South African-German Dialogue on Science for Sustainability - D4S

Veranstaltungsart
Konferenz

Ort / Datum
Bonn, 16.06.2008 bis 17.06.2008

Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), IB commissioned by BMBF

South Africa and Germany have converging interests and share common goals that may constitute the basis for a significantly increased cooperation in research and technological innovation in years to come. While South Africa has decided to embark on the transition towards a knowledge-based economy during the next ten years, Germany has recently decided to strategically internationalize its innovation system in order to strengthen the country’s role in the global knowledge society. Both countries are interested in strengthening their scientific and technological capabilities in order to assure and enhance economic and social dynamics. At the same time, they are committed to strive for more sustainable development trajectories for their nations, and beyond – on the regional and global level.[

Both countries play an important role as drivers of environmental innovations in their respective world regions. South Africa and Germany agreed on rethinking their cooperation lines related to sustainability in form of a science policy dialogue. Comparing the strategic S&T policies of both countries two sustainability related technology fields can be identified as areas of special interest: These are namely energy security (clean coal technologies and renewable energy technologies) and climate change related technologies for adaptation and mitigation. Both fields form the focal areas of the dialogue. The innovation systems approach, originating from social sciences, will be adopted as a guiding frame for exchanging policies experiences and assessing future cooperation that support the system transition towards sustainable development in the two countries, built on a joint knowledge base.

The objectives of the this Science Dialogue was to take stock and analyse the past and ongoing bilateral S&T cooperation between the two countries in the defined focus areas; to identify future challenges for S&T within the focal areas and finally to structure a dialogue among policy-maker representatives of the innovation systems from both countries about future cooperation opportunities. The conference utilised a joint understanding and agreements on the future science policy dialogue between South Africa and Germany.

Hinweis

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