Sustainable industrial development is crucial for eradicating poverty and promoting sustained economic growth. Some developing countries (like China, South Korea and India) have achieved significant economic growth rates in recent years. However, other developing countries are still caught in the poverty trap and for them MDGs remain an elusive dream.

The optimal development of industries as an engine of economic growth is severely constrained by:

1. Serious infra-structural and technological impediments;
2. Lack of Institution and industry mutual trust;
3. Limited productive capacities in terms of human resource and Institutions;
4. Inadequate financial allocation;
5. Limited or no adequate resources for research and development;
6. Lack of education, including training, vocational educational programmes and facilities;
7. Gap between academic Institutions and industry;
8. Lack of indigenous research needed to value-add the local raw material;
9. Lack of commercialization of indigenous research;
10. Lack of innovation in technology and production;
11. Outdated industrial technologies and production methodologies.

All of these factors are hampering quick improvements in industrial development in most of the developing countries, reducing their chance to achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

Industry, Academia, and Policy Making

Developing economies should work to ensure an open business climate, a consistent, transparent and timely legal framework and sharing of technology and expertise. Improvements in these areas is critical to build innovative capacity, enhancing technology cooperation, accelerating technology commercialization and developing regional networks and partnerships.

Industry–academia collaboration has become a subject of great interest to academicians, industry leaders and policymakers. Wealth generation (industry), novelty production (academia), and public control, all need to have a balanced and direct linkage with each other to bring out fruitful developmental results.

Academic institutions, industry and policy formulators should establish direct links to maximize capitalization of knowledge and research. This will help in directly eradicating the existing barriers to industrial development through collaborative measures and help all the institutions to agree on mutual terms on the following measures which are necessary for industrial development:

1. Establish a “Technology Innovation Network” or “S&T-Industry Network” in order to enhance technology innovation and its commercialization;
2. Develop and strengthen the productive capacity by scaling up the technical and financial resource flows;
3. Promote South-South cooperation, North-South cooperation as well as triangular cooperation and regional cooperation;
4. Strengthen programmes of technical and financial support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs);
5. Intensify outreach activities including campaigns for education and awareness raising, building on local cultural values to change consumer behavior toward more sustainable lifestyles, and
6. Developed countries should translate their commitments into actions on capacity building under direct or indirect government control to the developing countries for the betterment of the world.

Objectives

The purpose of the seminar is to create awareness and highlight the usefulness of Industrial Development in developing economies. The seminar will provide an opportunity to policy makers, regulators, industry leaders, non-profit organisations, entrepreneurs and academicians to interact, share ideas for fostering collaborative leadership skills and develop partners to meet the challenges of the new global economic landscape.

Areas of Discussion

The seminar will focus on the following thematic areas:

1. Reports on the present status of the mechanisms of interaction between academia, policy makers and industry in the participating countries;
2. Success stories of science parks and incubators for commercialization of research and bridging gap between academia and industry;
3. Research and Development Centers and their management systems within the national industrial sectors;
4. Research and development projects and their linkage with industry;
5. Small and Medium Scale industries and their need for research and development, and
6. Present status and perspectives of collaboration between academic and industrial sectors on the regional level.

General Information:

Registration

Scientists, industrialists, government representatives, policy makers and scholars are encouraged to participate in this event. The registration of the subject event would only be entertained on the basis duly filled up registration form available at www.hiast.edu.sy, www.comsats.org, or www.isesco.org.ma. Those who wish to speak or present in the seminar may kindly indicate in the online form. However, only selected persons would be confirmed of their participation on the discretion of the organizing committee.

Foreign Participants

Foreign participants should check with their local travel agents about the visa requirements for travel to Syria. The Organizers will prepare the official invitation letters and send it to the participants on request.

About Collaborating Organizations

ISESCO: Since it’s inception in 1982, it has been witnessing steady progress in achieving its mission through various activities and programmes. ISESCO has been exerting considerable efforts, which proved to be successful in the promotion of the educational, scientific, information, communication and cultural development of the Islamic world.

COMSATS: It was established as a result of international agreement, among 21 developing countries from across three continents (Asia, Africa and Latin America). The organization is striving to sensitize science-led development and facilitate South-South and North-South cooperation in the fields of science and technology for achieving sustainable socio-economic development in the South.

HIAST: It is an educational establishment founded in 1983. It provides high standard education to undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students. It conducts Research and Development activities in many scientific and technical disciplines, jointly with several national and international organizations. It is a member of COMSATS’ Network of S&T Centres of Excellence

Focal Persons

COMSATS
Mr. Tajammul Hussain
Director General – International Affairs
COMSATS Headquarters,
Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat, Sector G-5/2,
Islamabad.
Tel: +92-51-9204892, 9214515-7 Ext: 213
Fax: +92-51-9216539
Email: husseint@comsats.net.pk

ISESCO
Prof. Dr. Brahim Haraoubia
President
ISESCO Center for the Promotion of Scientific Research
Ave des F.A.R Hay Riyadh
P.O.Box 2275, Rabat
Kingdom of Morocco.
Tel: +212537566052/53
Fax: +212537566012/13
Email: icpsr@isesco.org.ma

HIAST
Dr. Iyad Seyd Darwish
Director of Scientific Cooperation, Information and Publication
Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST)
P.O. Box 31983, Damascus, Syria
Tel: +963-11-5123819, 5132783, 5124639
Fax: (963-11) 2237710
Email: isdarwish@hiast.edu.sy