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“It is important to create Technology Platforms in order to have a space of participation and discussion in which private, academic and public sector can jointly define the priorities for the country”. CEPAL supports the FIRST project towards a Latin American – European Union Future Internet R&D Strategy. Interview with @Lis2-ECLAC Coordinator,  Néstor Bercovich.

1- From CEPAL point of view, why do you think that the set up of the Technologies Platforms in LA is important?

CEPAL, through Project @LIS2, supported by the European Union, has as one of its main goals the promotion of international cooperation between Europe and Latin America towards the Information Society. This project has three main initiatives that boost the access and productive use of ICT technologies.

In addition, CEPAL acknowledge that developing technologies and innovative capacities are very important for the process of the regional development. That is why it is so important to increase the efforts in improving regional capacities, Science and any R&D activity.

In order to achieve this, the Technology Platform model is one of the ways to reach this goal. Technology Platforms are spaces in which the industry can express which are the priorities in R&D that need to be taken into account by the different initiatives of the European Framework Programme. These platforms are the bound between the companies and the policy makers of the public sector. This is relevant for the region because it helps to get through the historical distance between the public, academic and the private spheres.  For example, in Latin America the participation of the private spending over the total R&D spending is much lower than other regions of the world. One way to boost this is to identify the private sector’s priorities in order to include them in the national efforts.

In addition, it is important to create Technology Platforms in order to have a space of participation and discussion in which private, academic and public sector can jointly define the priorities for the country. It might be interesting if private innovative companies start participating in FP7 initiatives, and not only academic research centers.

2-  CEPAL has as mission to contribute to the economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean.  How do you think the 7FP of the European Commission contribute to this mission?

Economic development can be built through strengthening local innovative capacities. One way to achieve this is using international networks that are sources of different experiences and development possibilities. Furthermore, these networks join the different Latin American actors while the Framework Programme initiatives start including the Latin American priorities in the different cooperation projects. Then, as the region organizes itself using the Technology Platforms model, or other tools, this can influence on the European decisions in their plans of cooperation with Latin America. The FP7 has different areas in which cooperation with Latin America is included, which means that the region can be relevant on the process of defining priorities in Europe.

Finally, Framework Programme contributes to the regional development through the strengthening of local innovation. In particular the inclusion of Latin American partners in the different projects is a good way of sharing experience and know-how in topics that are not that visible in the region. It is also important to ensure that the Latin American organizations do not only participate providing its know-how in topics that are not that relevant in the region, but to participate in projects that have inference in Latin American local issues.

3- Any message for the members?

CEPAL is really interested in supporting the Platforms and is available to promote this kind of model.

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