Background

There is widespread acknowledgement that universities in the developing world can and should play a leading role in addressing both the immediate and long term needs for building sustainable knowledge societies. Universities are increasingly viewed as key institutions for both applying their expertise to current ICT relevant policy, business, and civil society challenges and preparing the workforce with the relevant knowledge, skills and critical thinking capabilities about ICT-enabled development (or ICT4D).

 

Within the context of this mandate, there is a small but growing trend towards integrating the perspectives of the social sciences, humanities and professional fields of law, business, health and public policy with those from relevant technological disciplines. This multidisciplinary approach is gaining credence as our understanding advances about the socially embedded nature of technology – that ICT itself doesn’t produce certain impacts; but rather that multiple impacts are possible and result from the combination of the new technology with the organizational, institutional, political, economic, and cultural environments in which ICT is adopted.

 

To date, programs that examine the impact of ICT through the lenses of the social sciences are primarily found in more technologically advanced nations where individual faculty and universities have developed courses, research agendas and outreach activities that examine such topics as the economics of knowledge, digital democracy, ICT innovation and entrepreneurship, globalization and technological change, national ICT policies, ICT strategies for poverty alleviation, and intellectual property in the information age.

 

Yet, it is in the developing world where the need for such programs is arguably greater considering the economic, political, cultural and institutional challenges these countries face. An increasing number of developing country universities have made important strides in expanding electronic resources and enhancing their technical degree programs (an important first step), but far fewer have developed the multifaceted, interdisciplinary and comprehensive approaches that many believe are critical to successfully fulfill their roles as central players in supporting ICT4D. Advancing university ICT4D programs, both intellectually and institutionally, is the central theme of this series of workshops and forums

 

Furthermore, the strong linkage between ICT and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) makes application of university resources irreplaceable for meeting the global challenges of, among others, poverty alleviation, health, education, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

 

The workshop builds on previous discussions and a growing movement of individuals and institutions committed to strengthening developing world university capacities in ICT4D. Some of these earlier meetings include: Makerere University’s September 2004 conference, “Universities: Taking a Leading Role in ICT-enabled Human Development,” Cornell University’s “Building the ICT Capacity of African Universities for Promoting Development” on November 19-20, 2004, and a series of meetings of the Social Science Research Council in 2003.

The Manila Meetings are organized as a weeklong series of workshops and forums, culminating in a two and a half day workshop on the role of the university in supporting ICT4D. Together, these workshops and forums will examine the ways in which faculty and universities around the world are teaching, researching and applying university knowledge in ICT to national and local needs. Approaches range from new university-industry-civil society partnerships that are producing technologies for developing world contexts, to comprehensive curricular reforms that examine the policy, legal, and management challenges of ICT-enabled economic, political and social innovation. The workshop will highlight a number of particularly innovative programs and explore what is required to further advance such programs and realize the potential (and obligation) of universities to contribute more directly to their national and community ICT initiatives.