ICTP "an open window to the world scientific community"

Lack of mobility, inadequate equipment and human resources, brain drain: these are some of the many challenges faced by scientists in developing countries, and were among the many topics of discussion during the second day's programme of "ICTP After 45: Science and Development for a Changing World".

The theme of the day, "Science within a Changing Geopolitical Framework", brought together ministers, policy makers and high-level scientists from four world regions--Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and Latin America and the Caribbean--to showcase regional success stories as well as challenges regarding science and mathematics education in developing countries.

Jean-Pierre Ezin, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology for the African Union, chaired the African regional session, which spotlighted the difficulties in mobility for scientists on the continent as well as an inequality in university equipment and human resources. Session speakers recommended that ICTP could help by holding localised schools in Africa and by emphasising regional cooperation in its programmes.

The Asia session, chaired by former ICTP Director Katepalli Sreenivasan, put a spotlight on the different levels of development in Asia, which need different solutions. "The key word for this region is cooperation," said session rapporteur Tsou Sheung Tsun of the University of Oxford's Mathematical Institute.

In Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the key word is transformation, according to session rapporteur Yanko Yanev of the IAEA. Session chair Rexhep Meidani, former President of Albania, oversaw presentations from Georgia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. Representatives from the European Physical Society, the Central European Initiative, and UNESCO also joined the session. "ICTP is an open window to the world scientific community," said Yanev.

Latin America and the Caribbean was characterised by that session's speakers as a region with disparities in levels of research. While Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico have attained relatively high research standards, other countries, such as Guatemala, lack investment and infrastructure. The level of basic education in the region needs to be improved, and brain drain is a problem, with researchers concerns about the region's economic and political stability keeping them abroad, said session rapporteur Leticia Cugliandolo, director of Les Houches School of Physics. Former ICTP Director Miguel Virasoro chaired the session.