The aim of this lecture is to explore the role of science, technology and innovation in the global sustainability transition. The paper builds on the argument that much of the scientific and technological knowledge needed to help the global community improve its welfare while protecting the environment is available. What is needed, however, is to create institutional mechanisms and build human resources needed to harness the knowledge and put it to effective use. In a new era of emphasis on competence building and enhancement of human resources, higher learning institutions must play a greater role. International efforts should therefore go to strengthen the capacity of institutions of higher learning to solve local problems.

The lecture will explore the diverse roles that universities play in the sustainability transition. It will stress that in addition to being sources of new knowledge, universities can play a key role in serving as agents of sustainable development in the communities they are located in. Most of the existing universities were designed to meet specific social needs related to the generation and transmission of knowledge in society. These goals have influenced the design of universities and placed specific emphasis on research and training of students who are then expected to contribute to social after the graduate.

The problem is more acute in regions such as Africa where universities focus on teaching while research is conducted in non-teaching institutions. To complicate the matter, the universities and research institutes have little connection with the productive sector. As a result, those who teach are hardly in touch with contemporary societal developments and those who conduct research have limited opportunities to transform their results into practical applications. This has resulted in dysfunctional systems that raise major concerns over the relevance of institutions of higher education in solving emerging sustainability challenges.

There is growing recognition that universities can player greater roles in society by serving as vehicles of community improvement. Meeting this challenge will require major changes in the ways universities operate. More specifically, adjustments will be needed curricula, pedagogy as well as university governance. The lecture will provide examples of efforts around the world aimed at reforming universities to make them relevant to community needs. It will also outline the policy implications of such reform efforts and the challenges that face both university managers as well as policy makers.

Placing universities at the centre of economic renewal will entail adjustments in national policies. These changes will not occur overnight and will involve long periods of learning but the first steps must be made without delay. The lecture will draw from experiences in fields such as regional development, biodiversity conservation and international cooperation to explore opportunities for international cooperation. The lecture will draw from recent studies carried out by engineering academies around the world as well as from the speaker¡Çs research and practical experience.

About the speaker: Calestous Juma, a Kenyan national, is Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project at Harvard University¡Çs Kennedy School of Government. He is a former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Founding Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies in Nairobi. He served as Chancellor of the University of Guyana and a member of the National Social and Economic Council of the President of Kenya. Professor Juma is Special Advisor to the International Whaling Commission and co-chair of the African High-Level Panel on Modern Biotechnology of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa¡Çs Development (NEPAD). He has been elected to several scientific academies including the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), the UK Royal Academy of Engineering and the African Academy of Sciences. He holds a DPhil in science and technology policy studies. He has won several international awards for his work on sustainable development. He is editor of Going for Growth: Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa and lead author of Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Development and Freedom to Innovate: Biotechnology in Africa¡Çs Development. He is editor of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Technology and Globalisation and the International Journal of Biotechnology.