Developing Capacity in Applied Biology: The Role and Application of Modern Information, Communication and Educational Technologies

Paper presented at the "International Workshop on Biology", Hanoi, Vietnam, 2-5 July 2001. Conference jointly organized by Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, Vietnam Union of Biology Associations and Centre for Information and Technology Transfer in Biology.

Robert T. Raab, W. Wyn Ellis and Buenafe R. Abdon

Abstract

Applied biology has resulted in tremendous social, environmental and economic benefits in a wide range of areas - medicine, food processing, fibre production, waste management and agriculture. It focuses on problem solving and results in useful products that may be either tangible (i.e. drugs, chemicals, seeds) or intangible (i.e. processes, management approaches). Countries and corporations alike are well aware of the social and economic returns associated with success in applied biology and are keen to develop capacity. Building, and equally important, maintaining capacity is a difficult and expensive proposition. It requires substantial investments in facilities, infrastructure, communication, and perhaps most important, education. There is an ongoing revolution in how biology is investigated, how knowledge is shared, how we teach it and how we learn it. To meet the requirements for capacity building in applied biology there is a pressing need for educational reform in 3 key areas; improved curricula and teaching methods, stronger institutional and private sector partnerships, and adoption of new educational strategies including Internet-based educational technologies. Digital literacy and e-learning are the keys to success in education and capacity building efforts and ultimately for capacity in applied biology. Intermediaries can help bridge institutional gaps and provide invaluable assistance in using the new tools and in the continuing education of applied biologists. The Asia Pacific Regional Technology Center, an intermediary educational organization using modern education and communication technologies to foster the development of professional skills of applied biologists in agriculture, is an example of one such organization focused on and active in the Asia Pacific region.