fluctuating agriculture patterns and associated food and energy security challenges, cities running out of the water, issues related safety and accessibility of drinking-water and water-borne health problems, etc. Addressing these challenges require interventions at every possible level – ranging from appropriate policies, having access to necessary know-how, technology transfer and absorption capacity, and, community practices and interventions.  In today’s interconnected world, with a tightly-knit value chain around the globe, water-related challenges inevitably require international engagements – global challenges require global solutions! This special session aims to discuss the role and importance of various stakeholders (diplomatic and non-diplomatic) in a comprehensive Science Diplomacy Framework in addressing global water challenges. 

About the session:

The session

• Gathers experts and practitioners working at the crossroads of “international S&T engagement” and “addressing water challenges” at different levels – government/diplomatic, industry, academia and civil society. 
• Aims to deliberate on the role(s) played by various stakeholder, and
• Facilitate a discussion towards building a holistic, sector-specific science diplomacy framework by creating strong inter-linkages among the stakeholders in different tracks.

Lead speakers include,

Amy Luers, Executive Director, Future Earth

András Szöllősi-Nagy, Chair, Water Future & Professor, Institute for Sustainable Development Studies

Anik Bhaduri, Director, Water Future & Professor, Australian Rivers Institute

C H Chandrasekhar, Senior Head – South & East, Wastewater BU, Larsen & Toubro

Gert Heijkoop, The Consul General of Netherlands in Bangalore

Jean-Christophe Mauduit, Lecturer in Science Diplomacy, University College London

Moderator: B. Chagun Basha, DST- Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Fellow, DST-CPR-IISc

This special session is organized by the DST-Centre for Policy Research at IISc Bangalore in association with the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangalore and Sustainable Water Future Programme.

Workshop on Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies

(with a specific focus on Scientometrics)

organized by

The DST-Centre for Policy Research, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru

in association with

The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), Maastricht, The Netherlands

25-29 March 2019

About the Programme

The DST- Centre for Policy Research (DST-CPR) at Indian Institute of Science, in association with the United Nations University -Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) is conducting a 5-day capacity-building program on Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies (DEIP) (with a specific focus Scientometrics). DEIP provided by UNU-MERIT is proven to be popular since its inception in 2004, for policy makers in science, technology and innovation (STI) policy, particularly in developing countries.  In this edition – DEIP 2019 Bangalore – DST-CPR is joining hands to bring-in complementary expertise, with a specific focus on STI data with relevance to the local policy needs.

Topics and Format

The workshop aims to cover the topics in the form of lectures, panel discussions, hands-on trainings and group presentations. The topics include,

Measurement: Standards and Manuals (Frascati and Oslo) – data-collection methodologies – applying the manual standards in OECD vs Non-OECD countries – R&D statistics and innovation surveys questionnaires – bibliometric databases – Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, local repositories – tools and techniques- data mining and curation- existing techniques and alternate models – issues related to data standardization -ensuring accuracy, accessibility, availability and international comparability.

Indicators: S&T indicators – innovation indicators – S&T vs innovation indicators composite/cross-cutting indicators – scoreboards and indexes – bibliometric indicators (macro, meso and micro levels) – “the bibliometric toolbox” – quantitative and qualitative evaluation – opportunities and limitations – research evaluation – what can and cannot be captured (measured and evaluated) through the available indicators? – challenges and need for new form of Indicators.

Policy Relevance:  Applications (uses and abuses) of indicators in various stages of policy process (evidence for policy framework) – uses and abuses of bibliometric indicators – applications of bibliometric analysis – HEI/ University ranking frameworks – sectorial research performance evaluation – funding policies – in S&T and Innovation policies. – S&T policy vs innovation policy – policy indicators – Innovation (eco)system approach – forecasting and impact assessment.

About the Speakers

The sessions will be conducted by distinguished professors and experts from organizations including, the United Nations University- Maastricht Economic and social Research and training center on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), Maastricht, The Netherlands, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, France and the DST-Centres for Policy Research (DST-CPRs).

Target Participants

The Programme targets entry/mid-level scientists and officials in relevant government agencies who use STI data for various policy, program and scheme planning and implementation. Also, we encourage policy researchers/scholars who use/work on STI Indicators/ Scientometric Analysis to apply.

Practical Details

How to Apply

Online application link: https://goo.gl/aWXGZr

Important Dates

The last date for application: 24th Feb 2019

Programme dates: 25-29 March 2019

Registration

The selected participants will be asked to register for the workshop through a Demand Draft of Rs 1000 in favor of The Registrar, IISc.

Financial Support

The travel and accommodation of selected participants might be partially/fully supported based on the availability of funds.

Programme Coordination

Professor Antony Arundel

UNU-MERIT, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Dr. B. Chagun Basha

DST-CPR, IISc, Bangalore, India