European Regional Economic Forum (EREF)

2010 Workshop on
Knowledge Transfer for Development
“Circulation of Scientific Talent and Communication with
Diasporas”

Capacity Building for Knowledge Transfer & Globalization

Professor Dennis Anderson, Ph.D.

May 11, 2010

Istanbul, Turkey
 About Me
Professor of Business and Information Technology, Pace University, USA

Fulbright Scholar

High-level Adviser, United Nations Global Alliance for ICT & Development;
advised UNFPA, UNDP, UNESCO, UNECA on Sustainability, PPP, e-
Government, ICT

Adviser, Various organizations including CIO, Computerworld, Microsoft,

International Commission on Workforce Development

Judge, World Summit Awards, CIO 100, Imagine Cup, Computerworld Honors,
Emmy Awards for Advanced Technology

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 Agenda

 Knowledge Transfer
 Challenges
 Globalization
 World Economic Crisis
 Inward vs. Outward
 Innovation – Thinking outside the box
 Summary

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 Knowledge Transfer

Strategy
Knowledge
Investment
Knowledge Parallel, AA
A (more than Morphing,
Process
know-how) ABC
Transformation,
AC
R&D New, AX
Knowledge
Incubation

Holder: Receiver:
Experts, Experts,
Individuals, Individuals,
Organizations Organizations

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 Knowledge Transfer Ecosystem –
National Model (US)
National Strategy

Government Funding PPP, Government Economic

Agencies, NIH, NSF Development, Private Funding

University, Graduate Incubator

programs, Training,
R&D Labs
Accelerator Startup,
Commercialization

Corporate Labs
Xerox, MSR
Jobs
Economic Growth
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 Challenges
 Setting a national strategy on knowledge economy (this may mean a
shift in priority; everything worked for many years and why change
now?)
 R&D is a major investment commitment and often ROI is not
measurable or uncertain, NSF's FY 2011 Budget Request is $7.4
billion
 Knowledge for knowledge sake (basic research) may not stimulate
economic activities
 Without R&D investment, it is hard to stay competitive (IP)
 Creating an environment for knowledge transfer within the country
(intra governments, vertical and horizontal industries, universities to
startups)
 Nurturing and placing knowledge experts and workers (unrealized
human capital)
 Global competition for knowledge experts and workers
 Stagnant educational system, lack of reform

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 Globalization
 Flat world
 Economic opportunity
 Educational opportunity
 Freedom to think

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 Drivers
 Better economical and educational
opportunities  Brain draining (China, Russia,
India  US and EU, Google, Yahoo, Intel)
 Stimulation
 Diversity
 Density of knowledge experts
 Motivation
 Autonomy

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 World Economic Crisis
 Uncertainty
 Lack of funding (less investment in human
capital, R&D, education and training, etc.)
 Lack of economic opportunities, Xenophobia,
Reverse brain draining (US  India, China)

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 Inward vs. Outward
 Invest at home (capacity building)
 Import, incentive programs

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 Inward vs. Outward
 Invest at home
– Too expensive
– Not enough time
– Lack of diversity (idea/thinking)
– Not enough knowledge workers and experts
– Inadequate educational system
– Not enough funding
– Monolithic culture
 Import, incentive program
– Buy what you want (researchers, leaders (Google, Yahoo,
KAIST), technologies, etc.)
– Instant R&D programs or Hubs (Singapore, Korea, Belgium,
Ireland, Dubai, India, Philippines)
– Expensive ($350 m - McGovern Institute for Brain Research at
MIT, Multibillion $ - Singapore’s Biopolis and Fusionopolis)
– Retention
– Unclear about sustainability
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 Innovation – Think outside the box
Problem
Boxes CANNOT
•Culture
•Status quo
•Educational method
•Language
•$
•Hierarchy
•Resources

S W CAN Innovative
Solution,
O T Product

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 Summary
 Knowledge transfer is an ongoing challenge
 National strategy could help deal with this
challenge
 Invest at home and encourage experts to
relocate
 Create a free thinking environment (what is
possible vs. what you can do)

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 Cases
 India (poverty, lack of economic or educational
opportunity, BPO)
 China (poverty, manufacturing)
 Korea (export dependent)
 Singapore (science & technology investment)
 Ireland (information technology)
 Developed counties (knowledge based, aging
population in EU, new technology, Japan)
 USA (knowledge based, services, new
technology)

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 Contact Information

Dennis Anderson, Ph.D.

New York, NY
USA

dennis.Danderson@gmail.com

www.drdennisanderson.com

Source:
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