Mid-term evaluation of African Technology Policy Studies Network Phase VI Strategic Plan: for the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a multidisciplinary network of researchers, private sector actors, policymakers and civil society. ATPS has the vision to become the leading international centre of excellence and reference in science, technology and innovation (STI) systems research, training and capacity building, communication and sensitization, knowledge brokerage, policy advocacy and outreach in Africa. It has a Regional Secretariat in Nairobi Kenya, and operates through national chapters in 29 countries (including 27 in Africa and two Chapters in the United Kingdom and USA for Africans in the Diaspora) with an expansion plan to cover the entire continent by 2015. The ATPS Phase VI Strategic Plan aims to improve the understanding and functioning of STI processes and systems to strengthen the learning capacity, social responses, and governance of STI for addressing Africa's development challenges, with a specific focus on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A team of external evaluators carried out a midterm review to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. The evaluation methodology involved multiple quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the qualitative and quantitative inputs (human resources, financial resources, time, etc.) into ATPS activities (both thematic and facilitative) and their tangible and intangible outputs, outcomes and impacts. Methods included a questionnaire survey of ATPS members and stakeholders, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with members in six countries. Effectiveness of Programmes Under all six strategic goals, very good progress has been made towards planned outputs and outcomes. This is evidenced by key performance indicators (KPIs) generated from desk review, ratings from the survey respondents, and the themes that run through the FGDs. Institutional and Programme Cost Effectiveness Institutional Effectiveness: assessment of institutional effectiveness suggests that adequate management frameworks are in place and are being used effectively and transparently. Also technical and financial accounting mechanisms are being followed in accordance with grant agreements and with global good practice. This is evidenced by KPIs generated from desk review. Programme Cost Effectiveness: assessment of cost-effectiveness of execution of programmes shows that organisational structure is efficient, delivering high quality, relevant research at relatively low cost by international standards. The evidence includes KPIs from desk review: administrative costs to programme cost ratio has fallen steadily, to around 10%; average size of research grants is modest, without compromising quality. There is high level of pro bono input by ATPS members. ATPS Programmes Strategic Evaluation ATPS research and STI related activities are indeed unique and well aligned with STI issues and needs facing Africa and globally. The multi-disciplinary and trans-boundary nature of the research activities are creating a unique group of research scientists. The ATPS approach to research and STI issues is paving the way for the so called Third Generation University (3GU). Understanding this unique positioning, an increasing number of international multilateral agencies are seeking partnership with ATPS. ATPS is seeing an increasing level of funding commitments by Donor Partners. Recommendations for ATPS Continued Growth and Effectiveness On-going reform of ATPS administrative structure to continue The on-going reforms that have taken place within the Board, Regional Secretariat, and at the National Chapter coordination levels are welcomed. Such reform should continue until fully functional corporate governance policy and practices are fully established and implemented across the ATPS governance structures. This will further strengthen ATPS to achieve the vision of being the leading STI policy brokerage organization in Africa. Although training in corporate governance has been carried out for all sectors of ATPS leadership structure in recent time, there is some evidence that these systems have not yet been fully implemented effectively within all the governance structures of the organization, especially at the Board and National chapter levels. Future training should emphasize practical application with exercises relevant to ATPS leadership structure from the Board to the National Chapter levels. Training on Transformational Leadership - Leading a Change Though a subject of intense debate amongst economists and social scientists, it is generally agreed that cultural mindsets and attitudes could enhance and/or hinder