CONFÉRENCE DES NATIONS UNIES SUR LE COMMERCE ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
Case studies on science and technology projects in developing countries
March 2006
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3 1. The GrameenPhone project in Bangladesh .............................................................. 4 2. The Prodem Project in Bolivia .................................................................................... 5 3. Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain in Pakistan ........................................................ 6 4. The Biotechnology Industry and Hepatitis B Vaccine in Cuba.................................. 7 5. Clonal Technology in Kenya ...................................................................................... 8 6. Innovative Wireless E-services for Fishermen in Senegal ........................................ 9 7. Rapid Composting Technology in the Philippines ................................................... 10 8. Voxiva - a Voice Portal for Health in Peru ............................................................... 11 9. Fundación Chile ........................................................................................................ 12 10 The Academy of Sciences Malaysia ....................................................................... 13 11. E-commerce for Farmers in the Philippines .......................................................... 14 12. Using cell phone technology to combat AIDS in Rwanda ..................................... 15
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Introduction
At the Millennium Summit in 2000, United Nations member States adopted eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to inspire, guide and assess humanity’s development efforts. The MDGs constitute a set of time-bound and measurable goals, targets and indicators for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and gender inequality. The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) has addressed the role of science and technology in meeting the MDGs since 2003. It has concluded that progress towards achieving the MDGs has been slow, and that many developing countries are not likely to meet these goals without concerted efforts to place science and technology at the centre of their development agenda. The Commission reiterated that effective harnessing of existing and emerging technologies would both reduce the costs of and increase the likelihood of achieving the MDGs. However, the socio-economic benefits of modern science and technology had yet to reach the vast majority of the world’s poor. In most of the least developed countries, the poor are usually rural small-scale subsistence farmers, as in subSaharan Africa and other regions, or urban people engaged in the informal sector. Innovative strategies are needed to combine the benefits of conventional science and technology, such as those of the green revolution, with the potential growth enabled by new and emerging technologies, such as information and communication technologies and biotechnologies. The Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC), in its resolution 2005/52, requested the CSTD to collect and compile case studies of successful experiences and best practices in science, technology and innovation that showcase their positive impact on the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration. These twelve case studies have been compiled in response to the above request.
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1. The GrameenPhone project in Bangladesh
1.A Technology: Use of mobile communication in poor rural areas. 1.B Project summary Bangladesh has used new technologies to expand the country's telecommunication infrastructure while providing women in remote areas with better opportunities for income creation. In 1995, Bangladeshi Government liberalized the telecommunication sector and decided to auction licenses for cellular phone operations to the private sector. The Grameen Bank together with the US company Gonofone and the Norwegian Telenor created a consortium betting for one of the licenses. GrameenPhone Limited began operating in 1996 as one of four national licenses in Bangladesh. An initial loan on approximately $500 is offered to women and covers the purchase of a GrameenPhone GSM phone. The buyer can immediately begin to sell communication services to fellow villagers. With a mobile and a handset, women sell telephone services by going door-to-door to villagers. GrameenPhone selects women for this program based on their past borrowing records with Grameen Bank. In addition, residence location is important in considering loan requests because for many villages the Village Phone will be the only link to the telecommunications infrastructure and therefore a central location will prove beneficial both to business and to the community. Finally, GrameenPhone ensures that at least one member of the family knows the English letters and numbers. A pilot program involving 150 villages suggests that the village phone concept is economically viable. Each of the village operators made an average of $2 a day or $700 a year after covering all costs. This earning is more than twice the country's annual per-capita income and is a proof that there is a demand for communications in the villages. After eight years of operation, GrameenPhone has more than 4 million subscribers in 2005. It presently commands 62% of the mobile phone market in the country. It has built the largest network with the widest coverage. As a result, almost 80% of population has now been brought under the coverage of the GP network covering 400 upazilas in 61 districts. Further reading: http://www.grameenphone.com
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2. The Prodem Project in Bolivia
