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Innovation for Economic Development (IFED)


Program Session(s):
June 17, 2013 - June 22, 2013
June 15, 2014 - June 20, 2014

Program Fee:$6,600 for the 2013 session
                    $6,800 for the 2014 session

Program fee includes: tuition, housing, curricular materials, and most meals.

Currently accepting applications.


Apply Now : Download Brochure

Faculty Chair(s):
Calestous Juma

OVERVIEW


To remain competitive in today’s world, countries must harness the power of emerging technologies to foster economic growth. Leaders in key decision-making roles require a deep understanding of the technology, infrastructure, and systems that are critical to improving economic conditions and driving prosperity. Underlying these systems is the foundational role of engineering. Recent development such as the launching of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering continue to demonstrate the significant role that policy makers are putting on innovation as a force in economic transformation.

In response, Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Executive Education offers Innovation for Economic Development, a program aimed at helping leaders enhance global competitiveness, boost the economy, and preserve the environment. Led by a cadre of renowned authors, leading researchers, and distinguished professors who are experts in their fields, the program examines strategies and measures for aligning technology and innovation trends with development policy objectives. Moreover, the program helps leaders design and implement innovation policies for economic development. You will emerge well equipped to apply global lessons and capitalize on technology developments within your own organization or country.

Learning objectives

  • Explore the role of innovation systems, industrial clusters, engineering and technology in economic transformation
  • Examine the evolution and impact of emerging technologies in fields such as information and communications technologies, genomics, energy, and nanotechnology
  • Identify how entrepreneurial ecosystems contribute to value creation and capture
  • Align technological developments with policy objectives
  • Design and implement innovation policies for economic development
  • Identify strategies for strengthening science and innovation advice as well as diplomacy

The program is led by Faculty Chair Calestous Juma (@calestous), Professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School and author of The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2011). He was a member of the selection jury of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Professor Juma is currently writing a book on engineering for global development, and is a regular contributor on Harvard Kennedy School's Science, Technology, and Globalization blog.

“As a senior Minister of Government in a developing country, I apply what I learned at the Harvard Kennedy School to almost all aspects of my day to day work. The program was the quality you would expect from the world’s leading university, and though challenging, laid the foundation for me to develop a broader appreciation of how STI policy steers a country’s development and affects the lives of the people we represent. Together, the lecturers, the opportunity to network with high caliber participants from around the world and of course, the intellectual stimulation from just being within the Harvard community made this program one of my best investments to date.”

-Hon Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Jamaica

 


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