From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Nov 2 14:39:47 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:39:47 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] UNESCO HONOURS FIVE EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN SCIENTISTS Message-ID: <5AC0D91E-0F08-4DAB-82B7-38BA83776A05@wigsat.org> UNESCO HONOURS FIVE EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN SCIENTISTS New York, Oct 15 2009 12:05PM The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and cosmetics giant L?Or?al today announced the names of five exceptional women scientists, selected by a panel headed by a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, who will receive major awards. The five women were chosen to receive the 2010 L?Or?al-UNESCO Awards in the Life Sciences out of nearly 1,000 nominated scientists by a jury ? headed by the 1999 recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine, G?nter Blobel ? of 18 eminent members of the scientific community. The awards ceremony will take place next March at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, with each of the five laureates receiving a $100,000 prize for their contributions to advancing science. Rashika El Ridi of Cairo University in Egypt was selected for her work towards developing a vaccine against the tropical disease schistosomiasis/bilharzia, while Lourdes J. Cruz of the Marine Science Institute at the University of the Philippines Diliman is being honoured for the discovery of marine snail toxins that can assist in the study of brain function. For her part, Elaine Fuchs of the Rockefeller University in the United States was recognized for her contributions to knowledge of skin biology and skin stem cells. Anne Dejean-Ass?mat of the Pasteur Institute in France was chosen for her contributions to understanding of leukaemia and liver cancers and Alejandra Bravo of the Institute of Molecular Microbiology of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma in Mexico was honoured for her work on a bacterial toxin which acts as a power insecticide. L?Or?al and UNESCO, who joined forces 12 years ago to support the cause of women in science, stressed the world?s need for science more than ever in the face of the current economic crisis. The winners of the L?Or?al-UNESCO awards ?are among the world?s best scientific talents and well serve as role models for the future of science,? said Professor Blobel, adding that two 2008 laureates were awarded Nobel Prizes this year. ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/ From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Nov 2 14:37:50 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:37:50 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] =?windows-1252?q?NEW_UNESCO_CHIEF_PLEDGES_TO_PROMOTE_?= =?windows-1252?q?=91KNOWLEDGE=2C_TOLERANCE_AND_EQUAL_OPPORTUNITY=92?= Message-ID: <048554D7-524B-4D2D-9DE9-A12852CF5621@wigsat.org> NEW UNESCO CHIEF PLEDGES TO PROMOTE ?KNOWLEDGE, TOLERANCE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY? New York, Oct 15 2009 7:05PM The new head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Agency (<"http://www.unesco.org/en/general-conference-35session/single-view-news/news/irina_bokova_elected_director_general_of_unesco/back/19129/ ">UNESCO) pledged today to work closely with Member States to promote societies ?based on knowledge, tolerance and equal opportunity for all? after she was formally approved as Director-General. The 193-member General Conference of UNESCO, meeting in Paris, elected Irina Bokova as head of the agency, nearly a month after she was chosen in the fifth round of voting by the Executive Board. A former foreign minister of Bulgaria, Ms. Bokova will start work in her new role on 15 November, succeeding Ko?chiro Matsuura, who is ending his second term as Director-General and is not eligible for another stint. ?I shall be guided in my work by my concept of a new humanism for the 21st century,? Ms. Bokova said today after she was elected. ?It is my dream to nurture relations of perfect synergy between the Director-General and Member States, so as to move together towards the creation of societies that are more just and prosperous, based on knowledge, tolerance and equal opportunity for all, thanks to education, science, culture and access to information.? ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Nov 2 15:24:28 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 15:24:28 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Uganda Communications Commission initiates schools science scheme Message-ID: <148CAA86-8576-4A70-BCC5-C0260C46B7F2@wigsat.org> From UgaBYTES This story appeared on the New Vision Newspaper of 4th October, 2009 UGANDA Communications Commission has initiated a scheme for rural schools, where students will benefit from computer-aided science education UCC's manager in charge of legal compliance, Joanita Nampewo, made the remarks during the opening of the ICT laboratory at Mbuulire Secondary School in Masaka. The commission is partnering with the Ministry of Education and Sports and some Members of Parliament to make the project a reality. ?We have started with one school in each of the eighty districts, she said, ?we are aware of the challenges ahead of us, and how best to overcome them therefore, we would like to own this project and be accountable for its successes and failures,? Nampewo explained. ?The schools must strive to run appropriate content programs for students and teachers, for example, the