2140-13 workshop on entrepreneurship for physicists and...

2140-13

Workshop on Entrepreneurship for Physicists and Engineers from Developing Countries

Dipali Chauhan

3 - 7 May 2010

Institute of Physics London

UK

IOP: International Programme � Physics for Development

Promoting physics, supporting physicists

Dr Dipali D ChauhanInternational Relations Manager, IOP

[email protected], www.iop.org

IOP: International Programme –Physics for Development


AimsTo promote and support physics in furthering scientific knowledge and providing economic and social benefits


IOP International Programme - OverviewAbout 1/6th members are international and we have 3 joint awardswith France, Germany and Italy to recognise eminent scientists European Physical Society* – play major role and provide significant fundingJoint agreements with >30 national societiesWide variety of benefits

Discounts on membership, conferences etcFree e-affiliate membership to the countries which are classified as a low income economy and reduced rate membership for the middle income economy identified by the World Bank

Involved in International Union of Pure & Applied Physics** -Associate Secretary General from IOP and active member of Commission on Physics for DevelopmentPlus free IOP e-journal access to 73 developing countries (worth £7.8m)

* www.eps.org ** ww.iupap.org


BackgroundWorld Conference on Physics & Sustainable Development

in Durban (2005), organised by the IUPAP* (International Union for Pure and Applied Physics)

Physics EducationPhysics & Economic Development (Lead by the IOP)Energy & EnvironmentPhysics & Health

* www.iupap.org


Physics for Development Innovation/Entrepreneurial SkillsEducation and TrainingBarriers facing education projects in Africa


Innovation/Entrepreneurial Skills : Entrepreneurial WorkshopTwo workshop on ‘Economic Development for Physicists and Engineers from Developing Countries’was organised in Nov 06 and March 08Workshop in South Africa in Nov 09

Held at - Trieste, ItalyIn association with - Abdus Sallam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)

Workshop Topicsintellectual property (IP)patenting, copyright, licencestart-up, spin-outSME’slegal issuesfunding (venture capital (VC) route, public sector)case studiesbusiness plangroup discussions


Follow-on supportThe IOP launched an online discussion forum for delegates to provide them with a platform to

networkshare their knowledge and information receive an online educational material and courses to develop their business skillsreceive an advice from the speakers who are expert in their field of commercialisation [email protected]@networks.iop.org

The Institute also offered to set up a facility for delegates who wish to conduct online meetings/seminars


Follow-on Support Online courses on soft skills – The

courses allow participants to develop vital personal and professional skills at their own pace and time

Topics include:• Leadership skills • Negotiation skills • Coaching skills • Conversations with customers • Time management • The Managers Starter Pack


Follow-on Activity - Entrepreneurship CurriculumUpon the successful completion of this course a

student should be able toUnderstand entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial processUnderstand the potential of physicists and engineers to contribute as entrepreneursIdentify steps required to research the potential for a new venture opportunityUnderstand the concept of IP generation and protectionUnderstand the steps involved in taking an invention to a productObtain sufficient financial literacy and knowledge to be able to write a business planIdentify the steps required in setting up a new ventureLearn the soft skills required for success in a business environmentLearn about the resources available for budding entrepreneurs


Commercialisation of Nanotechnology workshop was held in India in January 2008 was a great success.

Workshop was in collaboration with the Institute of Physics (UK), British Council (Pune, India), National Chemical Laboratory (NCL, Pune) and Reliance India Ltd

Advanced workshop which was aimed to share best practice between UK-India

An India-UK workshop to explore routes to commercialisation


Climate Change and Entrepreneurship Workshop in BrazilThe joint workshop on ‘Climate Change and Entrepreneurship’ was organised in Brazil during the first week of March 2009, in collaboration with the Royal Society, RSC , FAPESP and the British Embassy in Sao PauloThe aim of the workshop was to foster research collaborations between UK and Brazilian institution, specially in the areas of bio/renewable energyThe key issue was whether there is a money to be made from climate change through developing clean energy technology?


Innovation/Entrepreneurial skills: Entrepreneurial Workshop

Workshop on ‘Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers from Developing Countries in Africa’

Held at – The iThemba Laboratories, Cape Town, South Africa, November 2009In association with - Abdus Sallam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), South African

Institute of Physics SAIP, The Institute if Physics IOP and American Physical Society APS.

