THIS POLICY DOCUMENT HAD CERTAIN GRAPHS LEFT OUT AS THEY WOULDN'T TRANSFERS BUT YOU WILL GET THE IDEA OF WHAT THE POLICY WANTS TO FOSTER AND THAT IS INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY.
iT ALSO STRIVES TO CREATE A PRIVATE + STATE PARTNERSHIP IN THIS RELATIONSHIP.
SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT CAME OUT OF THE CONSULTATION.
1. TRANSPARENCY, SHARING OF INFORMATION AND EDUCATION THAT WILL DEVELOP THE SOCIAL AND CRITICAL THINKING IN OUR PEOPLE.
2. EDUCATION FOR ONE - WHICH STATES THAT EDUCATION SHOULD BE TAILORED TO SUIT EACH STUDENT.
3. IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT INNOVATION COMES FOR THE PEOPLE. WORKING PEOPLE. THE HIGHER INSTITUTIONS ARE THERE TO REFINE INNOVATION.
4. THE IDEA THAT BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES SHOULD SIGN THE POLICY AS A NATIONAL POLICY. TO AVOIDE THE DISCARDING AND WASTAGE OF EFFORT WHEN ANOTHER PARTY TAKES THE REIGN OF GOVERNMENT. AS THEY HAVE DONE IN JAMAICA.
5. THERE SHOULD BE CLEAR TIME LINES. COMMITMENT TO THESE TIELINES.
6. THERE WAS A CONCERN ON THE FORMATION OF THE BOARD THAT WILL LOOK AFTER THE FUND. WHO WILL MAKE UP THE BOARD.
A -THE QUESTION THAT ANY DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION SHOULD BE DEVELOPED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET AND BE ABLE TO BRING BACK RETURNS TO THE COUNTRY.
B- THE FUND SHOULD SUPPORT IDEAS THAT CAN BE SUSTAINED TO MARKET.
C- THE FUND MUST ALSO DEVELOP JUST EXPLORATORY IDEAS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT.
7. USE OF OUR DIASPORA, THROUGH THECNOLOGY WE CAN USE THEIR MINDS AND NOT THEIR BODIES.
A National Science and Technology Policy for Trinidad and Tobago
Consultative Document
Robert Martinez
and
Andrew Pierre,
NIHERST ABSTRACT
This document will serve as the basis for discussion and consultation in the development of a national science and technology policy for Trinidad and Tobago. It introduces the local science and technology landscape, outlines major policy areas and objectives, and identifies themes for discussion and consultation.
Introduction
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago, in its Medium-Term Performance Framework (MTPF), has identified economic diversification as a key aspect of overall national strategy. An important part of this strategy is to develop a knowledge-based economy, which has strong capabilities in new, high value-adding industries, such as information technology, high-tech manufacturing, agro-processing and pharmaceuticals, among others. The MTPF is arranged into seven pillars, and pillar 5 - A More Diversified, Knowledge Intensive Economy ¡V focuses specifically on creating a knowledge-based economy. To this end, the National Institute of Higher Education Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST) has been mandated by its line ministry to develop a National Science and Technology Policy, in accordance with Government¡¦s development strategy. This document should be viewed as a tool for public consultation and discussion, which will chart the course for national policy development. This consultative document is laid out in the following manner:
Section 1 gives a brief overview of the national science and technology landscape, and introduces the major science and technology issues affecting Trinidad and Tobago, and outlines some long-term objectives of the policy.
Section 2 goes into more depth on each of the major science and technology issues that are relevant to Trinidad and Tobago, giving a discussion of their role in national development and an outline of some available policy options.
Section 3 highlights some key issues for discussion, in order to stimulate thought and glean perspectives from all stakeholders. The chapter also identifies next steps, to follow from the national consultations.
Overview and Objectives
1.1: Local Science and Technology Landscape
In Figure 1 below, Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s ranking on the Global Competitiveness Index has declined from 76th in 2006 to 81st in 2011,
with the country attaining its lowest score (92nd) in 2008.
