• Title/Summary/Keyword: Grand challenges

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Adapting Public Research Institutes to New Dynamics of Innovation

  • Guinet, Jean
    • STI Policy Review
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.117-138
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    • 2012
  • Governments around the world place great hopes in innovation in their search for new sources of growth and for responses to grand challenges, such as climate change, new or re-emerging infectious diseases, accelerating urbanisation, ageing, food security, and availability of clean water. However they must devise their relevant support policies -- including through sponsored research within public research institutes -- taking into account that innovation processes are currently undergoing a major transformation. New innovation patterns include a broadening scope of relevant activities, a growing importance but changing nature of scientific roots of technological development, a stronger demand-pull, the emergence of new local and national STI powerhouses, and the rise of more open and globalised innovation networks. They translate into new opportunities but also constraints for policies to enhance the contribution of public research institutes to national innovation performance. The article derives the main policy implications regarding the desirable evolution of the mission, research focus, as well as the funding and steering of public research institutes, with a special reference to Korea.

Challenges in neuro-machine interaction based active robotic rehabilitation of stroke patients

  • Song, Aiguo;Yang, Renhuan;Xu, Baoguo;Pan, Lizheng;Li, Huijun
    • Advances in robotics research
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.155-169
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    • 2014
  • Study results in the last decades show that amount and quality of physical exercises, then the active participation, and now the cognitive involvement of patient in rehabilitation training are known of crux to enhance recovery outcome of motor dysfunction patients after stroke. Rehabilitation robots mainly have been developing along this direction to satisfy requirements of recovery therapy, or focusing on one or more of the above three points. Therefore, neuro-machine interaction based active rehabilitation robot has been proposed for assisting paralyzed limb performing designed tasks, which utilizes motor related EEG, UCSDI (Ultrasound Current Source Density Imaging), EMG for rehabilitation robot control and feeds back the multi-sensory interaction information such as visual, auditory, force, haptic sensation to the patient simultaneously. This neuro-controlled and perceptual rehabilitation robot will bring great benefits to post-stroke patients. In order to develop such kind of robot, some key technologies such as noninvasive precise detection of neural signal and realistic sensation feedback need to be solved. There are still some grand challenges in solving the fundamental questions to develop and optimize such kind of neuro-machine interaction based active rehabilitation robot.

Understanding Current Issues in Research and Education in Science and Technology: A Framework of Knowledge and Action Sharing between Universities and Science and Technology Parks

  • Fernandez, Ramon Emilio;Ferguson, David L.
    • World Technopolis Review
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.2.1-2.9
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    • 2017
  • Humanity is experiencing a very fast-paced technological evolution. As technological systems evolve exponentially, societies are becoming more global and are starting to have impacts beyond their geographic demarcations. This implies that, the actions of a person who is across the ocean from where we live could have significant impacts on our everyday lives. This article explores the complexity of globalization, identifies a number of global issues, and looks at the University and the Science and Technology Parks as potential sources of human capital to tackle current and forthcoming global challenges, ranging from new energy sources to potable water distributions. The article focuses on current efforts that are taking place across universities and science and technology parks around the world. We propose a new methodology whereby interdisciplinary work can inform the development of multidisciplinary approaches to solve some of the most complex global issues such as cyber security and educating the next generations of global leaders, providing them them with the necessary skills to be successful in a globally distributed workforce.

Balancing Water Supply Reliability, Flood Hazard Mitigation and Environmental Resilience in Large River Systems