teaching of computer studies among others,? she added. Hajj Iddi Kisiki Lubyayi who officiated at the function commended UCC for identifying Bukomansimbi as one as one of the constituencies to pilot the project. ?You have linked my people to the global village and at the same time given us the people of Bukomansimbi a challenge to purchase other computers to increase the number from ten,? Lubyayi said. The school?s headmaster sheik Nuuhu Mugabi said that it was surprising that the school he heads was identified to be the beneficiary under the project in the whole of Masaka district. Click to read from source . -- Enter our Photo contest for your chance to win recognition and prizes from telecentre.org For more info, please check www.telecentre.org Francis Mwathi Support Community Facilitator UgaBYTES Initiatives (www.ugabytes.org) Telecentr.org (www.telecentrecommunity.ning.com) Tel: +256 414 370163 Mob: +256 783 010269 Skype: francis.mwathi E-Mail: mfrancis at ugabytes.org _______________________________________________ ugabytes mailing list ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabytes.org From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Nov 3 08:44:47 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:44:47 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Recruitment of New Director at CTA | Only Eastern Africa Region eligible Message-ID: <4D048C7F-03DF-438A-B37B-BE7243CBCF44@wigsat.org> From UgaBYTES. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) *is seeking to recruit its Director (M/F)* The post is restricted to nationals from the Eastern Africa Region of the ACP States. CTA is an ACP-EU organisation established under the Lom? Convention, now succeeded by the Cotonou Agreement, between the EU and 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. CTA?s tasks are to develop and provide services that improve access to information for agricultural and rural development, and to strengthen the capacity of ACP countries to produce, acquire, exchange and utilise information in these areas. The Centre is based in Wageningen (The Netherlands). All information and details on the positions are to be found on CTA?s website: http://www.cta.int Application letters, CV and references have to be sent to: AFRICSEARCH To the attention of Mr J-E. Missainhoun 24, Rue Vernet F- 75008 PARIS ( France) Phone: +33 1 42 25 1878 Fax: +33 1 42 25 1895 e-mail: info at africsearch.com Deadline for applications: 20 November 2009 _______________________________________________ ugabytes mailing list ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabytes.org From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Nov 10 11:37:14 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:37:14 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Vacancies at UNESCO Message-ID: <69CB8955-AFC7-45B7-93DC-551AF76B6ECA@wigsat.org> UNESCO is advertising a range of openings in the natural sciences, social sciences and communications and information sectors, including Assistant DIrector General of all three. See http://recrutweb.unesco.org/postes/postes_visualisation.asp?AffLangue=gb&CATPOSTE=1 for more information. From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Nov 10 12:35:04 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:35:04 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES RECOGNIZED WITH UN-BACKED AWARD Message-ID: ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES RECOGNIZED WITH UN-BACKED AWARD New York, Nov 10 2009 12:05PM A range of eco-friendly start-up initiatives in Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Niger, Southern Africa and Zimbabwe have won a notable sustainable development award, the United Nations Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/">UNEP) announced today. The Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) Award recognizes promising new locally-driven enterprises that work to improve livelihoods, tackle poverty and manage the sustainable development of natural resources in developing countries. ?The SEED Gold Winners show us that a low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy is as much a developing country and rural community issue as it is a developed country one,? <"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=602&ArticleID=6366&l=en ">said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. ?These genuinely inspiring initiatives are generating multiple economic, social and environmental benefits and being achieved often against enormous odds. The challenge now is to scale them up,? noted Mr. Steiner. The five Gold Winners of the 2009 SEED Award include an association of small-scale women farmers in Zimbabwe striving to reverse severe land degradation through organic farming; a Bangladeshi non-governmental organization (NGO) developing a low-cost solar lantern made from recycled parts of kerosene lanterns; a group in Colombia setting environmental standards for local miners; civil society organizations in Southern Africa and India developing bio-cultural procedures to help indigenous communities share the benefit of local resources; and institutions in Niger establishing sustainable solid waste management systems to keep cities clean. The SEED Award consists of individually-tailored business support services worth $35,000 for up to one year to help establish each scheme and increase its impact over the long-term. The services include access to relevant expertise and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks, developing business plans and