International Journal of Technology Management & Sustainable Development - Volume 6, Issue 1, 2007

The concept of innovation system is used increasingly in current science policy discourse as a metaphor to indicate the need for a much wider perspective on relevant decision-making procedures than has been the case in the past. This paper explores its use from the standpoint of the behaviour of an international agricultural research institute located in Africa and focused on two vector-borne livestock diseases, trypanosomiasis and theileriosis, which form case studies for this paper. The paper argues that adopting an innovation systems perspective could open up new possibilities for research institutes of this type with impacts on both socioeconomic development and scientific quality that are likely to be positive.

This paper explores the growing phenomenon of public and private partnerships (PPPs) in developing public goods through a study of a particular instance in the development of SARS vaccine in China. The case highlights the factors shaping this development: The specific nature of SARS vaccine as a public good which differs from other medical products as well as the social, economic and political context in China where this development takes place. Our observation points to the pivotal elements of PPP in drawing upon complementary resources for technology development especially in a developing country like China: The complexity of motives and incentives of individual actors, the governance and organisation of the partnership, and the role of the Chinese government. The case also draws our attention to the different nature of partnership, which may have impacts on the choice of technology, the length of R&D process and long or short term effects to the society.

Developing countries, Brazil included, have long struggled not only with creating a strong knowledge base but also, and more importantly, with making such a knowledge base relevant to solve local problems. This article focuses on the Brazilian response to the AIDS epidemic. The case exemplifies that it is possible to articulate a multitude of social actors government, the R&D system, the manufacturing sector and the broader society to create an innovative, knowledge-based approach to a social problem. Key to the success was the fact that Brazil took ownership of its AIDS problem from the beginning and the strong commitment of all parties to the agreed strategies. Taking this context into account, the article looks at the Brazilian participation in publicprivate partnerships for HIV vaccine trials. It argues that the country prepared itself in terms of research capacity, institutional infrastructure and guidelines prior to engaging in vaccine trials partnerships. For this reason, the capacity gained by participating in international partnerships adds to the already existent knowledge and skills base, which, in turn, is ready to absorb the new knowledge.

Publicprivate partnerships (PPPs) are an innovative mechanism for promoting investment in vaccine development for HIV/AIDS through the creation of economic and social incentives for collaboration. PPPs can also create important process-related, intangible value added. A case study of the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative conducted in mid-2005 concluded that intangible value added, occurring in the form of good collaborative effort and capacity building activities, significantly contributed to partnership working. The study also showed that often innovation and health(care) are seen as separate areas of activity in policy development, while in reality there are linkages between these two systems, particularly when viewing PPPs from a systems of innovation perspective through the concept of absorptive capacity, which relates to the understanding of the value and use of knowledge. A systems of innovation approach focuses on the building of knowledge capacity and knowledge flows. Policy based on this holistic and inclusive approach provides a possible means for sustainable development.

(The Guest Editors of this issue invited four experts with relevant research experience Dr. Chrispin Kambili from International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Africa; Professor William Muraskin of Queens College, CUNY, New York; Professor Lynn K. Mytelka of UNU-INTECH, Maastricht and Luigi Orsenigo from University of Brescia and CESPRI, Bocconi University, Milan to discuss the significance of vaccine initiatives in developing countries for long-term capacity development. Following are their views.)

Conference on the Triple Helix Paradigm for Development: Strategies for Co-operation and Exchange of Good Practice

University and Development: The Triple Helix Conference in Addis Ababa