2.A Technology: Use of biometric and audio-enhanced ATM and smart-card technologies in financial and non-financial services. 2.B Project summary In Bolivia, new technology has been used to provide improved financial and non-financial services to local farmers and micro-enterprises. The Fundacion para la promocion y el Desarrollo de la Mircoempresa (PRODEM) is a privately held fund, which offers financial services to Bolivians with limited or no access to conventional banking services. The PRODEM project uses Innova’s state-of-the-art technology to offer individuals and entrepreneurs savings pass book, smart card, fixed-term certificate of deposit, group loan, small individual loan ($50-$500), larger individual loan ($100-$3,000), pre-mortgage, mortgage and consumer lending. The so-called Smart Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) cards have an inbuilt multimedia system that offers clients with visual and sound aid in three languages. Furthermore, the ICT tool consists of digital fingerprint recognition technology implemented in the Smart Automatic Teller Machine. PRODEM's biometric and smart card technologies have seen rapid acceptance among its customers, even though many do not know how to read or write. When customers operate the ATM, they get audio instructions in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara about which language to choose. In the language chosen, they are subsequently instructed to insert their smart card and place their finger on the fingerprint recognition device of the Smart ATM interface. Today PRODEM has 76 branches and 52 intelligent, automatic teller machines spread all over the country. The machines cover an area from the North West, over the Andean mountains to the Amazon in the Eastern part of Bolivia. So far, the project has lent more than US$102 million in loans to Bolivian micro-entrepreneurs mainly within the informal sector. Additionally, PRODEM provides non-banking services such as access to government programs providing work for low-skill workers, and payments to senior citizens. Agreement with the government authorizes PRODEM to make such payments to the elderly and unemployed citizens. These people make use of the smart cards and Smart ATMs as well. The PRODEM project demonstrates how the mentioned services can be provided efficiently even in poor, rural communities with inadequate telecommunications infrastructure. Moreover, the solution respects and empowers indigenous communities, overcoming the problem of illiteracy and serving customers in multiple languages. Finally, because the PRODEM FFP solution is low-cost and profitable, it could potentially be replicable in other developing regions. Read more http://www.goodictpractices.dk/ World Resources Institute. What Works: PRODEM FFP's Multilingual Smart ATMs for Microfinance
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3. Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain in Pakistan
3.A Project: Capacity building for higher education. 3.B Project Summary Pakistan is currently facing the challenge of preventing qualified and educated persons from fleeing the country after graduating from their studies in Pakistan or abroad. To reverse the growing brain drain, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan has initiated a project which encourages well-educated professionals to return to their home country and actively participate in university training and networking activities. Special attention has been given to strengthening the country's science and technology knowledge base. So far, 250 expatriate professional Pakistanis have returned to help the government to impart quality education. Under the faculty development programme, 1,500 expert expatriate Pakistanis will be inducted in different universities nationwide. Presently only 1,700 out of the 7,000 university teachers have PhD degrees. The aim with this project is to have the current annual figure of 200 PhDs to increase to about 1,200-1,500 within four to five years. 1,000 scholarships are annually given to students who want to continue with higher levels of education. Additionally, the government sponsors exceptionally qualified students for higher education abroad and up until today around 250 students have been sent abroad. Read more http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-1-2005_pg7_38 http://www.hec.gov.pk
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4. The Biotechnology Industry and Hepatitis B Vaccine in Cuba
4.A Project: Local biotechnology and medical research. 4.B Project summary Cuba is known for its long tradition in medicine spanning from the introduction in 1804 of the first vaccination procedure to the most recent accumulation of basic and clinical information regarding biomedicine-related products. More recently, the first synthetic vaccine for the prevention of pneumonia and meningitis was introduced by Cuban scientists. Developed in the 1980s and based on local R&D, the meningitis B vaccine was the first of its kind. The vaccine protects against bacteria that cause respiratory infections mainly in children up to five years old, and is touted as much cheaper than the conventional one offered by the multinational companies. Today, Cuba boasts a ratio of 1.8 scientists per 1000 inhabitants, a level comparable to the European Union. Cuba holds 400 patents in the biotech field. Although it is a small country with only 11 million people, it now boasts 52 scientific research institutes in the capital and more than 12,000 scientists on the whole island. There are 38 biotech centres, grouped together in a science park to the west of Havana, which integrate research, development, production and marketing. Since the early 1960s, biotechnology and medical research became a top priority of the Cuban government. In 1990s, more than one billion dollars have been invested in biotech R&D alone. A highly focused research strategy has enabled the country to eradicate numerous diseases and to control epidemics in remarkably short periods of time. As a result of its overall strategy, Cuba's research effort has produced a variety of products ranging from vaccines and cancer therapy drugs to fetal monitoring equipment. In Cuba, a networking strategy has been applied within the public health system via both telematic and internet communication, encompassing one national node, three regional nodes and ten provincial nodes. Similarly, the University Medical School of Cuba incorporates tele-education, tele-medicine, and off-site research in its programs. Cuba is highly active in international linkages and collaborations. Recently, Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding for scientific cooperation. Additionally, India's Biocon India Ltd signed a deal with Cuba's Centre of Immunology to set up a production plant in Bangalore. It will manufacture a select range of biotechnology products primarily for the Indian market based on a 51-49 per cent partnership. Cuban scientists will provide the technology transfer in the production of recombinant monoclonal antibodies for use in cancer treatment designed to target tumours.
