Report (Part 3): Third World Summit on the Internet and Multimedia

Technology and Knowledge Transfer: a Framework

Time: 10 October 2002, 9:00-9:45 Location: A 400 Presenters/ Participants: Dr. Sibisuso Sibisi (CEO of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Representative of the Advanced Institute for Information and Communication Technology, AIICT, South Africa) Reporter: Claire Chombeau (ICVolunteers) Languages: English Key words: Digital divide, e-inclusion, socio-economic impact

How can the multimedia industry take advantage of the potentially rewarding relationship that exists between information technology, knowledge transfer and economic development? Dr. Sibisi's conference focused on appropriate educational, technology and knowledge transfer strategies that efficiently respond the above-mentioned issue and emphasized the role of partnerships between major social and economic players including government, industry, universities, research institutions and NGOs to ensure an integrated approach to scientific research and technology solutions for development. He elaborated on how the IT industry in general and the multimedia industry in particular benefits from a strong national private/public sector cooperation in the field of technology and knowledge transfer and how to get from a passive knowledge transfer to a participative knowledge sharing.

In his presentation, Dr. Sibisi of the Advanced Institute for Information and Communication Technology (AIICT) South Africa presented his institute and its activities:

AIICT Objectives

• To become a Centre of Excellence in ICT through networks and partnerships;

• To undertake world-class needs-based basic research in ICT to the benefit of South Africa and the region;
• To develop ICT knowledge workers with sound qualification;
• To be the "mentor" of a regionally relevant and globally competitive South Africa ICT industry;
• To establish South Africa as a highly competent international ICT player;
• To attract leading ICT knowledge workers from various parts of the world.

According to Dr. Sibisi, AIICT collaborates with the industry, SME's, universities, public sector, science councils and international institutions and organizations. By doing so, it deals with three main types of issues:

1) People Issues:

• Connecting people: communication network (universal access, urban/rural, business, education needs);
• Enabling people: simplifying communication (languages, interaction);
• Enriching people: knowledge repositories (digital archives, libraries?);
• Educating people: ICT workforce;
• Empowering people: enterprise (entrepreneurship, SME's).

2) Development Issues:

• Providing service: integration (e-governance, e-commerce?);
• Promoting development: supportive development (cyber law, ICT policy?);
• Probing ICT: implication of ICT (social and economic);
• Predicting ICT: foresight, planning (future ICT competition, future Internet and application).

3) Science and Technology Issues:

• Scientific application: specialised (bio informatics?);
• High performance computing: integration (distributed computing);
• Software design: general applications (open software use and development);
• Hardware design: niche areas, global value chain;
• Contain design: knowledge structures, Internet and multimedia.

Mr. Sibisi further mentioned several international models, mainly:

• www.it2006.de
• www.noie.gov.au
• www.trlabs.ca
• www.cito.ca

Challenges and Conclusions

Dr. Sibisi pointed out a series of challenges that need to be resolved, to start with the governments. He pointed out that often there is a break inside governments that make action to reduce the digital divide a real challenge. He further stated that the cost of new technologies infrastructures is high and especially governments in developing countries do not necessarily have the means to offer such structures, but tend to first address basic needs, rather than the acquisition of new equipment. Dr. Sibisi felt that it is therefore necessary to intensify the relations with the private sector.