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TechNet--the Science and Technology Network of the World Bank--isthe focal point for World Bank activities involving science and technology(S&T) in development. TechNet delivers information on S&T and supportsthe creation of S&T-related development projects. TechNet's main activitiesare S&T policy analysis and publications, "knowledge management" forthe S&T sector, including an electronic network and Web site dedicatedto S&T information and contacts, and our "Think Tank" series of moderatedelectronic conferences (described in detail below).

Think Tanks are moderated Internet conferences- panel discussions usinglistserv technology- that engage a wide range of individual experts (withpublic participation) from around the world in discussions related to S&Tfor development. It may be helpful to think of Think Tanks as actual conferences,using electronic mail messages (e-mail) rather than face-to-face contact.As with an actual conference, the main participants include a discussionModerator, the Panel of Experts, Public Participants (the audience), andSponsors and Managers (conference organizers). Think Tanks typically lastfrom four to six weeks and are open to all interested parties. At the closeof a discussion, Think Tank archives of comments and related material arecompiled and placed on TechNetís site on the World Wide Web.

This Think Tank will address issues related to how stakeholders, particularlyfirms, from the Bank's client countries identify their technology needs. CarolineWagner of RAND Corporation will moderate, and participants will include an expertpanel of international specialists in technology development and the interestpublic at-large. The activity is described in full on the following pages. Weencourage your participation.

How should technology strategies be formed inthe World Bankís client countries?

In the post-industrial economies, it has become commonplace to conduct periodicexercises to assess, on a national level, where they stand in relation to globaltechnological trends. Until recently this was often done by commissioning a"blue-ribbon" panel to generate a list of critical technologies. The trend now,however, is to focus on the role of firms as the primary users and custodians oftechnology. Furthermore, there is an increasing realization that planners(whether public or private) need to focus on the process of identifyingtechnological needs, instead of creating static lists of priority areas.

This Think Tank will take these lessons as the starting point; examining eightthemes that relate to the specific challenges faced by those stakeholders movingthe technology forecasting agenda forward in countries thatareócurrentlyóless technologically advanced.

Themes for Discussion:

1. Technology Development on the Ground in Industrializing Countries. Whatare the day-to-day problems in technology identification, selection, anddevelopment that are faced by firms and other stakeholders (university andgovernment researchers, technology brokers, etc.)? How much of this is due tocircumstances particular to industrializing countries? What are thesecircumstances and how can they be overcome? What processes are used to identifythe technologies? How does this differ from technology identification in advancedOECD economies?

2. Planning for Tomorrow's Technology. Is it becoming commonplace forfirms and others to plan strategically to produce and capture the technologiesthey will need tomorrow? How successful is the process? Is management andgovernment, at various levels, becoming more interested and responsive? Who arethe "champions" of technology development and how are their roles changing?

3. The Economy-wide Perspective: Being Selective. Industrializingcountries are constantly being told that they will not be leaders in all fields,and that they must carefully choose where to put there effort. Is this happening?If so, does it occur "organically" or as the result of careful planning andconscious priority setting? Are there some fields or areas that are essential forall countries must to be involved in? Can any general conclusions be drawn aboutthe circumstances under which it is better to produce, adapt, license, or buytechnology?

4. Infrastructure and Facilitating Technologies. What types oftechnologies or infrastructure is needed to facilitate the whole process oftechnology development? What is the role of ICT [information and communicationstechnologies]. Within ICT, are there certain specialized technologies [related toareas such as high-performance computing or the Internet] that have becomeessential? Is lack of an overall technology-rich environment the most seriousconstraint faced by industrializing countries? Is it more important to have"hard" inputs (e.g., machines) or "soft" inputs, such as knowledge embodied inskilled people?

5. What Should Governments Do and How Well Are They Doing It? What typesof incentive and policies are being provided for R&D? Which do stakeholderstake advantage of and find effective? Where should governments concentrate theirefforts? On long-term human resource development? Funding of basic research?Targeted programs? Fiscal incentives? Protection of intellectual property? Whatways can governments be effective in learning from and dialoguing with theprivate sector?

6. International Integration Strategies. How is technology beingtransferred from abroad? What are the respective roles of trade, subsidiaries ofmulti-national corporations, licensing agreements, strategic partnerships,publications and trade journals, foreign study and training, and labormobility?

7. Specific Technologies: What is needed now? Where should industrializingcountries be moving technologically in over the next five to ten years. Is theira general agenda of technology priorities or policies that cuts across regionsand levels of economic development?

8. A Role for Bilateral and Multilateral Institutions? What arefoundations, bilateral programs, and developing banks doing that is effective inthe area of technology development? What should they do more of and what less?

The Moderator:

Caroline S. Wagner is Special Assistant to the Director of the Science &Technology Policy Institute (formerly the Critical Technologies Institute) andSenior Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation. She is the author of several majorreports in the areas of international science and technology, metrics for scienceand critical technologies identification. Most recently, She co-authored "NewForces at Work: Critical Technology from the Industry Perspective." This reportserves as the Congressionally-mandate biennial assessment of thetechnology-preparedness in the US. In a break with previous practice for thesereports, "New Forces" concentrated squarely on the private sectoríspriorities for technology development. Prior to joining RAND, Ms. Wagner was aprofessional staff member for the U.S. Congress House of RepresentativesCommittee on Science, Space, and Technology, as well as an economic analyst withthe Central Intelligence Agency Division on Technology and Innovation. Ms. Wagnerhas also served on the staff of the [US] Congressional Office of TechnologyAssessment, and as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, theBusiness/Higher Education Forum, and other similar organizations.

General Participants:

Once the panelists are finalized, we will open registration to the generalpublic. Our goal is to have significant representation from interestedstakeholders in Bank client countries, particularly those where the Bank issupport technological development efforts.