Centres of Excellence

About the paper This paper explores what 'mainstream' Centres of Excellence might mean for developing countries and poor people. It examines how development is constructed as economic growth with industry and enterprise – complemented by centres of scientific excellence and technological innovation – as its key engine. It demonstrates that, in relation to science and centres of excellence, the discourse of networking and partnerships assumes that all interested parties evaluate progress, development and excellence similarly. The paper critically reviews the core notions of 'excellence', 'centres' and 'capacity', highlighting some alternative models of research, innovation and training. It argues that science and technology should not only address the principles of economic growth and excellence; but that broader principles should underlie capacity-building for science, technology and innovation. These principles direct the focus onto who benefits (and who is excluded) from science and technology, by highlighting the '3Ds' of Directionality (towards specific Sustainability objectives); equitable Distribution (of costs, risks, benefits), and Diversity (of socio-techno-ecological systems)? About the authors Melissa Leach is director of the STEPS Centre and leader of the Knowledge, Technology and Society team at IDS. She is a social anthropologist specialising in environmental and science-society issues. Research interests include social and institutional dimensions of environmental and technological change and issues of knowledge, power and citizen engagement. Linda Waldman is a social anthropologist with experience in African poverty and the related issues of gender, racial classification, ethnicity and identity. Her research areas include indigenous identity and nationalism, environmental pollution, asbestos disease and its socio-cultural ramifications in South Africa, the United Kingdom and India. About the Manifesto project In 1970 a radical document called The Sussex Manifesto helped shape modern thinking on science and technology for development. Forty years on, we live in a highly globalised, interconnected and yet privatised world. We have witnessed unprecedented advances in science and technology, the rise of Asia and ever-shifting patterns of inequality. What kind of science and technology for development Manifesto is needed for today's world? The STEPS Centre is creating a new manifesto with one of the authors of the original, Professor Geoff Oldham. Seeking to bring cutting-edge ideas and some Southern perspectives to current policy, the New Manifesto will recommend new ways of linking science and innovation to development for a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future. About the STEPS Centre The STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary …