Ottawa, February 16, 2012 – Emerging economies around the world are transforming themselves through dramatic investments in higher education and research, and Western countries must take action now to not be left behind.
That's the focus of a workshop hosted by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver on Feb. 17. The session, "Establishing research collaborations with emerging economies: Canada's experience in India and Brazil" will look at why and how Canada's universities are establishing and enhancing educational and research partnerships with India and Brazil, the opportunities these collaborations are creating, and lessons that can be learned from the Canadian experience.
"International partnerships in research and innovation are vital to building prosperity in the new knowledge-driven economy," says Paul Davidson, president of AUCC. "And in Canada, building international collaborations is increasingly about reaching out to emerging nations – countries that are building prosperity by investing in research and innovation."
Brazil is an excellent example. This dynamic Latin American country is poised to become a top-five economy in the next five years and has set a research expenditure target of 2.5 percent of its GDP by 2022.
India, one of the fastest growing economies, will need 1,400 new universities in the next decade. It is currently sending about 160,000 students abroad annually and is poised to surpass all of the G8 in terms of research output.
The AUCC workshop will look at how Canada is positioning itself as a world leader in research and innovation – in part through enhanced partnerships and collaborations with emerging nations – and how this strategy fits with the country's ongoing mission of attracting the best and brightest minds from around the world to its universities.
Workshop details:
Date: Friday, February 17, 2012
Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Facility: Vancouver Convention Centre (West Building)
Room: 107-108
NOTE TO MEDIA: AUCC president Paul Davidson is attending the AAAS Annual Meeting Feb. 16-20 and is available for interviews on this workshop topic and also the importance of hosting the AAAS gathering in Canada for our university research community.
Media Contact:
Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238
Cell: 613-608-8749