However, the country still ranks far lower than its regional neighbour, Barbados, which ranked 42nd in 2011. Since 2008, Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s GCI ranking has been showing some positive movement.
Science and technology issues1 comprise nearly one-third of the national score on the Global Competitiveness Index. As a result, the implementation of a successful National Science and Technology Policy has the capacity to transform Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s economy and society.
1 This is due to the influence of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) and the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training ( MTEST) on areas including higher education and training, labour market efficiency, technological readiness and innovation.
Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Singapore.
Figure 1 - Global Competitiveness Index rankings of Trinidad and Tobago and comparator countries, 2005-2011.
Figure 2 below shows Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s major strengths and weaknesses with regard to science and technology, based on the 2011 Global Innovation Index.
Figure 2 ¡V Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s Innovation Strengths and Weaknesses. Source: Global Innovation Index, 20112.
Trinidad and Tobago shows reasonable institutional strength, a relatively flexible labour market, low business start-up costs, a high proportion of engineering graduates, and strong investor protection. The ¡¥weaknesses¡¦ column shows that there is great room for export growth in computer and communication services, creative goods, and high-technology industries3. 1.1.1 Research and Development (R&D) R&D expenditure in Trinidad and Tobago grew from TT $35.1 million in 1996 to TT $65.8 million in 2009, peaking at $94.62 million in 2005, as shown in Figure 3 below. On average, such annual investments in R&D represent approximately 0.05% of Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In comparison, the average R&D-to-GDP ratio in advanced nations is around 1.5%, with countries like Israel (4.2%) and Japan (3.3%) leading the way.
2 The Global Innovation Index was developed by the global business school INSEAD, in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the Confederation of Indian Industry, and is published annually. 3 High technology industries are defined as industries where average R&D expenditure exceeds 7% of revenue.
National R&D expenditure (TT $m), 1996-2009
Source: NIHERST Annual Survey of Science and Technology Indicators.
¡V Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s Research and Development Expenditure, 1996-2009. 1.1.2 Patenting With regard to patenting activity, Trinidad and Tobago lags behind technologically advanced countries. The Global Innovation Index ranks Trinidad and Tobago 93rd with regard to patent applications at the local patent office, and as Figure 4 shows, there is a significant gap between the country¡¦s output of registered patents and that of Singapore, a small, technologically-advanced nation.
Figure 4 ¡V Total Patents Granted, Trinidad and Tobago vs. Singapore, 2005-2009.
Total patent grants include patents granted to overseas residents and multinational companies. Another strong indicator of technological capacity is in the quantity of patents granted to residents of a country. Trinidad and Tobago again shows a very low level of activity. This stark reality is brought into view when the country is compared with Singapore, in Figure 5 below4.
Sources: Intellectual Property Office (T&T), Intellectual property Office of Singapore.
Figure 5 - Patents Granted to Residents, Trinidad and Tobago vs. Singapore, 2005-2009. 1.1.2 Higher Education
According to the 2011 Global Innovation Index (GII), Trinidad and Tobago is graduating a very large proportion of its tertiary students in engineering5 and science6. There has been significant progress in increasing the quantity and quality of human capital in the areas of interest to local S&T policy-makers7. However, there is always further room for improvement in the tertiary education sector. According to the recently approved Tertiary Education Policy of the MTEST, the tertiary enrolment ratio surged from 15% in 20048 to 40% in 2008 due to the impact of the GATE programme, and MTEST has set a target of 60% enrolment by 2015. 1.1.3 Technological Readiness
Trinidad and Tobago ranks in 52nd place on the Technological Readiness sub-category of the 2011-2012 Global Competitiveness Index. Some areas in which Trinidad and Tobago has made
5 19.24% on data from 2004, ranked 11th. 6 11.15% on data from 2004, ranked 20th. 7 If the most up-to date (2009) figures on the local tertiary education sector were used, T&T would be ranked 4th in terms of the proportion of science graduates (16.2%) and 11th in the proportion of engineering graduates (18.4%). 8 The GII tertiary enrollment ranking is based on 2005 data. If the most up-to-date (2010) figures were used, Trinidad and Tobago would be ranked 55th.