identifying sources of finance. The SEED Initiative, founded in 2002 by UNEP, is a partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Nov 11 16:57:21 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:57:21 -0500 Subject: [Wigsat-l] UIS November email alert Message-ID: 10 November 2009 Dear Sophia Huyer, The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) would like to inform you of these recent releases: Developing countries boost their R&D efforts The number of researchers in developing countries grew from 1.8 million to 2.7 million in the short span of five years (2002-2007), according to a new data release from the UIS. This jump equates to a 45% increase in numbers and an 8.1% increase in the global share of researchers (from 30.3% to 38.4%). In developed countries, the number of researchers increased by only 8.6% to 4.4 million during the same period. Research and development (R&D) investment has also intensified in developing countries. A 1% R&D intensity level (i.e. national R&D expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product) is the typical benchmark used by policymakers. Developing countries reported a substantial increase in R&D intensity from 0.8% in 2002 to 1.0% in 2007. Results should be interpreted with caution, however, as the averages hide wide variation among countries. China, for example, heavily influenced these results with an increase from 1.1% in 2002 to 1.5% in 2007. Only six other countries in this grouping reported R&D intensities of 1% or more, indicating that many countries still have significant gains to make in their R&D efforts. The information was collected through the third UIS survey on statistics of science and technology (S&T), which focuses on human resources devoted to R&D and R&D expenditure. The UIS S&T survey was carried out in 2008 in 149 developing countries and territories. Full results of the survey can be accessed at the UIS Data Centre. Online resources: Link directly to the UIS S&T survey results Review the Fact sheet: A global perspective on S&T Launch of the UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity Featuring a wide range of UIS statistics, the second UNESCO world report on cultural diversity analyzes all aspects of cultural diversity and maps out new approaches to monitoring and shaping the changes that are taking place. Entitled Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue, the report highlights the critical role cultural diversity plays in education, the media, human rights, sustainable development and the marketplace. The analysis draws upon a range of statistics gathered by the UIS, which include indicators for about 200 countries and territories on education, literacy, media, film-making and socio- economic information. The report also introduces the 2009 UIS Framework for Cultural Statistics and examines different approaches to measuring the diversity of cultural expressions. For more information, consult the following resources: Complete World Reportcurrently available in English Executive Summary of the World Report in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish UIS work on the measurement of cultural diversity UIS data on culture 2008 education data now available The number of primary teachers has increased globally from 25.8 million in 1999 to 27.8 million in 2007, according to the new education data release by the UIS. Dramatic changes are seen in sub- Saharan Africa and the Arab States which have experienced a rise of 42% and 26% respectively. Despite the rise in teacher numbers, the quality of education remains a concern as reflected by the pupil-teacher ratios (PTRs). Primary PTRs have increased since 1999 in South and West Asia, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa, where ratios rose from 36:1 to 39:1 and 41:1 to 44:1 respectively. The recent UIS report on primary teacher shortages further analyses this global need (see following news release). According to newly released 2008 data available for individual countries, Malawi (93:1) had the highest total PTR for primary education, followed by the Central African Republic (90:1), Rwanda (68:1), Mozambique (64:1), Burundi (54:1), Congo (52:1), Tanzania (52:1) and Mali (51:1). In East Asia and the Pacific, the primary PTR was also high in Cambodia at 49:1. The UIS data release includes new figures for the year 2008 on primary education for some 70 countries. The update includes secondary and tertiary education data for 57 countries and 34 countries respectively. In addition, 2008 education finance data are available for 34 countries. To consult these statistics, use the ?custom tables? option in the UIS Data Centre. Then follow these three simple steps to build a statistical table for the newly released 2008 data: select countries in the ?Country? box select data items in the ?Data? field select ?2008? in the ?Years? field and click ?Generate table? New UIS projections on teacher shortages The UIS has released new projections to help governments better gauge future needs for primary education teachers. It is imperative to augment teacher numbers worldwide to meet the 2015 goal of universal primary education (UPE). The UIS has identified the countries that need to expand their teaching forces in order to hit this target. According to UIS estimates, 96 out of 195 countries will need at least 1.9 million more teachers in classrooms by 2015 than in 2007. The projections by the UIS indicate that 27 out of 45 countries in sub- Saharan Africa face a critical teacher gap. In