Read more Thorsteinsdóttir, Halla ,etal (2004). Cuba: Innovation through Synergy, December, Nature Biotechnology
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5. Clonal Technology in Kenya
5.A Technology: Tissue culture and clonal technology in forestry. 5.B Project summary To alleviate the widespread deforestation and forest degradation, Kenya has implemented a project of improving the supply of cheap, fast-growing planting material, which can be done faster and more efficiently through the so-called tissue culture and clonal technology. The tissues culture can produce a large number of disease-free plants in a very short time. In addition, the plants grow faster than conventional planting material. So far, a seedling nursery has been established that is currently producing 500,000 seedlings annually, with plans to expand production to 3 million a year by the end of 2005. The project aims to create a self-sustaining production and dissemination system, driven by private enterprise. Initial sales will therefore be targeted at commercial enterprises involved in forestry or using wood. As production increases and economies of scale are achieved, small scale farmers and the urban poor are estimated to become the project’s major beneficiaries. It is planned to introduce additional clones to broaden the genetic base and provide a wide range of materials adapted to each agro-ecological zone. A broad range of benefits to incomes, living standards, food security, human health and the environment will result from the introduction of clonal technology for tree seedling production, addressing the needs of both larger-scale commercial enterprises and small-scale farmers. The benefits include the increased availability of fuel wood in rural and urban areas, a reduction of the cost of fuel wood and charcoal for the urban poor, additional time for productive activities for peasants and so on. The project is based on resources and knowledge from both the public and private sector. The Kenya Forestry Research Institute, the Forest Department of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources as well as a private entity the Mondi Forest jointly organized and financed the project. Generally, biotechnology projects require large sums of investments, and the Mondi Forest plays a key role in the financing of the project. Read more International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications(2002). Biotechnology in Tree Production: Creating a Self-Sustaining Production and Dissemination System in Kenya
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6. Innovative Wireless E-services for Fishermen in Senegal
6.A Technology: Mobile technologies in fishery and farming. 6.B Project summary In 2003, a project based on wireless access protocol (WAP) and short messaging service (SMS) technology was initiated in Senegal. By supporting the livelihood of the fishermen and improving the security during working hours, the project allows fishermen to up-date themselves with highly relevant information on weather conditions and market prices. In addition, the fishermen can use the interactive technology to input fish stock information aiming for marketing their products and to log their departure and estimated time of return. This type of information also helps the fishing unions to be alerted if some fishing boats fail to return on time. The project is supported by a number of different organisations. Similarly, Manobi's information system on fruits and vegetables (SIM) accessible by GSMData has enabled the farmers of the Niayes in the western Senegal to increase their sale prices by over 50% per year. Overall, the development of this SIM use on the mobile brings an annual income of CFA F 10 billion from the 7,000 ha cultivated in the Niayes area, which can immediately be used by the beneficiaries to take care of their own social and economic development.