Patents Granted to Residents
Trinidad and Tobago vs. Singapore, 2005-2009
T&T Resident Patent Applications
Singapore Resident Patent Applications
Sources: Intellectual Property Office (T&T), Intellectual property Office of Singapore.
progress - at least from the consumption and infrastructure side ¡V are in mobile phone and Internet penetration. Access to mobile phones is quite high9, and Internet access is on the rise, with nearly half the population having internet access as of 201010.
Figure 6 - Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in Trinidad and Tobago, 1999-2010.
Figure 7 ¡V Internet subscriptions (per 100 people) in Trinidad and Tobago, 1999-2010.
9 147 mobile subscriptions per 100 people in 2009.
10 From 0.2% in 1995 to 36.3% in 2009.
Internet usage in Trinidad and Tobago, 1995-2010
Internet users (per 100 people)
Source: World Bank, World DevelopmentIndicators.
8
Figure 8 ¡V Broadband internet subscriptions in Trinidad and Tobago,
However, mobile and broadband internet access are still fairly low,11 relative to total mobile and internet penetration ¡V as a result, these are areas with great scope for expansion. The internet is fast becoming a general purpose technology. A wider spread of high-speed access could lead to new economic opportunities, with the potential for rapid expansion in software development and web services, for example.
Figure 9 ¡V Comparison of broadband internet subscriptions and total internet subscriptions in Trinidad and Tobago, 2002-2010.
11 10.81 subscriptions per 100 people in 2011.
1.2 Objectives
The long-term goals of a science and technology policy for Trinidad and Tobago could be:
To increase the quantity and quality of national scientific and technological outputs; and
To see these outputs lead to improved quality-of-life outcomes for T&T nationals and residents.
In the commercial sphere, outputs and outcomes could include:
A diversified base of well-capitalised, profitable, high value-adding companies;
Significant increases in manufacturing exports, especially in the medium- and high-technology sectors;
Sustainable employment and competitive incomes for talented, well-trained citizens.
In academia, these outputs and outcomes could include:
A consistent stream of high-quality publications;
Prize-winning research projects; and
The growth of world-class research units in a number of areas relevant to national development.
For the wider society, outputs and outcomes could include:
Discovery and implementation of more efficient and effective solutions to national problems, such as flooding, road deterioration, traffic congestion, etc.
Sustained, productive research into prevention and treatment of major medical illnesses, such as Diabetes, Alzheimer¡¦s, etc.
However, long-term output and outcome targets of this nature will only be achieved if there is a successful medium-term science and technology strategy, in which the requisite inputs and capabilities are acquired and developed. Significant investment is required, not only in physical infrastructure such as equipment, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and transport, but also in complementary and intangible assets.
Section 2: Major Issues
Based on the national science and technology landscape outlined in Section 1 above, the following major issues have been identified:
Economic Diversification
Human Capital Formation
Building ¡§Brand T&T¡¨
Inclusive Development.
2.1 Economic Diversification
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has made economic diversification a significant priority, and it sees science and technology playing a key role in the diversification process. A major aim of government policy is to foster the growth of high-value industries, to complement the traditionally competitive resource-based economy from which Trinidad and Tobago derives its wealth. In order to achieve this aim, significant investments could be made to drive research, business, education, environmental awareness and public goods, among others. The instruments used to promote science and technology could be similarly varied, with a mix of targeted public spending, debt, equity, and venture capital used in appropriate situations to achieve maximum social returns. Given that both public and private R&D spending is crucial to a country¡¦s economic prospects, it is likely that Trinidad and Tobago will need to undertake significantly more R&D investment to achieve its goals. A potential medium-term target for this key action area is a national R&D expenditure level of at least 1% of GDP by 2017.
