Events
| For the Promotion of International Technological Cooperation ... |
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Events |
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PITCH events and joint events are organized by the PITCH Board, sometimes in collaboration with other organizations, with a view to debating issues of relevance to the PITCH purpose and "raison d'être". PITCH events and joint events could address, for instance, the following topics: Is open source software a chance for the economic growth of the developing countries? Could the large multinational companies, big users of technologies all around the World, become active promoters and sponsors of technological development world-wide? What are the research topics which, in priority, should be tackled at global level? |
Reporting on:
PITCH substantially contributed to the Thematic Meeting on "Economic and Social Implications of ICT" of the World Summit on the Information Society that took place under the auspices of the United Nations in Antigua Guatemala on January 17-19, 2005. The contribution by PITCH included the assistance of members in setting up the program, providing short position papers to prepare for session contents, and helping in securing private-sector sponsorship.
PITCH is working towards the development of an innovation strategy in the Central American region. A think-tank, the so-called "Grupo de la Piazza", has been promoted by PITCH since the beginning of 2004. It provides reflections, suggestions and recommendations regarding the establishment of the information society in Guatemala. The informal group is opened to volunteer experts in the field of the information society, whose contributions are made on a personal basis. Contributors so far include M.M. Zaghi, M. Sosa, L. Furlan, D. Mendoza, E. Cossich, R. Lavidalie, A. Bonilla, J.M. Godoy, and R. Mendia and M. Bosco, both board-members of PITCH. The group held a seminar in Antigua Guatemala on Saturday and Sunday 18-19 of December 2004 with a view to draft a non-paper to be widely distributed among the main actors of the Information Society in Guatemala. The non-paper has now become a contribution to the GuatemalaSi initiative (where "Si" stands for: Sociedad de la Informacion) launched by the Guatemalan government during the opening of the Thematic Meeting on "Economic and Social Implications of ICT" of the World Summit on the Information Society on January 17-19, 2005. The non-paper is now public, and comments can now be provided by email.
Prior to this contribution, PITCH had been holding a series of preparatory meetings and workshops jointly with several bodies of the government of Guatemala (including the Secretariat of Planning and Programming, SEGEPLAN, the Ministry of Education, the National Council for Science and Technologies, CONCYT; also see http://www.guatemala.gob.gt/) that aimed at formulating several critical elements of strategies for Guatemala and other countries of the region to face forthcoming economic challenges by developing their technology and knowledge basis. In particular these brainstorming activities addressed possible "technology-based" responses to the future free trade agreements that the region will secure, within itself as well as with the USA and then with Europe.
Further to its strategy-oriented activities PITCH has also been performing research on international technological cooperation issues together with universities in Central America: research seminars with the University Rafael Landivar of Guatemala and the University Galileo on "The good reasons for Guatemala to develop international technological cooperation", and the preparation of position papers for workshops with the EARTH University and The Lemelson Foundation on "Inventions and innovation in Central America and Panama."
Seeking sponsorship for:
The PITCH Newsletter and the PITCH Prize Prospective sponsors are invited to contact michel.bosco@pitchworld.org.
Reporting on:
"Thinking Innovation in
Guatemala: From a cheap-labor-based to a technology-enhanced economy".
This is the theme of a cluster of events that PITCH has been organising
since January 2004 in Guatemala. A
concrete
proposal [PITCH report and recommendation] for orienting the
development of the research network of Guatemala,
RAGIE and
Mayanet, has been
provided to the
National Council for Science and
Technologies, CONCYT.
Internet and
Society 2020 and PITCH organized a seminar in the European Parliament in Brussels on June 19, 2002 [program]
[report] as a follow up
of the European Council on Development of 30 May 2002 which
addressed the issue of information and communication technologies for
development. The discussion focused on which legal framework, and which steps to undertake against the digital divide between the
richer and the poorer countries.
The PITCH participants emphasized the
particular role that the research communities in Europe and in the
developing countries can play in that respect. Professor George Metakides,
the "PITCH Speaker" of the day, delivers the keynote luncheon address.
The seminar gathered members of the European Parliament, representatives
of the Council of the European Union, international organizations including
the World Bank and the "Organisation
Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie", and experts from the European Union
and from developing countries. It lead to two major operational conclusions:
an initiative should be launched to examine the large number of demonstration projects financed by the EC programs, the World Bank Group, and possibly others from the viewpoint of learning from experience for improved legal frameworks;
the focused actions towards establishing a better legal framework in the developing countries could usefully involve a lawyer assisted with local technologists.
The first PITCH Event [program] [report] was jointly organized with the European Internet Foundation at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on February 20, 2002: A discussion on the future of open sources models, gathering members of PITCH, of the European Internet Foundation, of the US Congressional Internet Caucus, of the Belgium Parliamentary Chamber, and European and American technologists from the Open Source "movement" as well as from Microsoft, Inc.
PITCH was sponsored by Hewlett Packard for this event.
PITCH members benefited from highly informative, contradictory, but constructive debates on key technological, economical, and political issues (this time it was open source models versus proprietary code-based systems) with the participation of leaders from the various communities involved (lawyers, policy-makers, industrialist) and in particular from the international community of researchers. PITCH members who participated also benefited from outstanding opportunities for networking (with members of the European Parliament, members of the US Congress, senior managers from industry, and leading researchers.)