General sciences – Page 6

African and other developing economies should invest in their own science, technology and innovation rather than relying on their exploitation by the West as cheap labour and unpredictable foreign aid. That was the message presented to the 21st Commonwealth Science Council Meeting, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday 9th June 2003 by Professor Sir Kumar Bhattacharyya, director of the UK University of Warwick’s internationally renowned Warwick Manufacturing Group.

Bhattacharyya has trained more than 100,000 UK managers, although his accomplishments were only recently widely recognised by his knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours list in June. In his speech to conference delegates among whom sat Ben Ngubane, Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology of the Republic of South Africa, Bhattacharyya stressed that developing countries had a unique opportunity to shape their science and technology policies. But, he pointed out that the developing world is losing out on major opportunities because for many years academic research programmes and their manufacturing export base often lived in splendid isolation from each other. He emphasised that excellence in these areas can no longer be the preserve of the developed nations.

Ben Ngubane (copyright NRF)

With advancement in science and technology linked directly to a country’s economy, it was suggested that many domestic problems might be solved more effectively than through a reliance on imported knowledge and foreign aid. Bhattacharyya called for scientists in developing countries to ignore the Nobel Prizes and other glamorous aims and to start focusing on less high- profile, but nevertheless crucial, research.

Bhattacharyya highlighted the various barriers to sustainable development and suggested that countries should concentrate on developing sustainable economic policies, refocusing STI strategies, creating a strong R&D and manufacturing base, and investing in people. Finally, he advised that developing nations must ensure they have the capacity to respond to international science, global markets and the world economy.

Kumar Bhattacharyya

In calling for developing countries to stop themselves being used for cheap labour, he asked that they show some self-respect and foster a base that can develop its own technologies in a sustainable way. The universities should become more outward facing, and a proportion of academic research should become market orientated as well as endeavouring to prevent the brain drain caused by foreign exchange programs that did little other than to establish cheap outposts for the host countries.

The Unsung Guru

You can read more about Kumar Bhattacharyya in the book The Unsung Guru by Andrew Lorenz.

Category: General sciences

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