Worldwide, new forms of cooperation between firms have accompanied the process of globalization. This is particularly true for technological partnerships at the enterprise level. However, this phenomenon is only gradually including the enterprise sector in developing countries. Can such inter-firm alliances be extended to include a larger number of enterprises in developing countries and economies in transition?
With this question in view, the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Finland and UNCTAD, in cooperation with the Helsinki School of Economics (PRODEC) are organizing an expert workshop on "Technology Partnership for Capacity-Building and Competitiveness". The workshop will be held in Helsinki, from 10-12 April and forms part of the preparations for UNCTAD IX.
The experts will examine specific experiences with partnership arrangements and technology cooperation among enterprises. In this respect, they will analyse the role played by these enterprises themselves as well as by business associations, service centres and information clearing-houses. The objective is to identify policy-related and institutional prerequisites for promoting successful partnerships and for providing an adequate enabling environment. The experts will also attempt to map steps to be taken to operationalize the concept of technology partnership, including possible support from the international community.
The event has been designed to outline policy and practical aspects - a "blueprint" - necessary to guide enterprises, R&D institutions, governments and technology cooperation agencies in supporting the development of partnerships. The meeting is part of the implementation of recommendations made by UNCTAD´s Ad Hoc Working Group on Investment and Technology Transfer and represents a third step in a series of activities initiated by the Science and Technology Division. Previous activities included the workshop on "Selected Cooperation Aspects for Technological Capacity-Building in Developing Countries", held in Geneva in April 1995 and the resulting publications as well as an indepth study carried out in cooperation with Professor Carlo Pietrobelli, University of Rome ´Tor Vergata´ on "Emerging Forms of Technological Cooperation: The Case for Technology Partnership - Inner Logic, Examples and Enabling Environment" which combines theoretical aspects with some of the empirical evidence available to date.
The meeting will bring together different economic actors concerned with investment and technology, including policy-makers, decision-makers, and experts from selected developing and developed countries and countries in transition, as well as representatives of the private sector and of the development cooperation community.