Read more http://www.manobi.net/
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7. Rapid Composting Technology in the Philippines
7.A Technology: Composting technology instead of fertilizers in rice plantation. 7.B Project summary In the Philippines, a rapid composting technology system has been implemented with the support of the government. The project enables farmers to improve their soil quality and thereby increase rice yields while reducing the overall use of fertilizer in the agriculture. The use of the rapid composting technology allowed for an increase in total rice production in the Philippines of 0.11%. This has been translated into an estimated incremental value of US$13.3 million as a result of the increase in rice production for the period 1992 - 1996. There have also been reports of positive employment effect associated with the establishment of the new compost industry and positive environmental effects resulting from the use of agricultural waste for compost production. In 1990, the Philippine government, through the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), began a national program, which introduced to Filipino farmers the rapid composting technology and the use of compost as fertilizer. The compost produced through this technology is now part of fertilization recommendations for rice and other crops. During the first three years, emphasis was on the establishment of mass production centers for the compost fungus activator throughout the Philippines. Government technicians were trained in the production of the activator, and in the composting process using this activator. These trainees in turn conducted their own training courses in their home provinces. The target of the program then changed to farmers, encouraging them to produce their own compost using raw materials such as rice straw and animal manure available on their farms. Read more http://www.fftc.agnet.org/library/abstract/eb444.html
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8. Voxiva - a Voice Portal for Health in Peru
8.A Telephone and internet for information management in health systems 8.B Project summary Voxiva is a private fund in Peru, which is committed to apply science and technology, and information technology in particular, to reduce the effects of the digital divide in the country. A new project has been developed, enabling health professionals in rural areas to use the telephone in order to submit reports to local or national health authorities. The product is called ALERTA and allows health authorities to keep track of disease outbreaks throughout the country in a timely manner. Based on the data constructed in the ALERTA, the government can generate automatic health alerts to health staff. The healthcare industry relies heavily on the management of critical information and technological solutions can be useful in overcoming some of the barriers faced in the country. As Internet access is highly limited and costly in Peru, the project is based on telephone access. Telephones are used to access the ALERTA platform. Health workers can connect to ALERTA by either dialing a free number connected to the secure server or by entering information over the Internet. When typing their personal access code, the workers are given a number of options allowing them to submit reports to health care authorities throughout the country. The initial funding for the project was raised through InfoDev and the Markle Foundation. By 2003, 76 health facilities have been connected to the voice portal. Together, these facilities have submitted 4,269 reports and 28,269 cases. In addition, during a Green Alert after flooding, health workers were able to submit reports on a daily basis to the Ministry of Health. Read more http://www.voxiva.net/ InfoDev. Voxiva(Peru): a Voice Portal for Health
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9. Fundación Chile
9.A Project: Technology prospecting and business incubating via multistakeholder partnerships. 9.B Project summary Fundación Chile was created in 1974 in order to facilitate research and technology transfer in Chile. Since then, Fundación Chile has been viewed as one of the best examples of a successful technology prospecting organization. Fundación Chile is a unique platform for interaction between the Government, the private sector and the academic community. The organization performs a strategic role in the generation of innovative products and processes for the national economy's key sectors. Fundación Chile undertakes scientific and technological research in order to detect business opportunities, select, transfer, and later disseminate production and marketing technologies that contribute to the country’s sustainable development. Most of its work has focused on introducing new but proven technologies to the economy. In the early '80s Fundación Chile began incubating and developing new technology businesses in its areas of specialization. Its market vision and its ability to arrange technologies in accordance with local conditions, together with its wide network of national and international alliances, allowed it to generate and disseminate innovations throughout the country. An external evaluation performed in the 1990s assessed Fundación Chile's socioeconomic impact at US$700 million in only six innovative projects from portfolio of more than 200 initiatives. Among its contributions to the country are the development of the control and certification of fruit for export, becoming pioneers of the Chilean salmon farming industry, introducing forest securitization as a financial instrument and incorporating human capital as a management basis for education and job competencies. Examples of successful technology transfers include Salmones Antártica, Salmones Huillinco, Salmotec, Finamar, Cultivos Achao, Procarne, Granjanova-Punto Verde, Berries La Unión, Geosig, Tecnoplant, and Auprin. Moreover, the institution has sold about 30 of the 40 firms it created to recover the foundation’s initial investment and to fund new projects. Fundación Chile is a public-private incubating agency designed to develop firms in new areas where private capital will not invest, and then sell the firms to the private sector. In order to strengthen research and development activities along with certain industries and export areas, the government has sought to govern the market by funding the project from the very beginning and was actively involved in setting up the organisation. Read more http://www.fundacionchile.cl/
