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Call for papers: GLOBELICS Africa 2005
Innovation systems as a framework for the promotion of economic growth, social cohesion and political development
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GLOBELICS is a framework for scholars who use the concepts of learning, innovation and competence-building systems as part of their analytical framework. The network is especially focused on the strengthening of research on learning and innovation systems in developing countries.
Two GLOBELICS conferences have already been held in Brazil (www.ie.ufrj.br/globelics/) and China (www.globelics-beijing.cn) respectively. These facilitated the exchange of ideas between scholars from the North, West, South and East. Developing country researchers benefited from more direct access to recent research in the US and Europe, while the field as a whole benefited from new insights into the nature and functioning of innovation systems, offered by developing countries' perspectives.
The third GLOBELICS conference intends to build on this work. In the region most in need of human and economic development, GLOBELICS Africa 2005 aims to further examine the links between innovation, development and growth. The conference also aims to build research capacity in Africa by establishing contact between researchers from Africa and from other regions of the world, both from leading academic centres, and from other developing contexts.
In addition, the conference aims to rethink and reframe the challenges of the African continent in the light of insights from innovation systems research. Scholars from innovation studies will contribute a range of approaches and perspectives to guide research, policy formulation and action to bring about societal transformation through enhanced learning, innovation and knowledge competencies. The National Systems of Innovation approach will be used to structure insights about inter- and intra-African economic and knowledge linkages.
Specifically, GLOBELICS Africa 2005 will be organised around the following themes:
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Innovation policy and strategies
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Clusters and regional innovation systems
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Sectoral and firm-level innovation systems
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Organisational learning
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Intellectual property regimes
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Innovation surveys and indicators
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Investment, trade and technology transfer
Strong preference will be given to empirical papers focusing on Africa. If papers draw on data from other regions, researchers are urged to highlight what African-based researchers and policymakers can learn from the findings. Theoretical papers, or papers proposing methodologies for researching innovation in under-developed contexts, are also welcome.
Both senior and junior scholars are invited to contribute papers to the conference. In particular, we encourage young scholars from developing countries (who have completed their PhDs within the last 5 years, or are still completing their PhDs) and African-based scholars to submit papers for the conference. As with previous GLOBELICS conferences, selected contributions will be published in special editions of some leading journals in the field, and possibly also in an edited volume.
Potential participants are required to supply a detailed abstract of 2 - 3 pages as soon as possible and no later than the 1st of August 2005 to globelics-africa@naci.org.za. The Conference Scientific Committee will review papers and determine acceptance on the basis of novelty, academic quality and relevance to the conference themes. Once participants have been notified that their papers have been accepted, they need to develop full texts, to be submitted by the end of September 2005. All papers will be placed on the GLOBELICS Africa 2005 website.
GLOBELICS Africa 2005 will provide invited international participants with some financial support for accommodation, meals and domestic transportation for the conference days. Participants from developing countries can apply for support for their international travel, although the level of support is contingent on the number of developing country participants and available funds. Participants from OECD-member countries, including invited speakers, are expected to cover their own international travel expenses. Additional days of stay, tours and social events will be the financial responsibility of participants.
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