The Government has also identified the use of ICT as a key driver of economic growth and diversification. Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s ICT landscape has changed dramatically during the decade from 2001-2010, as adoption of technologies such as mobile phones, GPS and the internet have risen substantially over that period. More recently, the E-Connect and Learn policy was launched in September 2010, with the goal to supply all new secondary school students with laptop computers. Some initiatives to promote economic diversification and technology transfer could include:
Expanding the Research and Development Facility: Currently, there exists a Research and Development Facility (RDF) within the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which aims to provide financial support to businesses that wish to carry out R&D projects. The Facility has a low base of funding, and needs to be expanded significantly in order to achieve critical mass. Many innovative projects in science and technology may be too risky to attract funding from traditional sources such as banks. It is the role of government to intervene and provide financial and other forms of support, so that these economic opportunities are not wasted, especially when the rewards from successful projects benefit the whole society in the form of employment, exports and economic diversification.
Attracting investment from at least one more major company in the global ICT sector: Trinidad and Tobago can offer several investment advantages to potential investors, including an increasingly large pool of well-trained computer science and software engineering graduates, cheap energy, an open business environment, and a convenient Anglophone location in the Americas. Upgrading Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s mobile and broadband network infrastructure: If Trinidad and Tobago is to build a strong ecosystem for ICT-driven enterprises, it will require large public investment in network infrastructure, in order to ensure that the flow of information is fast, reliable and secure. In a highly competitive global market, downtime suffered due to failed connections, breaches of security, or spotty service can make the difference between survival and failure for small start-up companies. Therefore, government must ensure that cutting-edge communication technologies must be available to both businesses and consumers throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Establishing a Technology Transfer Office in Trinidad and Tobago: Technology Transfer offices (TTOs) are a tool that universities and governments use to identify research in science and technology that has significant commercial potential. By utilising a combination of scientific knowledge, economic decision-making, and a strong network of contacts, a TTO can be a powerful driver of research commercialisation and economic development. The World Intellectual Property Organization gives advice on the establishment of Technology Transfer Offices.
Technological Upgrading in Singapore The Local Industry Upgrading Programme (LIUP) is a method used by Singapore¡¦s Industrial Development Agency to accelerate the process of technology transfer, and to ensure that the benefits of foreign investment are shared in the local economy. Multinational companies operating in Singapore are given incentives to enter into long-term supply contracts with local firms and to offer them support in advancing their product and process technologies. The programme supports the secondment of MNC employees to local firms as a method of improving the competitiveness of local firms. This programme has recorded several success stories, especially in the ICT sector. For example, as Seagate and other large US companies relocated production to Singapore in the 1980s and 1990s, co-investment under the LIUP introduced technologies such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and computerised supply chain management to their local Singaporean suppliers, which helped suppliers to grow rapidly.
Promoting South-South co-operation in S&T trade and investment: As the global economic environment evolves rapidly over time, Trinidad and Tobago must seek to attract new trading and investment partners. Traditionally strong players such as the United States and the European Union will decline in relative importance over the next century, making way for rising nations such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and other emerging economies.
This will especiallybe the case in science and technology-related fields, as these countries continue to move into higher value-adding sectors. For Trinidad and Tobago to be in the vanguard of S&T-led industrial development, it must position itself as an attractive investment proposition for high-growth firms from these growing regions. 2.2 Human Capital Formation A national Science and Technology policy must treat with the development of Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s most valuable resources ¡V its people. As a result, a key medium-term objective of this policy is to improve the practical skill sets of ¡¥Trinbagonians¡¦, by continuing to orient secondary and tertiary level training around employability, entrepreneurship and problem-solving, in addition to the traditional focus on academic merit. In order to seed the next generation of inventors, researchers and entrepreneurs, young citizens should be given opportunities to develop an interest in science and technology. To this end, they must have avenues for the expression of curiosity and creativity, which are not always available in schools where conformity and routine are often prioritised. Science fairs, exhibitions, competitions and television programmes geared towards young ¡¥Trinbagonians¡¦ can stimulate their interest, and S&T career fairs for those closer to school-leaving age can get students thinking more about working or starting enterprises in exciting new areas.
