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The blog of the Science, Technology and Public Policy program of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Editor
Zachary Tumin
Category Archives: Innovation
Africa’s New Science and Innovation Agenda
by Calestous Juma I am on my way back from the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. This was a remarkable meeting with an overwhelming intellectual energy. The event was unique in many respects. But … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Development, Emerging Tech, Engineering, Health, Innovation, Manufacturing, Telcomm
Tagged africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology, infrastructure, Technology, wef; grow africa; akinola; financial times; innovation; carlsson; gatete; van houten; lanre; ericsson; ibm; samsung; mobile; fibre; rwanda; south africa; nobel;
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Africa and Brazil at the Dawn of New Economic Diplomacy
by Calestous Juma In recent years the major focus of China’s engagement in Africa has been on economic diplomacy. Much of this debate has been influenced by concerns over China’s rise as an economic superpower and the preoccupation with viewing … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Development, Education, Health and Safety, Emerging Tech, Energy, Innovation, Jobs
Tagged africa, agricultural transformation agency, annual lagos black heritage festival, aviation, brazil, brazilian cooperation agency, brics, cecat, china, diplomacy, embraer, embrapa, energy, henry bellingham, india, nigeria, petroleum, power, rousseff, russia, south africa, standard bank, trade rousseff
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MIT Technology Review’s List of 50 Disruptive Companies, 2013
From the MIT Technology Review: “This package is meant to capture the rich variety of ways that innovations get commercialized. Each company on this list has done something over the past year that will strengthen its hold on a market, … Continue reading
Posted in Emerging Tech, Innovation, Manufacturing
Tagged aereo, ambri, aquion, bgi, coursera, crowdstrike, nest
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Technological Somnambulism Revisited: Sleeping through the New Invisible Surveillance Technologies
by Tolu Odumosu A few months ago, I discovered that my excessive fatigue and uneasy sleep were caused by an underlying condition of severe sleep apnea. This malady causes one to stop breathing while sleeping. Humans of course, need … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Innovation
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RIP: The Basic/Applied Research Dichotomy
by Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Tolu Odumosu, and Lee Vinsel From the current Issues in Science and Technology: “U.S. science policy since World War II has in large measure been driven by Vannevar Bush’s famous paper Science—The Endless Frontier. … Continue reading
Posted in Emerging Tech, Innovation, Manufacturing
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Persecuting Biotechnology
by Calestous Juma In a widely circulated speech, UK environmental activist Mark Lynas has apologized for his past history of demonizing transgenic crops and masterminding the anti-biotechnology campaign. Explaining at the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2013 why he … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Development, Health, Innovation
Tagged Biotechnology, lynas, transgenic
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Why We Need Innovation To Prepare For The Global Aging Society
by Calestous Juma A startling new United Nations Population Fund report projects that in 2050 there will be more people over the age of 60 than those under 15. Put another way, there will be more pensioners than children by 2050. … Continue reading
History as Innovation: The Intellectual Legacy of Eric Hobsbawm
by Calestous Juma Historian Eric Hobsbawm (1917–2012), who passed away this week, will be remembered by many for his lasting commitment to what may appear as outmoded Marxism. Hobsbawm was faulted by many for his humanism that continued to … Continue reading
Exporting Our Future
by Venky Narayanamurti We all know the United States has a jobs crisis. President Obama further acknowledged it when he made manufacturing a top priority in this year’s State of the Union address. He has his eye set on fixing … Continue reading
Posted in Innovation, Manufacturing
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Innovation and the Wealth of Regions
by Calestous Juma The world is awash with reports that rank the competitiveness of nations in the global economy. These reports are compiled by purveyors based on the myth that nation states have unique technological capabilities that help them to … Continue reading