Mit - Index

Mit - SINFO March 2008 No.6 - Index

InTERview
government plan for establishing regions was the right direction,
it would bring many benefits to Slovenia, but there was not
enough political consensus at the end, for now.
YOU HAvE SAID MANY TIMES THAT
THE EU NEEDED NOT ONLY A SHIfT
IN SCIENCE IN ORDER TO ACHIEvE ITS
GOALS IN SCIENCE, BUT ALSO CHANGES
IN PEOPLE’S HABITS. wHAT CHANGES
ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE
REGARDING THIS ISSUE?
Changing people’s habits was always the toughest challenge
through history, especially if change means less comfort. But it
should not! In regard to climate change issues and creating low
carbon societies, the change in people mindset is globally driven,
Slovenes included. But the roughest change I claim Slovenia needs
is in the entrepreneurship spirit, the courage to make things
differently, to be first, to be better, to be more successful and more
competitive. Once we see those values as great human values, we
will have more self confidence and we will be more successful.
YOU ALSO EMPHASISE THE GREAT
IMPORTANCE Of A DEvELOPED
RESEARCH INfRASTRUCTURE,
wHICH IS A PREREqUISITE fOR THE
IMPLEMENTATION Of THE LISBON
STRATEGY. CAN THE EU’S ECONOMY
COMPETE wITH ECONOMIES IN OTHER
PARTS Of THE wORLD?
Europe‘s current prosperity has its foundation on the monopoly
the West established in science and technology sometime
between the 13th and 15th century. For the last 600 years it was
the western science and western technology that overshadowed
all others and provided the basis for the dominance of the West,
not only in research and development, but in economy, military
might and politics. Instrumental to this build-up of dominance
was communication technology. This monopoly is now coming to
an end. Japan, Korea since 1970 but recently the BRIC countries
are not only the manufacturers of the world, they are also rapidly
increasing their investment in science and technology and higher
education. Europe must compete in this area and poll resources
together in a way that also allows for small Member States to be
a part of the European scientific infrastructure.
The research infrastructure is meaningless unless utilized by
people, by talents. Talent is attracted to technology, Richard
Florida claimed. Research infrastructure cannot move easily.
But people can. They are fleeing to the US or wherever good
infrastructure is. It is therefore important to think of the mobility
of people and knowledge in general. So that we can match
the best researchers with the best infrastructure. This is the 5th
freedom - the freedom of the movement of knowledge.
At the spring European council we have reaffirmed the importance
of knowledge, innovation and creativity, but also called for the
creation of the 5th freedom, the launching of e-infrastructures,
sinfo february 08 16
high-speed networks across Europe and a new generation of
world-class research facilities.
AT THE RECENT DEBATE IN THE UN ON
MILLENNIUM DEvELOPMENT GOALS,
YOU SAID THAT SLOvENIA EARMARKS
MOST Of ITS DEvELOPMENT AID fOR THE
BALKANS, AS SLOvENIA POSSESSES A
GOOD KNOwLEDGE Of THE REGION AND
CAN HELP IT NOT ONLY wITH MONEY,
BUT ALSO wITH KNOw-HOw. DOES THE
SLOvENIAN ECONOMY ALSO BENEfIT
fROM THIS DEvELOPMENT AID?
Of course. The state aid should not only be in cash. Even more
valuable is the aid of knowledge, services, solutions, that would
allow that eventually the recipient would not need such help.
And it is typically not the government that has this knowledge
or could provide a services. It is a company, in many cases a
Slovenian company. Be it a contractor, that builds a schools or
an IT developer that offers a library information system for that
school.