organizational progress. ATPS’s vision demands transformational leadership skills amongst its leaders from the Board members to the National Chapter Coordinators. To lead such a change, ATPS leaders must understand and avoid personal and cultural mindsets and value systems that hinder change, while embracing those that enhance it. It requires deliberate assessment of cultural, behavioural patterns that could hinder progress and the willingness to be recast into cultural and personal habits that make for progress. Improvement of relationship amongst the Board, Secretariat, and National Chapters A large number of ATPS members and stakeholders feel they do not have effective communications and/or access to Board, National Chapter Coordinators and Regional Secretariat activities. Effort should be made to improve the implementation of ATPS communication strategy to improve on information flows amongst the ATPS management and the members. The results of the survey and the FGDs suggest that progress has been made during the past two years in this direction, but more could be done to ensure effective flow of pertinent information to members following ATPS communications channels. Strategies for Increased Funding for National Chapters There is a big gap between the fundraising skills of the Regional Secretariat and those of the National Coordinators. In some cases, funds successfully raised by the Secretariat and disbursed to national chapters were not followed up with timely progress and financial reports by some national chapters. Adequate training in relevant skills required for effective interactions with STI key policy players should be conducted regularly for National Chapter coordinators and ATPS members. The ongoing training in grant writing should continue and be made continent-wide if funding permits. Funding of National Chapters should be strategic such that capacity in a specific area of research is built which, with time, will not only lead to a strong research capacity in that area, but also strengthen academic programmes. For example, a strong climate change programme is emerging at University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), with strong collaborations with Universities from neighbouring States. Strategies to Increase National Government buy-in and support for STI Translating STI research outcomes into policies requires a great deal of emotional intelligence, skills which are often lacking in the first and second generation universities. In the epoch of the science-based or 2GUs, governments were content with universities carrying out scientific research and providing scientific education. Now they desire to see universities as incubators of new science- or technology-based commercial activities, whether by existing firms or start-ups. Hence, governments demand that universities take an active and leading role in the exploitation of their knowledge and they are willing to make funds available to support such activities. Thus, for universities to gain the attention of national leadership they must become centres of excellence and explicit instruments of economic development in the knowledge-based economy. The universities must do this while working collaboratively with government departments, parastatals, and institutions and dedicated research establishments. ATPS should anticipate these shifting changes and devise programmes to assist both government and universities to relate effectively. New administrative structures in member organizations to sustain and manage the emerging STI multidisciplinary teams Second Generation universities (2GUs) tend to focus on pure science and often do not regard the application of their know-how as their task. In contrast, Third Generation Universities (3GUs) objectively stimulate techno-starters – students or academics – to pursue the exploitation or commercialisation of the knowledge they generate. They view this as being equal in importance to the objectives of scientific research and education. Administratively, research in the 2GU era was mainly monodisciplinary and departments were structured along disciplines. The emerging interdisciplinary scientific teams with focus on specific research areas functionally work against the current mono-disciplinary faculty-based, administrative structure of 2GUs. For interdisciplinary teams, the current faculty system is an obstacle. There is a need for new organisational forms for university management that can create responsibilities for the task of know-how exploitation. ATPS must anticipate this and begin to strategize solutions for their member institutions to transition to 3Gus administrative structure, otherwise ATPS growth will plateau, and progress achieved so far may be stunted.

