David Strangway , PhD, FRSC, OC

FORMER PRESIDENT•University of Toronto,

•University of British Columbia, Canada•Foundation for Innovation

FOUNDER• Quest University Canada

MY AFRICA BACKGROUND

•Grew up in Angola

•Parents were medical missionaries from 1927 to 1967 - Life In tropical medicine

•Created a health care system from public health to surgery

•Operated a major farm to deal with extensive nutritional diseases.

•Trained many Africans to do all of the many tasks needed in a hospital

EXPERIENCE AS AN ACADEMICAND AS AN

ADMINISTRATOR

•Faculty member at MIT teaching and research

•Chief of Earth and\planetary Science at NASA during the Apollo missions

•Worked with the best from around the world

•Man on the moon was not about science but to show technological superiority

•But the major outcome was the scientific revolution that rewrote the book on the origin and evolution of the solar system

EXPERIENCE AS AN ACADEMICAND AS AN ADMINISTRATOR (cont)

•Then the presidency of U of Toronto and then U of British Columbia

•Commitment to reinforce the capacity of students and faculty to develop their expertise on behalf of the taxpayers and their country

•Focus on ensuring autonomy of academic activity as the base of excellence

•Extensive development of incubators and spinoff companies to establish one of Canada’s most successful clusters.

CHAMPION OF INNOVATION

•First president of the Canada Foundation for Innovation to build research facilities to help attract and retain the very best researchers •$5 billion to date

•Canada Research Chairs funds 2000 positions at universities to attract and retain the best

•Both programs reviewed as the best of their kind in the world and reversed Canada’s brain drain

•These efforts help to build the supply side of innovation

CHAMPION OF INNOVATION (CONT)

•Several recent studies suggest that Canada needs to reinforce the demand side of innovation.

•In the area of innovation supply and demand are intimately interlinked (The World Bank)

•A recent book entitled “Demand - Creating What People Want Before They Know They Want It”

PROPOSED SURGE IN AFRICA’S RESEARCH CAPACITY

•This conference is a strong indication of the rising capacity of Africa to focus on research capacity and innovation

•Research as key tool of development is being recognized across the continent.

•National Academies of Science are developing fast

•Africa knows well its needs whether health care, food security, energy, mother and child, environment or developing natural resources

•Africa’s demand side of innovation is well understood

•Capacity to train attract and retain the best researchers is needed

•The next generation needs to be educated and trained here in Africa as the focus for developing nodes of excellence

Back to Angola• Preparing for third National conference on STI

• Six new universities created

• STI policy formally approved

• Working to develop implementation plan

• The International Association of University Presidents has proposed the creation of a program modeled on the Canadian experience by supporting 1000 positions at universities across Africa.

• Jan DeGroof from Belgium is present and also represents IAUP

• This would lead to establishing a Pan African Research Network of interconnected researhers supporting both the supply and demand side of innovation

• These steps will create or strengthen nodes of excellence

• We have recently worked with the HRST Commission of the African Union to identify the synergies between the chairs proposed surge and the Pan African University project.

PROPOSED SURGE IN AFRICA’S RESEARCH CAPACITY(cont)

HE Commissioner Ezin of HRST has established a task force working on this concept planning to initiate a project to develop a full strategic plan and related business plan for consideration in 2013.

Beatrice Njenga will also talk about this tomorrow.

Much at this meeting is coalescing in the same direction

Many university networks already exist and many around the world stand ready to partner with this enhanced capacity as equal partners

PROPOSED SURGE IN AFRICA’S RESEARCH CAPACITY(cont)