ObjectivesTo build capacity in sustainable development through training trainers in entrepreneurship and innovation management skillsTo encourage universities in Africa to introduce entrepreneurship and business skills in the science and engineering curricular To ultimately reduce brain drain by encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship among African scientists To encourage interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder dialogue through bringing the following groups together during the workshop

Physicists, chemists, life scientists, engineers and social scientists North - South cooperation: scientists from Europe working with African scientists South - South cooperation: scientists from India & China working with African scientists


Future plansThe goal is to hold one workshop in even years at Trieste (ICTP), patterned after those held there already in 2006 and 2008, and in a suitable developing country in odd years

The host organisation from the developing country will be responsible for local arrangements and expenses

We have got requests to organise entrepreneurship workshop from Jordan, Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana and other developing countries


Education and Training: Rwanda School Project (2005-today )

Year 1: donating physics apparatus & equipment to a school in Kigali. Year 2: built a workshop in that school, & trained local staff to build the equipment for distribution to other schools in the area Year 3: employing a local project manager and support staff to train teachers in different schools to use the equipment in the classroom

Joshua and David –workers Storage of Materials

The Resource Centre The Workshop


Light made simple


Rwanda School ProjectYear 4: Increasing output of the workshop by training technicians to develop new products locally in RwandaYear 5: Introduction of ICT in the classroom and training teachers on educational software

African BenefitsSupport for a fledgling education systemEconomic growth and hence reduced povertyDevelopment of teacher skills and experienceWorkforce skills improved


Ethiopia School Project – Oct 2008The aim of the phase 1 was to provide physics equipment and training in its use for teachers from schools in Ethiopia

Phase 2 – Jan 2010it is proposed to run a further training session and initiate a workshop for the manufacture of equipment in Addis Ababa

UK BenefitsEncouraging young people to consider physics as a careerDevelopment of wider understanding by pupils of the world and application of physicsCo-operation between industrial based Physicists and Educational Physicists making the link between the classroom and the workplaceDevelopment of 3rd world economy enabling trade to growA UK presence in a developing country

Physics Teachers Training - Ethiopia


Malawi School Project – Nov 2008The aim of the phase 1 project

Improving Physics skills of secondary school teachersEquipping them with physics experimental kitsTraining them in using the kits

Future plan: Ghana School project in planned for April 2010To roll out Rwandan model in other African countries and share best practise based on ‘Train the Trainers’ model in Africa

BMIS in Lilongwe, Malawi


Tanzania School project - July 2009To sell the idea of how effective practical can be as a teaching toolTo show how practical equipment can form the backbone on which to base the whole lesson on, with students out of their seats and the classroom being a dynamic placeTo get the teacher away from the blackboardTo show the extensive range of experiments possible using the kitTo encourage teachers to design their own experiments using the kitTo encourage teachers to look for other kit that might be used

‘Happy Door’ experiment, to show lever law


IOP Training for Physics Teachers in Uganda – Aug 2009

•Neat equipment for electricity29 schools were represented

The physics team, back row, L to R Francis, Moses, Athanasius, Gonzaga


Balloons are useful resources for physics!


Learning new uses for slotted masses ………and using the super IOP calculator rulers!


Ticker tape timers are not common in Uganda

Gonzaga (left) and Joseph look at IOP literature


‘Practical subjects like physics and chemistry create a strong and firm foundation for the transformation of our country …….. I thank the IOP and RSC from London, England …… that funded this training for a week’

Closing remarks by Nyakairu Cox Apuuli,

Resident District Commissioner, Kabale

District, Uganda


Barriers facing education projects in AfricaFunding

Inadequate infrastructure/transport

Demand for educational resources/training

Lack of awareness/stability

Devotion of time


FundingContinuous funding is required for sustainable development

Long term focus – funding better spent on education/ building infrastructure and training ‘Training the Trainers’ model

Solution? – source and train locally (building equipment & taking advantage of local trainer is cheaper)

Influencing policy makers and sharing the best practise

Precarious economic climate –more difficult to secure funding: combined efforts needed??


Inadequate infrastructure/transportLack of scientific facilities and InfrastructureAccess to scientific excellence centre for research and developmentAbsence of scientific hub, network and communication Reliability of transport is always an issuePoor knowledge and best practice sharing Vehicle suitability – vehicles need to be able to transport equipmentDelivering equipment to Africa –transportation cost and resourcesBorder instability makes transportation difficult.


Demand for educational resources/training

Basic equipment is vital to aid development – little or no equipment in most African secondary schools Books, reference material, equipment, training etc.Very little science based industry in AfricaTeachers are not adequately trained to perform experiments in class/ to teach new teaching methodsLack of computers and ICT resources in the African schools


Lack of awareness/stabilityLack of awareness about science based career/industryBorder control – issues when moving between countries (lack of scientific network) Lack of information about scientific strengths within AfricaWorldwide economic environment – unsettling and unstableLack of educational stability can make projects difficult to manage Unsuitable reference material –often unreliable and outdated.


Devotion of TimeUK teacher support – vital to project’s success

Shortage of well trained physics and science teachers

Scoping the project – which areas to target?

Collaborative efforts to build capacity building in the Africa

IOP is one of the few dedicated institutes willing to help.


Millennium Development Goal’s cannot be achieved in Africa without developing capacity to use ST and Innovation and without strategic international partnership that can sustain that capacity.


2140-13 workshop on entrepreneurship for physicists and...

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