these countries, 2.6 million teachers were in the classroom in 2007. This number must grow to 3.7 million in just eight years to meet the UPE goal. This means that for every two teachers in 2007 in the region, there must be three in 2015. Consult the UIS projections: Projecting the Global Demand for Teachers French version If you have not yet signed up for this email alert service, UNESCO Institute for Statistics | CP 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville | Montreal, QC H3C 3J7 | CA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jmgruba at stanford.edu Fri Nov 20 18:43:01 2009 From: jmgruba at stanford.edu (Jane M Gruba-Chevalier) Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:43:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Wigsat-l] 2010-2011 Fellowships at Stanford University's Clayman Institute Message-ID: <021901ca6a3b$3255f7f0$9701e7d0$@edu> Stanford University, California, USA Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research Faculty Research Fellowship Program Call for Applications: 2010-2011 Deadline: December 15, 2009 ************************************************************** The Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University invites applications for residential fellowships for the academic year 2010-2011 from tenured and tenure-track faculty (or the equivalent), and postdoctoral scholars, from the U.S. and international universities. Applications for one, two or three quarters will be considered. Fellows must remain on faculty and be in residence at the Clayman Institute for the duration of their fellowship. Fellowships will be non-stipendiary in 2010-2011, except for the postdoctoral appointment where stipend and benefits will be set and adjusted in accordance with Stanford University rules. Fellows are provided with faculty-equivalent privileges for using Stanford's library and other facilities, an office at the Institute, and the collegiality of a diverse community of gender scholars from across the spectrum of academic disciplines and ranks. Thematic Focus: "Reinvigorating the Revolution: Advancing Gender Equality in the Twenty-first Century" Projects are supported in all disciplines including the humanities, social sciences, science and engineering, business, law, and medicine, among others, so long as they focus centrally on gender. Possible sub-topics include (but are not limited to): ***The gender division of household labor ***Families and women's careers: the 2nd shift, opting out, on-ramping, and flexible schedules ***Representations of women in culture and history ***Gender stereotyping and bias in the workplace ***Gendered meanings and practices at work and home ***Women's experiences in male-dominated fields, such as science and engineering ***Gendered innovations in knowledge: Bringing gender analysis into the practice of science ***Gender and culture in history or literature ***Advancing women's progress in the professions of business, medicine, and law ***Historical and cross-national comparisons of women's educational and occupational progress ***Effects of legal mandates (such a Title IX and FMLA) on women's careers ***National policies, organizational polices, and work-family balance: what works? ***Men's involvement in gender equality movements ***Gender, leadership, and entrepreneurship How to Apply: Applications are to be received in our office by 5:00pm (PST) on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Instructions and detailed information are available at http://gender.stanford.edu under "Fellowships." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From waechter at ifz.tugraz.at Tue Nov 24 11:38:59 2009 From: waechter at ifz.tugraz.at (Christine Waechter) Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:38:59 +0100 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Fellowship Programme 2010-2011 Message-ID: <20091124173859.58042qxqxrvnz2w4@webmail.tugraz.at> INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (IAS-STS), GRAZ, AUSTRIA Apologies for cross-posting! We ask you to forward this information to persons, who could be interested! Dear Colleague, we would like to announce the IAS-STS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME 2010-2011 The IAS-STS in Graz, Austria, promotes the interdisciplinary investigation of the links and interactions between science, technology and society as well as technology assessment and research into the development and implementation of socially and environmentally sound technologies. The IAS-STS is broadly speaking, an institute for the enhancement of science and technology studies. The IAS-STS invites researchers to apply for a stay between 1 October 2010 and 30 June 2011 as a - RESEARCH FELLOW (up to nine months) or as a - VISITING SCHOLAR (shorter period, e.g. a month) The IAS-STS offers excellent research infrastructure. Close co-operation with researchers at the IFZ (Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture; see: www.ifz.tugraz.at), guest lectures, workshops and conferences provide an atmosphere of creativity and scholarly discussion. Furthermore we can offer five grants (up to EUR 1,000 per month) for long-term Research Fellows at the IAS-STS. The Fellowship Programme 2010-2011 is dedicated to projects investigating the following issues: 1. GENDER ??? TECHNOLOGY ??? ENVIRONMENT Women with their various interests, competencies and potentials play an important part in the process of shaping socially sound and environmentally friendly sustainable technologies ??? as users and consumers or experts. Applications should focus on research in the field of women in traditionally male fields of engineering, on ways of creating cultures of success for women engineers (students, graduates), and on masculinity and the culture of engineering. 2. GENETICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY A focus of the Fellowship Programme lies on research providing a critical analysis either of human genetics or of biotechnology. Researchers investigating either ethical, legal and social aspects of genetic testing in the medical domain or risk and wider governance issues related to agricultural biotechnology are especially encouraged to apply. 3. SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (SCP) SCP seeks to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems. New strategies and concrete tools are needed to change individual and institutional patterns of consumption and to enhance corporate responsibility (CR) of organisations. Researchers investigating patterns of consumption and intervention strategies to promote sustainable lifestyles among both public and private consumers or working within the thematic field of ecological product policy are encouraged to apply. Research projects integrating product assessment tools such as LCA, carbon footprint, MIPS or related methods are also of special interest. 4. ENERGY AND CLIMATE Projects in this field should aim at socio-economic aspects of environmental technologies or at strategies of environmental technology policy, such as user participation or strategic niche management. They should develop measures and strategies for the promotion of renewable energy sources and for the transition to a sustainable energy system. Regional governance, climate policy strategies, innovation policy and the role of users in the area of energy technologies play an important role. In addition, the Manfred Heindler Grant is awarded for research projects on the increased use of renewable energies and on a more efficient use of energy. 5. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTS) A focus of the Fellowship Programme will be put on novel developments based on ICT from an STS point of view. Topics like ICTs and agency, ubiquitous computing or ICTs and mobility are analysed with respect to their wider social and political implications. Further issues of interest are the social shaping of ICT developments, innovation policies, risk management and participatory approaches to the design of ICT systems and applications. Applications must be submitted to the IAS-STS by 31 DECEMBER 2009. For application forms and further information: Please visit our website: WWW.STS.TUGRAZ.AT Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society (IAS-STS) Attn. Guenter Getzinger Kopernikusgasse 9 8010 Graz ??? Austria E-mail: info at sts.tugraz.at -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Nov 23 10:46:59 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:46:59 -0000 Subject: [Wigsat-l] =?windows-1252?q?NUMBER_OF_RESEARCHERS_RISING_GLOBALLY?= =?windows-1252?q?_BUT_WOMEN_STILL_IN_MINORITY_=96_UN_REPORT?= Message-ID: NUMBER OF RESEARCHERS RISING GLOBALLY BUT WOMEN STILL IN MINORITY ? UN REPORT New York, Nov 23 2009 10:05AM Although the number of researchers working in developing countries over the last five years has increased by 50 per cent, women only occupy a very small percentage of these positions in some regions, according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html ">UNESCO) report released today. The UNESCO report, published by the agency?s Institute for Statistics (UIS), noted that between 2002 and 2007 almost 1 million new researchers were counted in developing countries, bringing the total number to 2.7 million and increasing its global share from around 30 per cent to over 38 per cent. Asia benefited from the largest rise in researchers, mainly due to China increasing its share from 14 to 20 per cent in five years. ?The increase in the number of researchers, notably in developing countries, is good news,? <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46924&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html ">said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. ?Although the participation of women in science, which UNESCO promotes notably through the L'Or?al-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science, is still too limited,? stressed Ms. Bokova. According to the new UIS study, women represent less than 30 per cent of the researchers in the world, a figure that hides numerous regional disparities. In Latin America ,46 per cent of researchers are women and gender parity has been achieved in Argentina, Cuba, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela, whereas in South Asia women only represent 18 per cent. The report noted that in Europe only the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova and Serbia have achieved gender parity. In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), women?s participation in research is 43 per cent, compared to 33 per cent in Africa. In addition, the report said that expenditure on research and development (R&D) is increasing, with rises in the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) devoted to R&D in most countries, which now stands at 1.74 per cent on average around the world from 1.71 per cent in 2002. The report also noted that in most developed countries, R&D is largely financed by the private sector ? 