A consolidação da formação do professor-pesquisador da Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFPA: o(s) produto(s) científico(s) em foco

Este estudo cujo tema perpassa o campo da Educação Superior teve a tarefa de dissertar sobre o objeto a consolidação da formação do professor-pesquisador da Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFPA, que traduziu uma inquietação epistemológica em compreender a ação educativa desenvolvida no espaço pós-graduado e que atualmente vem se desenvolvendo pela relação entre pesquisa-trabalho-produtividade que encontra suas raízes ainda na gênese da Pós-Graduação no Brasil na década de 60. O objetivo geral foi analisar o trabalho docente do professor-pesquisador da Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal do Pará – UFPA, a partir do processo de consolidação da sua formação pós-graduada, e os específicos que incidiram nos cinco capítulos da Dissertação, a saber: identificar os aspectos legais e epistemológicos que dão voz ao trabalho docente no Ensino Superior tendo como elo o conceito de professor-pesquisador; verificar os dispositivos institucionais que regulam o trabalho docente na Pós-Graduação; analisar o processo de consolidação da formação dos professores-pesquisadores da Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFPA; examinar o nível de produtividade científica dos professores-pesquisadores da Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFPA e; observar como o trabalho docente desses pesquisadores vem sendo avaliado pela Comissão Externa de Avaliação da CAPES. Dedicando-se a seguinte problematização: Como o trabalho do professor-pesquisador se constitui após o processo de consolidação da sua formação pós-graduada? A qual desencadeou as questões-problemas discutidas em cada capítulo: De que modo o trabalho docente desenvolvido no Ensino Superior vem se caracterizando dentro da abordagem epistemológica que envolve o conceito de professor-pesquisador? Em que medida os aspectos institucionais configuram a atividade docente desenvolvida na Pós-Graduação, particularmente no Instituto de Ciências da Educação da UFPA? O que revela a introdução das teses de doutoramento dos professores-pesquisadores? Como a produtividade científica desses professores-pesquisadores vem se constituindo dentro do Currículo Lattes? Como a CAPES avaliou o trabalho docente na Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFPA no lapso temporal de 2003 a 2010? Dada as questões, o estudo foi construído sob uma abordagem teórico-metodológica ancorada no enfoque histórico-educativo, neste momento autores como Carvalho (2003) e Lombardi (2004) compuseram o diálogo necessário para justificar a opção que desencadeou também na escolha das cinco fontes históricas examinadas no estudo, as bibliográficas sobre a epistemologia do professor-pesquisador, as prescrições oficiais, as introduções das teses de Doutorado do atual corpo docente do PPGED da UFPA, os currículos lattes desses sujeitos e por último, as fichas de avaliação da CAPES aplicadas ao PPGED nos anos de 2004 e 2007 referentes à avaliação trienal coordenada pelo Órgão. Tratou-se de um estudo de caso instrumental interessado em compreender a ação educativa no espaço pós-graduado, tendo como lapso temporal os anos de 2003 a 2010. Dentre os resultados alcançados, concluiu-se, principalmente, que a consolidação do professor-pesquisador tem na etapa de conclusão do Doutorado a consolidação da formação pós-graduada, logo do ponto de partida, uma vez que é na experiência construída no trabalho docente, no ambiente pós-graduado em seu contato com os diferentes processos investigativos que cercam esse campo de significados e contradições que o professor consolida de fato sua atividade investigativa.

China 1:200,000 : Sheet H-50-XXIV : Zhejiang Sheng Region (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the Soviet Army topographic sheet map covering a portion of the Zhejiang Sheng region, China (map quadrangle number: H-50-XXIV). It is from a series of Soviet Army topographic maps of China 1:200,000. The source map was published in 1979. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Pulkovo 1942 GK Zone 20N projection. Map collar information from the source map have been cropped and are not available as part of the raster image. China 1:200,000 topographic maps were prepared and printed by the Soviet Army General Headquarters, 1976-1991. China 1:200,000 maps are in Russian. Each source map in the series is printed in color. China 1:200,000 maps are typical topographic maps portraying both natural and manmade features. They show and name works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. They also identify the principal works and structures of humans, such as roads, railroads, paths, walls, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 40 meters and/or spot heights.

China 1:200,000 : Sheet H-50-XXX : Zhejiang Sheng Region (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the Soviet Army topographic sheet map covering a portion of the Zhejiang Sheng region, China (map quadrangle number: H-50-XXX). It is from a series of Soviet Army topographic maps of China 1:200,000. Published in 1979, the source map was compiled from maps 1:100,000 published in 1977; corrected according to source material, 1970-1975. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Pulkovo 1942 GK Zone 20N projection. Map collar information from the source map have been cropped and are not available as part of the raster image. China 1:200,000 topographic maps were prepared and printed by the Soviet Army General Headquarters, 1976-1991. China 1:200,000 maps are in Russian. Each source map in the series is printed in color. China 1:200,000 maps are typical topographic maps portraying both natural and manmade features. They show and name works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. They also identify the principal works and structures of humans, such as roads, railroads, paths, walls, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 40 meters and/or spot heights.

