GRADUATE RESEARCH GEARED TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR NATIONS

Luc Duchateau, Ghent University

TITLE TRANSLATION

Study in Flanders,Make a difference at home! Are you able to make a difference? Are you willing to make a difference? Are you allowed to make a difference?

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

ARE YOU ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Importance of science and technology Type of knowledge and skills acquired Type of research required

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Science changed the world Science can solve problems, but not all

Malaria drugs

WHO study:save childrenwhen given

Requires continued followupto improve health

Green revolution

Requires a just societyto come out of poverty trap

TYPE OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ACQUIRED

Type of knowledge All disciplines needed Phocus on agriculture, next health Also technical knowledge badly needed

Type of skills At the same time theoretical and

application oriented

Organize jointly in North and South

TYPE OF RESEARCH

(South) problem oriented Sandwich scholarships should be the

golden standard Leads to creation of centers of

excellence in the south

SPONSORING CAPACITY BUILDING

Three cases The ILRI case The IUC-JU case The cross-cutting initiative in statistics

THE ILRI CASE (1)

ObjectivesDevelop vaccins against East Coast fever and trypanosomosis to solve disease problems for farmers and pastoralists

THE ILRI CASE (2)

Ways of action A number of international scientists

collaborates on these problems Attachment of Kenyan MSc and PhD

students

THE IUC-JU CASE (1)

Objectives:Institutional capacity building of Jimma University

Main research topic:

IUC-JU CASE (2)

The IUC-JU program consists of 7 projects:

IUC-JU CASE (2)

THE IUC-JU CASE: CAPACITY BUILDING Phase I

32 PhDs with North supervision defended in Belgium

MSc programmes established, e.g., MSc Biostats PhD schools established, e.g., Infectious diseases

Phase II 10 PhDs finished become South supervisors Create postdoctoral framework Joint PhD diplomes in Phase II, e.g., JU - UGent

SPECIFIC IUC-JU CASE: MALARIA PHD

Started from TDR project Assessing the dam effect on malaria

incidence

SPECIFIC IUC-JU CASE: MALARIA PHD

Extension in framework of IUC-JU Startup PhD in the North Look at insecticide resistance

Practical

Fundamental

SPECIFIC IUC-JU CASE: MALARIA PHD

And after the PhD … Establish PhD school in infectious diseases New PhD student under joint

supervisorship Zoophylic nature of Anopheles mosquito

CROSS CUTTING INITIATIVE IN STATISTICS CASE

The interest of new IUCs in statistical support MU-K, UCuenca, ADEKUS, UEM and JU

NSS initiative with Ecuador and Vietnam Initiated discussion among Flemish

academics Different target group, different format

Cross Cutting Initiative Stats 31 May 2007

THE CURRENT STATUS

Two debates held at UGent and UHasselt Statistical expertise and consulting at African

Universities: the current status and the missing links Meeting at VLIR with stakeholders from North

and South Lack of human capacity wrt Statistics in all different

disciplines (Exp. Design, Survival Analysis, Surveys) Statistical expertise often theoretical, not practical

Cross Cutting Initiative Stats 31 May 2007

SUPPORT STRATEGY

Teaching basic statistical courses in a region (e.g. Eastern Africa) with participation of a statistician of the different IUCs of that region

University must then take responsability to add these courses to curriculum

Cross Cutting Initiative Stats 31 May 2007

THE IUC-JU CASE

IUC-JU has project to develop Masters in Biostatistics

Each course given twice and then handed over to JU academic staff member

This could also be attended by statisticians from IUCs in Eastern Africa

Interuniversity website could be set up with course material, available to statisticians in IUC for their courses

Now available at nssbiostat.ugent.be, soon locally available

Now available at nssbiostat.ugent.be, soon locally available

Survival analysis, one of the courses

The slides …

ARE YOU WILLING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Many ICP and PhD students don’t find the way back home after studies ICP in nutrition: 2 IUC-JU students lost ICP in biostatistics: 3 lost PhDs: ???

Does the North organizes braindrain? Why to return or not to return? What are most important incentives to

return?

ARE YOU ALLOWED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Signing contract to service university for 4 years after PhD

Function at university upon return Young versus old Incentives to return

Salary Interesting tasks Accessibility of international research

network