  • Goodwin, Peter
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2016.05a
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    • pp.1-1
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    • 2016
  • Many of the world's large ecosystems are severely stressed due to population growth, water quality and quantity problems, vulnerability to flood and drought, and the loss of native species and cultural resources. Consequences of climate change further increase uncertainties about the future. These major societal challenges must be addressed through innovations in governance, policy, and ways of implementing management strategies. Science and engineering play a critical role in helping define possible alternative futures that could be achieved and the possible consequences to economic development, quality of life, and sustainability of ecosystem services. Science has advanced rapidly during the past decade with the emergence of science communities coalescing around 'Grand Challenges' and the maturation of how these communities function has resulted in large interdisciplinary research networks. An example is the River Experiment Center of KICT that engages researchers from throughout Korea and the world. This trend has been complemented by major advances in sensor technologies and data synthesis to accelerate knowledge discovery. These factors combine to allow scientific debate to occur in a more open and transparent manner. The availability of information and improved communication of scientific and engineering issues is raising the level of dialogue at the science-policy interface. However, severe challenges persist since scientific discovery does not occur on the same timeframe as management actions, policy decisions or at the pace sometimes expected by elected officials. Common challenges include the need to make decisions in the face of considerable uncertainty, ensuring research results are actionable and preventing science being used by special interests to delay or obsfucate decisions. These challenges are explored in the context of examples from the United States, including the California Bay-Delta system. California transfers water from the wetter northern part of the state to the drier southern part of the state through the Central Valley Project since 1940 and this was supplemented by the State Water Project in 1973. The scale of these activities is remarkable: approximately two thirds of the population of Californians rely on water from the Delta, these waters also irrigate up to 45% of the fruits & vegetables produced in the US, and about 80% of California's commercial fishery species live in or migrate through the Bay-Delta. This Delta region is a global hotspot for biodiversity that provides habitat for over 700 species, but is also a hotspot for the loss of biodiversity with more than 25 species currently listed by the Endangered Species Act. Understanding the decline of the fragile ecosystem of the Bay-Delta system and the potential consequences to economic growth if water transfers are reduced for the environment, the California State Legislature passed landmark legislation in 2009 (CA Water Code SS 85054) that established "Coequal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem". The legislation also stated that "The coequal goals shall be achieved in a manner that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource, and agricultural values of the Delta as an evolving place." The challenges of integrating policy, management and scientific research will be described through this and other international examples.

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인도 소프트웨어산업의 혁신과 정부정책의 역할

  • 전황수;현창희
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.120-139
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    • 2001
  • The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Indian Software Industry and t government's industrial policy by analysing the characteristics of the software industry, authority, development process, social infrastructure, and public sector. The Information age is creating profound changes in the way we live and work. It is transforming all aspects of society, stimulating new opportunities. Over the past decade, India has deliberately prepared itself to meet the new challenges of the information age. India became an important player in shaping world software industry. Through the industrial policy, Indian government is focusing on 1) the development of software industry, 2) dramatic increase in IT scientists engineers, and the promotion of education institutes, 3) the establishment of the software technology Parks (STP), 4) the inducement of foreign direct investment, 5) extensive standardization, 6) the coordination of the law and system. India has liberalized finance and telecommunications system in an effort to bring in more business, and has revamped education curriculums to encourage more creativity among students. Government has played crucial role in bringing India one of advanced software nation by presenting the grand vision and sophisticated plan, liberalizing telecommunication market, and enhancing the efficiency of bureaucratic system.

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Current fishery status in Ethiopian reservoirs: challenges and management

  • Yirga Enawgaw Anteneh;Solomon Wagaw Mamo;Assefa Wosnie Yisheber;Demeke Tegod Seyneh
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.26 no.5
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    • pp.305-317
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    • 2023
  • Ethiopia is branded as the Water Tower of Africa because of its abundant inland water bodies that may be used sustainably to boost the economy. This review article's goal is to examine the current status and future potential of Ethiopia's fisheries, with a special focus on reservoirs. There are 200 known fish species (194 native, 40 endemic, and 11 exotic) in in Ethiopia's inland water. Ethiopia's fish production has increased by a factor of more than five in the past three decades (3,500 tons in 1983 to 15,681 tons in 2000 and 18,058 tons in 2010). However, fish produced in reservoirs is too low (8,059 t/year). The current fish harvests from reservoirs are significantly below the predicted potential yield, accounting for only 35% of the calculated fish production capacity. In this review, 14 potential reserves were revealed. A total of 48 fish species have been reported in these, of which 26 species (or around 54%) are present in Alwero reservoir. 19 of the 48 species that have been officially recognized belong to the Cyprinidae family and made up nearly 40% of the fish population in Ethiopian reservoirs. There has been, however, a decline in the productivity of Ethiopia's reservoir fish. Hence, actively start fishing in the numerous reservoirs that have been neglected yet, link the potential of fisheries and the benefits of the fish farming supply chain, let's begin building several other reservoirs similar to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and beginning mechanized-based fish harvesting.

Desirable Suggestions for Korean Geo-technology R&D through Analysis of the Global Grand Challenges and Moonshot Projects (글로벌 과학난제 도전연구프로젝트 분석을 통한 우리나라 지질자원기술에의 바람직한 제언)

  • Kim, Seong-Yong;Sung, Changmo
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.53 no.1
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    • pp.111-120
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    • 2020
  • Remarkable scientific and technological achievements are mainly shown in the 'super-convergence' or 'convergence of convergence' among cross- disciplinary fields, and advanced countries are promoting the 'high-risk, high-return research' ecosystem. Google LLC is carrying out numerous new challenges in terms of a non-failure perspective. Innovative research by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has produced such breakthroughs as the Internet, GPS, semiconductors, the computer mouse, autonomous vehicles, and drones. China is pioneering a 'Moon Village' and planning the world's largest nuclear fusion energy and ultra-large particle accelerator project. Japan has also launched 'the moonshot technology development research system' to promote disruptive innovation. In Korea, the government is preparing a new research program to tackle the global scientific challenges. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the reasonable geoscientific challenges to be addressed and to conduct a preliminary study on these topics. For this purpose, it is necessary to conduct long-term creative research projects centered on young researchers, select outstanding principal investigators, extract innovative topics without prior research or reference, simplify research proposal procedures, innovate the selection solely based on key ideas, and evaluate results by collective intelligence in the form of conferences.