Promoting the history of science and technology in Trinidad and Tobago can also instil a sense of national pride in local youth. Human capital development can and should also be prioritised outside of the school system, and NIHERST may have a role to play in this. The organisation has streamlined its role in recent times to play a more direct role in economic diversification. Its new focus is to help create a more knowledge-driven economy based on the knowledge of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
NIHERST has been promoting a culture of science, technology and creativity, and will continue to do so through:
Extensive science popularisation programmes, which are undertaken at the community and national levels, as well as in the Caribbean region;
Prime Minister¡¦s Awards for Scientific Ingenuity, first launched in 2000, which seek to encourage technological creativity by recognising and rewarding outstanding achievements in the areas of innovation and invention.
Camps, workshops and special activities during the school term and the July/August vacation, which aim to develop children¡¦s creative-thinking skills and capacity for innovation and invention.
The establishment of a National Science City (NSC). The new NSC will feature exhibitions that showcase the frontiers of science and celebrate the contributions of ¡¥Trinbagonian¡¦ nationals to global scientific discovery. The purpose of the new NSC will be to give visitors, mainly students, a sense of wonder and appreciation for scientific endeavour, and hopefully to inspire some students to take up careers in science and engineering.
Updating the secondary and tertiary curricula: To the extent possible, educational curricula in Trinidad and Tobago should be revised, so that learning is more in sync with the needs of a modern citizen.
To supplement traditional exam-centred methods, critical thinking skills and simulated work environments could be introduced so that students gain exposure to practical and real-world applications of their learning. In addition, initiatives should be undertaken in schools to encourage creativity, and at higher levels, entrepreneurship.
Evaluating and improving upon the E-Connect and Learn policy: An ambitious technological programme in the education sector, namely the E-Connect and Learn policy, aims to supply all new secondary school students with laptop computers, and was launched in September 2010.
This policy, therefore, helps to achieve objectives on ICT, poverty reduction and human capital development. However, in order to achieve its goals, it must be updated and made to fit the needs of students and teachers. Given recent advances in consumer technology and rapid declines in the cost of computer hardware and software, it is becoming more and more feasible to expand school access to computers and the Internet. One such example is the ultra-low-cost Aakash tablet, which is manufactured in India.
By leveraging existing ties with India, Government can enter into agreements by which the Aakash can be distributed to students.
Establishing apprenticeship and training agreements between universities in T&T and at least one major global company from each targeted S&T sector: One of the key reasons for the ¡¥brain drain¡¦, whereby highly-skilled T&T nationals migrate to other countries, is a lack of gainful employment opportunities in the local non-energy sector. In order to reverse this problem, internship and apprenticeship programs could be developed by the Government to facilitate skills development and knowledge building, with the aim that highly skilled nationals will disseminate their knowledge on return to Trinidad and Tobago.
Developing Human Capital: New Zealand One of the key aspects of New Zealand¡¦s S&T policy is that it focuses on human capital and infrastructure. TechNZ, a public science and technology policy institute in New Zealand, piloted a Postgraduate Internship Programme, which gives graduates placements within relevant companies. With respect to infrastructure, a computational network has been proposed to link research organisations, universities, and government together.
The Ministry of Science and Innovation (MSI) gives financial support to businesses in New Zealand to employ a postgraduate intern for six months, and it is available to firms of all sizes that have a focus on research and development, and to any postgraduate students in science, technology or engineering disciplines.
