The Global Research Alliance: a Knowledge Pool for Global Good.

• Author: Braach-Maksvytis, Vijoleta

No single player has the funding, research and delivery capabilities required to solve problems on a global scale. With increasing globalization and the many problems being faced by all, particularly developing countries, it is clear that alliances and the pooling of knowledge play a central role in development.

In light of the recognized importance of alliances, a study of their success was commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for example, in the domain of health. As part of the conclusions reached in this study, the researchers state that "global health alliances, having a clear and compelling overall goal, stand to achieve higher levels of success". Broadening the concept of alliances to sectors in addition to health had been the driving force in the formation of the Global Research Alliance (GRA).

The GRA developed its compelling overall goal through the "meeting of minds" of nine leaders of knowledge-intensive technology organizations from around the world: Battelle Memorial Institute, United States; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India; CSIR South Africa; Danish Technological Institute; Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany; Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO); Sirim-Berhad, Malaysia; and the Technical Research Centre of Finland. These organizations already had a history of collaboration among its members. The concept is not to limit the Alliance to these organizations but rather to map out a new model of science and technology alliance that can be expanded upon a sound foundation.

The first meeting to explore ways of exploiting the cumulative knowledge and expertise of these organizations was held in South Africa in April 2002. It culminated in the signing of the "Pretoria Declaration", which serves as a charter for the collaborative activities and combined strength of more than 50,000 scientists and technologists. As host to that first meeting, Sibusiso Sibisi, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSIR South Africa, said: "Taking into account the rapidly changing societal needs around the world, the growing convergence in many domains and the transformation of international markets, it has become imperative to explore the synergies between the various knowledge-intensive research and technology organizations". He added: "It is our belief that a global research alliance will foster dialogue within and across various international organizations and will generally encourage international cooperation in the field of science and technology".

Ramesh Mashelkar, Director-General of CSIR India, said that his Council "is proud that the momentous meeting in Delhi of like-minded science and technology organizations, which it hosted in January 2003, resulted in the formal launching of the GRA. I believe the GRA members were privileged to have an audience with the technocrat President of India (APJ Abul Kalam). His sanguine advice to the members to work towards a peaceful, prosperous and secure world was in complete harmony with the GRA motto of Global Knowledge for Global Good through Global Funding. His words set the context for the vision: 'The world is competing for resources; the GRA will contribute to thinking of...