Nano Convergence Systems for Smart Living

  • Yeo, Jong-Souk
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2015.08a
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    • pp.55-55
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    • 2015
  • Today, engineers are facing new set of challenges that are quite different from the conventional ones. Information technologies are rapidly commoditizing while the paths beyond the current roadmaps became uncertain as various technologies have been pushed to their limits. Along with these changes in IT ecosystems, grand challenges such as global security, health, sustainability, and energy increasingly require trans-disciplinary solutions that go beyond the traditional arenas in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Addressing these needs is shifting engineering education and research to a new paradigm where the emphasis is placed on the consilience for holistic and system level understanding and the convergence of technology with AHSD (arts, humanities, social science, and design). At the center of this evolutionary convergence, nanotechnologies are enabling novel functionalities such as bio-compatibility, flexibility, low power, and sustainability while on a mission to meet scalability and low cost for smart electronics, u-health, sensing networks, and self-sustainable energy systems. This talk introduces the efforts of convergence based on the emerging nano technology tool sets in the newly launched School of Integrated Technology and the Yonsei Institute of Convergence Technology at Yonsei International Campus. While the conventional devices have largely depended upon the inherent material properties, the newer devices are enabled by nanoscale dimensions and structures in increasingly standardized and scalable fabrication platform. Localized surface plasmon resonance in 0 dimensional nano particles and structures leads to subwavelength confinement and enhanced near-field interactions enabling novel field of metal photonics for sensing and integrated photonic applications [1,2]. Unique properties offered by 1 dimensional nanowires and 2 dimensional materials and structures can enable novel electronic, photonic, nano-bio, and biomimetic applications [3-5]. These novel functionalities offered by the emerging nanotechnologies are continuously finding pathways to be part of smart systems to improve the overall quality of life.

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Developing a Quantitative Evaluation Model for Screening the Research Grant Applications (연구지원 대상자 선정을 위한 정량평가 모형개발)

  • Yoo, Jin-Man;Han, In-Soo;Oh, Keun-Yeob
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.541-549
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    • 2017
  • This research investigates the quantitative screening methods for the Grant Funding system and seeks for the efficient evaluation of a number of proposals. We search foreign cases of Grand Funding, but we found no appropriate model for using in Korea. Thus, we had to develope our own model for better screening. First, we analyse the existing evaluation system and find some problems and challenges. Second, we suggest a quantitative screening system for Grant Funding with a numeric model, and operates a tedious simulation by using the previous data and our suggested model. Third, we test the suggested model and find the optimal model by using simulation method The number of data analysed for simulation is larger than 200 thousands. Last, we suggest some brief policy implications based on the results in the paper.

In the middle of a perfect storm: political risks of the Belt and Road project at Kyaukphyu, Myanmar

  • Morris, David
    • Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.210-236
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    • 2021
  • China's Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure connectivity and other projects are presented in much of the discourse as a grand strategy to trap developing nations in debt, to exert asymmetric power and construct a new world economic order. The asymmetric relationship between China and Myanmar might therefore be expected to generate a range of political risks for stakeholders. Myanmar itself presents a "perfect storm" of problems, with dysfunctional governance, civil conflict, under-development and growing economic dependence on China. The Kyaukphyu port project and associated Special Economic Zone in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state is investigated as a case study of risks on the Belt and Road. While worst case fears China might seize military control of the port appear unlikely, at least in current conditions, empirical observation indicates the complexity on the ground generates an array of other risks - as well as opportunities, should conditions allow. Further, despite challenges and constrained capacity, Myanmar governments have demonstrated agency, including by re-negotiating control and costs of the Kyaukphyu project. The case underlines that conditions are more complicated than simply China's asymmetric power. A sceptical approach is taken to normative discourses in order to build inductive understanding of how stakeholders and local experts perceive dynamics underway. A political risk approach is deployed to develop a framework to identify, analyse and assess risks for actors in relation to the Kyaukphyu project. The research findings are presented on an interim basis, given current constraints on field interviews due to the current crisis.