60 per cent in North America and 50 per cent in Europe ? while in Latin America and the Caribbean it ranges from 25 to 50 per cent. In Africa, however, research is financed mostly by the public sector. ?Policy makers seem to realize more and more that innovation is key for economic growth, to the point of setting R&D investment targets,? said UNESCO Institute of Statistics Programme Specialist Martin Schaaper. ?China is the foremost example of a country setting a target ? 2 per cent by 2010 and 2.5 per cent or more by 2020 ? and being well on its way to reaching it,? said Mr. Schaaper, who is also one of the authors of the report. ?Another example is given by the African Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA), which sets a target of 1 per cent of GDP devoted to R&D.? ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news From shuyer at wigsat.org Thu Nov 26 07:52:39 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:52:39 -0000 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Fellowship Programme 2010-2011 Message-ID: <9BC1C393-59F5-42D5-92BD-031DE04DB3A2@wigsat.org> INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (IAS-STS), GRAZ, AUSTRIA Apologies for cross-posting! We ask you to forward this information to persons, who could be interested! Dear Colleague, we would like to announce the IAS-STS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME 2010-2011 The IAS-STS in Graz, Austria, promotes the interdisciplinary investigation of the links and interactions between science, technology and society as well as technology assessment and research into the development and implementation of socially and environmentally sound technologies. The IAS-STS is broadly speaking, an institute for the enhancement of science and technology studies. The IAS-STS invites researchers to apply for a stay between 1 October 2010 and 30 June 2011 as a - RESEARCH FELLOW (up to nine months) or as a - VISITING SCHOLAR (shorter period, e.g. a month) The IAS-STS offers excellent research infrastructure. Close co-operation with researchers at the IFZ (Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture; see: www.ifz.tugraz.at[1]), guest lectures, workshops and conferences provide an atmosphere of creativity and scholarly discussion. Furthermore we can offer five grants (up to EUR 1,000 per month) for long-term Research Fellows at the IAS-STS. The Fellowship Programme 2010-2011 is dedicated to projects investigating the following issues: 1. GENDER ??? TECHNOLOGY ??? ENVIRONMENT Women with their various interests, competencies and potentials play an important part in the process of shaping socially sound and environmentally friendly sustainable technologies ??? as users and consumers or experts. Applications should focus on research in the field of women in traditionally male fields of engineering, on ways of creating cultures of success for women engineers (students, graduates), and on masculinity and the culture of engineering. 2. GENETICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY A focus of the Fellowship Programme lies on research providing a critical analysis either of human genetics or of biotechnology. Researchers investigating either ethical, legal and social aspects of genetic testing in the medical domain or risk and wider governance issues related to agricultural biotechnology are especially encouraged to apply. 3. SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (SCP) SCP seeks to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems. New strategies and concrete tools are needed to change individual and institutional patterns of consumption and to enhance corporate responsibility (CR) of organisations. Researchers investigating patterns of consumption and intervention strategies to promote sustainable lifestyles among both public and private consumers or working within the thematic field of ecological product policy are encouraged to apply. Research projects integrating product assessment tools such as LCA, carbon footprint, MIPS or related methods are also of special interest. 4. ENERGY AND CLIMATE Projects in this field should aim at socio-economic aspects of environmental technologies or at strategies of environmental technology policy, such as user participation or strategic niche management. They should develop measures and strategies for the promotion of renewable energy sources and for the transition to a sustainable energy system. Regional governance, climate policy strategies, innovation policy and the role of users in the area of energy technologies play an important role. In addition, the Manfred Heindler Grant is awarded for research projects on the increased use of renewable energies and on a more efficient use of energy. 5. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTS) A focus of the Fellowship Programme will be put on novel developments based on ICT from an STS point of view. Topics like ICTs and agency, ubiquitous computing or ICTs and mobility are analysed with respect to their wider social and political implications. Further issues of interest are the social shaping of ICT developments, innovation policies, risk management and participatory approaches to the design of ICT systems and applications. Applications must be submitted to the IAS-STS by 31 DECEMBER 2009. For application forms and further information: Please visit our website: WWW.STS.TUGRAZ.AT Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society (IAS-STS) Attn. Guenter Getzinger Kopernikusgasse 9 8010 Graz ??? Austria E-mail: info at sts.tugraz.at Links: ------ [1] http://www.ifz.tugraz.at