2.3 Building ¡§Brand T&T¡¨
In the international arena, Trinidad and Tobago is known for Carnival, its natural resources, its natural beauty, and the achievements of its nationals in the arts and in sport. In order to attract greater foreign investment in technologically-intensive industries and to improve its international competitiveness and innovation rankings, both public and private sectors need to market ¡§Brand T&T.¡¨
This would entail promoting the country as a science-friendly and business-friendly location, full of technology-savvy citizens who are open to fresh, innovative ideas and free of dogmatic thinking. In a globalised environment, country branding is becoming increasingly important, and though they may sound insubstantial in traditional policy circles, factors such as urban quality of life, connectedness and ICT infrastructure are becoming more and more critical to countries which want to attract investment, develop business clusters, and retain their top local talents ¡V thereby helping to reverse the ¡¥brain drain.¡¦ Given Trinidad and Tobago¡¦s size and relative position with respect to scientific and technological sophistication, it is imperative that the country begin to pursue deep, productive relationships within regional and international networks, and with research institutes and relevant public-interest organisations in countries such as Singapore and New Zealand, which have had some measure of success in promoting research, science and technology.
However, such relationships, especially government-to-government relationships, should be carefully managed so as to create workable solutions for the specific needs of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago must develop and strengthen ties within regional science, technology and research networks.
The Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN) is a project which aims to develop national knowledge-based networks within the Caribbean region. Productive relationships should also be sought out between local S&T institutions such as NIHERST and institutions abroad such as:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States;
The UK Government Office for Science - which conducts extensive foresight research;
Singapore¡¦s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); and
Chile¡¦s InnovaChile, which administers its Startup Chile project.
Current partnerships with agencies such as India¡¦s National Institute for Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) should also be deepened and encouraged. At the level of higher education, researchers should be encouraged to participate in conferences at the highest level and to publish their work widely and in high-quality journals. Performance incentives tied to bibliometric and scientometric impact may be a way of encouraging broader participation in the international arena.
S&T Collaboration in the Caribbean
Some consideration should be given to developing collaborative solutions to common S&T problems within the CARICOM region, given the commonality of problems such as: S&T data collection; science education; funding for S&T projects and programmes; physical, infrastructure; regulatory frameworks for S&T; coordination and organisation of S&T activities; performance monitoring and evaluation; and environmental protection. Many of the challenges facing regional neighbours such as Barbados and Jamaica, therefore, are familiar to Trinidad and Tobago.
Collaborative work on S&T issues would also be practical and efficient, since there is a relative shortage of science and technology expertise in each country in the region. If stronger linkages between CARICOM nations lead to more joint work being carried out, this would go a long way to stimulating S&T-based development in Trinidad and Tobago specifically, and throughout the Caribbean.
2.4 Inclusive Development
As a developing country, Trinidad and Tobago is faced with a variety of social challenges, including disease, poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, and the ¡¥brain drain.¡¦ To be a truly national policy, the National Science and Technology Policy must address issues that affect everyone in society. Poverty affects a significant proportion of the population in our twin-island republic.
Public policies with a socio-economic slant must be aimed towards raising the living standards of the less fortunate in society, and towards creating opportunities for all citizens to improve their conditions through education, employment and entrepreneurship.
S&T-led industrial development, when not regulated or managed with sufficient care, can lead to severe environmental degradation, which impacts negatively on health, productivity, tourism, and the long-term well-being of citizens. Policy should be cognisant of this fact, and should seek to ensure that new S&T projects do not have a damaging effect on our ecosystems.
Environmental technology is also an area in which there may be several economic opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago to exploit, such as in consumer solar and wind technologies.
The National Science and Technology Policy should be used to enhance and support environmental policy in Trinidad and Tobago.
Progress in these two fields can be taken as a strong indicator of national development - ten countries in the top 50% of countries in the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)12 rank among the top ten nations on the Global Technology Index13.
Any developing nation must work to ensure Science, Technology and Environmental awareness not only develop together, but actively sustain and inspire each other.
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a tool, developed at Yale University, which ranks countries on performance indicators tracked across policy categories that cover both environmental public health and ecosystem vitality. These indicators provide a gauge at a national government scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy goals. 13 The Global Technology Index is a sub-index of a wider ranking mechanism, the Global Creativity Index, which was developed by the economist Richard Florida and others at the Martin Prosperity Institute. The Global Technology Index combines measures of national R&D investment, scientific and engineering researchers per capita and innovations (measured by patents per capita).