China 1:200,000 : Shaoxing Region, Zhejiang Sheng (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the Soviet Army topographic sheet map of the Shaoxing region, Zhejiang Sheng, China (map quadrangle number: H-51-XIX). It is from a series of Soviet Army topographic maps of China 1:200,000. Published in 1979, the source map was compiled from maps 1:100,000 published in 1977; corrected according to source material, 1973, 1974. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Pulkovo 1942 GK Zone 20N projection. Map collar information from the source map have been cropped and are not available as part of the raster image. China 1:200,000 topographic maps were prepared and printed by the Soviet Army General Headquarters, 1976-1991. China 1:200,000 maps are in Russian. Each source map in the series is printed in color. China 1:200,000 maps are typical topographic maps portraying both natural and manmade features. They show and name works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. They also identify the principal works and structures of humans, such as roads, railroads, paths, walls, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 40 meters and/or spot heights.

China 1:200,000 : Xianju Region, Zhejiang Sheng (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the Soviet Army topographic sheet map of the Xianju region, Zhejiang Sheng, China (map quadrangle number: H-51-XXV). It is from a series of Soviet Army topographic maps of China 1:200,000. Published in 1986, this map reflects 1979 ground conditions. The source map was compiled from maps 1:100,000 published in 1979. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Pulkovo 1942 GK Zone 20N projection. Map collar information from the source map have been cropped and are not available as part of the raster image. China 1:200,000 topographic maps were prepared and printed by the Soviet Army General Headquarters, 1976-1991. China 1:200,000 maps are in Russian. Each source map in the series is printed in color. China 1:200,000 maps are typical topographic maps portraying both natural and manmade features. They show and name works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. They also identify the principal works and structures of humans, such as roads, railroads, paths, walls, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 40 meters and/or spot heights.

China 1:200,000 : Wezhou Region, Zhejiang Sheng (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the Soviet Army topographic sheet map of the Wenzhou region, Zhejiang Sheng, China (map quadrangle number: H-51-XXXI). It is from a series of Soviet Army topographic maps of China 1:200,000. Published in 1986, this map reflects 1979 ground conditions. The source map was compiled from maps 1:100,000 published in 1979. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Pulkovo 1942 GK Zone 20N projection. Map collar information from the source map have been cropped and are not available as part of the raster image. China 1:200,000 topographic maps were prepared and printed by the Soviet Army General Headquarters, 1976-1991. China 1:200,000 maps are in Russian. Each source map in the series is printed in color. China 1:200,000 maps are typical topographic maps portraying both natural and manmade features. They show and name works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. They also identify the principal works and structures of humans, such as roads, railroads, paths, walls, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 40 meters and/or spot heights.

Beijing, China : Street Centerlines, 2006

Beijing, China street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

Barcelona, Spain : Street Centerlines, 2005

Barcelona, Spain street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

Hong Kong, China : Street Centerlines, 2004

Hong Kong, China street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

Berlin, Germany : Street Centerlines, 2006

Berlin, Germany street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

Madrid, Spain : Street Centerlines, 2005

Madrid, Spain street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

Paris, France : Street Centerlines, 2006

Paris, France street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

Nairobi, Kenya : Street Centerlines, 2006

Nairobi, Kenya street centerline vectors with road type attributes extracted from DigitalGlobe QuickBird CitySphere high-resolution (60cm) satellite imagery ortho mosaics.

China 1:200,000 : Lishui Region, Zhejiang Sheng (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the Soviet Army topographic sheet map of the Lishui region, Zhejiang Sheng, China (map quadrangle number: H-50-XXXVI). It is from a series of Soviet Army topographic maps of China 1:200,000. Published in 1979, the source map was compiled from maps 1:100,000 published in 1977; corrected according to source material, 1973-1975. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Pulkovo 1942 GK Zone 20N projection. Map collar information from the source map have been cropped and are not available as part of the raster image. China 1:200,000 topographic maps were prepared and printed by the Soviet Army General Headquarters, 1976-1991. China 1:200,000 maps are in Russian. Each source map in the series is printed in color. China 1:200,000 maps are typical topographic maps portraying both natural and manmade features. They show and name works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. They also identify the principal works and structures of humans, such as roads, railroads, paths, walls, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 40 meters and/or spot heights.