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10 The Academy of Sciences Malaysia
10.A Project: Technology consultation. 10.B Project summary The government of Malaysia initiated the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) in 1994. A group of experts provides the government with advices related to science, engineering and technology, which are of national importance. It fosters a culture of excellence in the area and assists in upgrading the technological capabilities and competencies in the industry. Furthermore, the group seeks to strengthen public awareness on the role of science and technology and it facilitates international collaboration and projects. The academy acts as a forum for maintaining awareness on the part of the Government of the significance of the role of science, engineering and technology in the development process of the nation and for bringing national development needs to the attention of scientists, engineers and technologists. It also analyses particular national problems and identify where science, engineering and technology can contribute to their solution and accordingly to make recommendations to the Government. It keeps in touch with developments in science, engineering and technology and identify those developments that are relevant to national needs and to bring such developments to the attention of the Government. Finally, it prepares reports, papers or other documents relating to the national science, engineering and technology policy and makes the necessary recommendations to the Government Membership of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia is drawn from Malaysian scientists, engineers and technologists at the highest level. Membership is divided into 7 disciplines, namely medical sciences, engineering sciences, biological sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, chemical sciences, information technology and science & technology development and industry. Read more http://www.akademisains.gov.my/index.php
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11. E-commerce for Farmers in the Philippines
11.A Technology: Mobile phone and internet technologies for agriculture. 11.B Project summary In 2001, an electronic market place for farmers, fishermen, and small and medium enterprises opened in the Philippines. The e-marketplace helps the users to access market prices and trade products on-line. Through the marketplace, farmers can trade their products via internet and mobile phones. The website is free of charge for the users and helps the farmers and fishermen to monitor prices without travelling to marketplaces or trading centres. The e-marketplace facilitates approximately P2,7 billion worth of agricultural products and services annually, which is traded by roughly 1500 farmers. Among 2400 proposals, the emarketplace won a grant of 118,000 US$ in a World Bank contest in 2001 because of its innovative and development oriented style. Government-backed Land Bank is actively involved in the project as the bank's personnel offer basic internet training to farmers as well as training in how to use the electronic marketplace. In addition, the bank offers loans to the users at no interest in order for them to purchase computers and enable internet access. Also, the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) endorsed the marketplace as being a useful marketplace for the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Read more http://www.b2bpricenow.com/
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12. Using cell phone technology to combat AIDS in Rwanda
12.A Mobile phone technology in health systems. 12.A Project summary In Rwanda, about 4% of adults living in rural areas and 13% in Kigali, are living with HIV/AIDS. With approximately one doctor per 60,000 people in the country, the number of people waiting for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment is expected to be high for some time. A major challenge to scaling up AIDS treatment programs has been lack of efficient communication systems and data-sharing processes. Hindrances in communication can delay responses to drug shortages, causing disruptions in patient treatment and hence increase the probability of drug resistance. In order to scale up the treatment, the government of Rwanda is taking an unusual and very effective step in their plans to combat HIV/AIDS. The government has initiated a national project called "TRACnet" based on cell phone technology, which streamlines and expedites data sharing among health workers. Using this technology, health workers can receive patients’ test results as soon as they are processed by dialling a number or logging onto a bilingual (French and English) website. Prior to the project, patients waited up to a month for test results. Having drug information available within seconds, health officials at the Ministry of Health, Rwanda's Treatment and Research AIDS Center (TRAC) and the National Reference Laboratory can enhance patient services. TRACnet has proved to be a critical new tool to react and strategize in real time. As a result, 67 clinics and 150 health workers around Rwanda now use TRACnet to follow patients’ progress and within seconds monitor drug supplies and share data among them. Rwanda’s ARV program currently covers the treatment needs of more than 13,000 HIV-positive citizens and aims for reaching approximately 100,000 patients by 2007. TRACnet now serves as the national repository for sharing and storing critical data affecting national programs on HIV/AIDS. The national phone company, RwandaTel, and the country's cell phone provider, MTN-Rwandacell, have set up toll-free numbers and donated network time to support TRACnet. Since 2002, the Access Project team has been working closely with the Rwandan government in planning and rolling out its HIV/AIDS strategy. TRACnet was launched in January 2005 with funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CGHED (working closely with Rwanda's Treatment and Research AIDS Center (TRAC)), the Ministry of Health and Voxiva, a U.S.-based technology solutions provider.
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