Strengthening training and re-training programmes for technologically displaced workers and graduates: While technological upgrading can raise labour productivity, it can also displace workers whose functions have been automated.
In order to keep pace with technical change, agencies such as the National Training Agency (NTA) and programmes such as the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP) and Helping Youth Prepare for Employment (HYPE), as well as the national and regional universities, should ensure that graduates and workers are multi-skilled and can cope with and adapt to rapid changes in the economic environment.
Diaspora Contributions: In order to leverage the large ¡¥Trinbagonian¡¦ diaspora, a number of different strategies can be used:
A policy on talent attraction in science and technology could seek to reverse the brain drain, by offering significant financial, tax and other incentives for highly-skilled young nationals to return to Trinidad and Tobago and contribute to national development through their work.
Studies on the geographic and employment distribution of the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora, focusing on factors influencing willingness to return, potential areas of contribution, etc.
A very different approach should be used to involve older ¡¥Trinbagonians¡¦, including networking events for overseas citizens, consultancies, investment incentives, and cultural support programmes in regions of high diaspora concentration.
Developing a global Trinidad and Tobago diaspora network, to connect ¡¥Trinbagonian¡¦ nationals around the world, both with each other, and with their home country. In order for such a network to become a success, it should be fully ICT-integrated and make significant use of major social networking tools, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
¡§Pro-Local, Pro-Foreign¡¨ Singapore Singapore uses a number of incentives to attract the best talent from around the world, and characterises its approach as ¡§Pro-Local, Pro-Foreign.¡¨ Singapore¡¦s National Research Foundation Fellowship is one of the main initiatives in this drive, giving top scientists of any nationality the opportunity to conduct research in any area they choose to, with a grant of up to SGD $3m (US $2.38 million) over 5 years and a salary pegged to that of a Singaporean assistant professor.
Open data: The idea that data should be freely shared and distributed is not new, but is beginning to gain currency in policy circles, now that ICTs have made it possible to transmit information across borders at low cost and high speed. Harnessing the power of communication technology requires access to data, and for small firms and researchers in developing countries, the cost of accessing such data can be prohibitively high. However, government can be in the vanguard of a drive towards greater collaboration and sharing by adopting flexible, open policies towards information access, supplemented by Fair Use policies, so that egregious infringements of intellectual property are avoided, while creating an environment more conducive to data-driven research and production.
Section 3: Discussion and Next Steps
Key Issues for Discussion
To ensure that the consultation process is truly inclusive and national, it should be a forum for discussion of the major issues regarding science and technology in Trinidad and Tobago. To stimulate the national consultation process on science and technology policy, the following key issues have been suggested for discussion:
1. Should public research and development funding be allocated through a central R&D fund? Or should it be done through separate, sector-specific funds (e.g. for health, ICT, etc.). What other incentives should be used to stimulate research and development among local firms?
2. With regard to economic diversification, which strategic industries do participants see as having strong potential for development?
a. Within the industries identified, what are the strategic areas to be targeted?
b. Does Trinidad and Tobago presently have the skills and technology to grow these industries?
c. If not, what are the major obstacles or gaps that hinder development?
d. What should be the role of government in supporting these strategic areas?
3. The ¡¥brain drain¡¦ phenomenon is a real issue for Trinidad and Tobago. What measures would be most effective to attract and keep the best talent in Trinidad and Tobago?
This list of questions is not meant to be exhaustive, and has been included merely to stimulate a larger discussion. All participants in the national consultations are encouraged to raise issues and questions that they see as being relevant to the national science and technology space.
3.2: Next Steps
Once this consultative process has been completed, all feedback and comments from the national community will be incorporated into the policy framework. Further research will be carried out on international best practices, the local S&T environment, and evaluations of S&T programs and projects that would be most supportive of sustainable economic diversification in Trinidad and Tobago. It is expected that a draft National Science and Technology Policy will be presented by January 2013.
