Foresight and STI Governance

From Discrete Skills to Holistic Creative Human Potential: An Emerging Approach in Theory and Practice

Pavel Sorokin, Vera Maltseva — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The study aims to empirically demonstrate and conceptually interpret the manifestations of an emerging approach to the issues of human capital, its measurement and development on the international academic, expert, and corporate agenda. We document a gradual shift from a focus on individual skills, their measurement and development, to an approach that considers the complexity of human capital and emphasizes holistic individual activity and the proactive role of the individual in his/her human development and in transforming the corporate environment.The authors show that the formation of this novel approach can be associated with new trends in socio-economic development, including the growing share of non-routine jobs, the transformation of work formats and broader processes of de-structuration, which require a proactive role of the individual in the maintenance and development of social structures, including business organizations. The study has shown that the formation of this new approach occurs gradually and simultaneously at the global level on the academic, expert, and corporate agendas, but with varying degrees of intensity and with different focuses. At the same time, it is the corporate agenda that can be regarded as a frontier. This study is based on a content analysis of academic publications, expert reports of international organizations and think tanks, as well as public reports and documents of the world’s leading innovative companies. The research employs the Big Data intelligence system iFORA.

Research Landscape of Diabetes mHealth Technologies

Pedro F. Castillo-Valdez, Marisela Rodriguez-Salvador, Yuh-Shan Ho — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:36:22 +0300

In recent years, more and more generic technologies have appeared, allowing one to find answers simultaneously along different dimensions, “fan” solutions for urgent and complex problems are synthesized and cumulative effects emerge. This article analyzes the potential of such technologies using the example of mobile health (mHealth), which provides rapid access to medical services even in the most remote regions, mitigating the inequalities between different segments of the population in this regard. The implementation of mobile health becomes especially important in the context of the rapid spread of chronic and autoimmune diseases, which strongly impact the quality and duration of life. Smart applications based on AI and virtual reality provide the opportunity to manage one’s health by combining patient self-monitoring with rapid consultations with medical staff. By doing so, risks are reduced and physiological and mental well-being is enhanced. This article conducts a large-scale literature review of diabetes management techniques through mobile technology to systematize and identify the most advanced solutions. For such innovations to maximize their impact, public health policies must be aligned with a digitalization strategy.

Public Procurement Policies to Foster Innovation Development

Mohammad Reza Attarpour , Maysam Narimani , Mahdi Elyasi , Akbar Mohammadi — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Government and public sector demand from the perspective of demand-push policies as a tool of technology and innovation policy have been discussed in detail in the literature. Policymakers have always considered advantages such as promoting local production goals, reducing imports and dependence upon foreign countries, and meeting domestic needs with technology development and innovation. In Iran such policies have been designed and implemented and can be classified into two categories: horizontal and vertical policies. Horizontal policies refer to policy programs that regulate the general government market and the public sector. In vertical policies, however, government demand in a particular product area is regulated. In order to analyze the different types of application of these policies in Iran, several cases of horizontal and vertical policies have been studied and compared in this article. From the horizontal policies, the law of maximum use of domestic power and Foreign Finance Credit have been selected. Among the vertical policies, the policy of 10 basic oil products and the experience of the Iran-Lab-Expo have been examined. Attempts have been made to analyze and compare the above policies based on the general pattern of government programs to stimulate government demand for technology and innovation. Finally, the lessons learned from Iran’s policy experiences in the field of public sector demand orientation as a tool of technology and innovation policy are described.

Conceptualizing a Seamless Model of Technology Transfer: Evidence from Public Research Institutes and Universities in Indonesia

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Technology transfer (TT) is essential in transforming and mobilizing technological knowledge from public research institutes (PRIs) and universities into innovations. The concept of TT has become the center of scholarly attention since implementing the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980. In its progression, TT models and practices varied across organizations. The standard adopted model at Indonesian PRIs and universities is the dissemination model. This classic model is problematic yet suitable for technological knowledge production within these organizations. Consequently, TT performance could be better; only a few technologies were successfully commercialized and became innovations. Meanwhile, most research results ended as publications and new intellectual properties. Therefore, a new model needs to enhance the TT processes. This study uses a multiple-case study approach to conceptualize a “seamless” technology transfer model. This model provides a holistic view of processes and components of technology transfer in the dimensions of knowledge creation, diffusion, and absorption, which are intertwined. The model differs from the existing concept that segregates components in each dimension; it allows actors and determinants to be involved (or utilized) in multiple dimensions to cater to a better TT process.

The Role of Universities in the Innovation Systems in the Developing Countries

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

There are no universal rules for improving the contribution of universities to the development of regional innovation systems. Much depends upon the context of the country, resources of a specific region and socio-cultural specifics. This article explores the given topic using the example of a technological university in India, located in a large region with established traditions and a culture of production. In the implementation of the third mission of the university, a special proxy-organization played a key role, providing effective communication between stakeholders, the involvement of different segments of the population in the innovation system and joint development of technologies. The authors propose an interactive model that allows universities to develop new technological solutions for enterprises.

Evaluating the Performance of Foresight Studies: Evidence from the Egyptian Energy Sector

Yomna Atef Ahmed, ElHassan Anas ElSabry — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Foresight projects are expected to provide realistic scenarios for different future scenarios, which provides a better information base for relevant strategies. However, these expectations often turn out to be at least difficult to fulfill due to the uncertainty of the external environment and cognitive biases. Therefore, the idea of assessing each stage of Foresight is gaining relevance, which is of particular importance in the energy sector, which affects a variety of areas of life. This article analyzes the results of the Egyptian energy foresight study, Egypt LEAPS, in terms of process efficiency and forecast accuracy as well as the factors that influenced it, including cognitive biases. The authors conclude that for each stage of foresight, a thorough analysis of weaknesses and shortcomings is necessary. Therefore, from the very beginning, the foresight process should include reliable mechanisms for assessing results and a readiness for constant iterations. Consistent process adjustments that rely on new ways of dealing with complexity and uncertainty in dealing with the future help build trust among participants and consistently reduce the level of erroneous assumptions.

Stakeholders and Their Participation in Foresight Projects

Natalia Veselitskaya, Sergey Shashnov — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

With the expansion of the scope of foresight research, the role and importance of various participants in the relevant projects and the users of their results - stakeholders - simultaneously increase. Whereas previously a significant part of foresight projects were carried out with the involvement of professional experts, in many recent studies the circle of their participants is becoming more diverse and an increasing role belongs to members of the public and other potential beneficiaries. This article explores the theory and best practices of applying the stakeholder analysis method in foresight projects, and an attempt is made to systematically characterize this approach. The place and role of various stakeholders in foresight projects are considered, the main problems, opportunities, and recommendations for using the method are assessed, and the features of its application in conjunction with other foresight methods are characterized.