Under the British Council Researcher Links scheme we organised a workshop in Cali, Colombia on 26-28 November 2014. The workshop was coordinated by the University of Manchester and the Universidad del Valle. This was a closed event aimed to bring together up to 40 Early Career Researchers (ECR) to explore possible UK-Colombia research and innovation cooperation opportunities in the following areas: 1. The future of science and innovation policy 2. The future of agriculture and biodiversity 3. The future of climate change research 4. The future of entrepreneurship 5. The future of cities

1. Strengthening
UK-Colombia R&I Cooperation
The Role of Foresight & Horizon Scanning
Dr. Rafael Popper
University of Manchester
Dr. Javier Medina
Universidad del Valle

2. MBS activities => Colombia (2014)
Programme
2014 Entry
Applications
Current Students
All Years
UG 3 1
MSc 12 3
MBA 8 9
PGR 0 0
Total 23 13

3. MBS activities => Colombia (2014)
 Agreement with the funding agency, Colfutura, to provide loans
that enable Colombian students to study at MBS
 The University’s International Office has been to Colombia on
University-wide recruitment visits
 MBA team attend recruitment events in Colombia each year
 The Masters team have visited for recruitment purposes in the
past – most recently three years ago
 There’s an active Colombian MBA alumni group

4. Evolution of UK-Colombia RICO initiative
2012-13
Colombia
Group
Meetings
2013
British Council
Researcher
Links call
2014
UK-CO RICO
Workshop
2014+
UK-CO RICO
Futures

5. A changing public policy context (2007-2014+)
 Competitiveness and production transformation
 Innovation
 Science and technology
 Regional development and territorial management
 General system of Royalties
 Education, Employment and Peace

6. New opportunities (2007-2014+)
 Global level. Internationalisation and globalisation of Colombian
science, technology and innovation:
 Role of Colciencias, universities and Technology development centres
 Local level. Solutions to specific regional challenges:
 Role of Findeter; Colciencias; General System of Royalties; Science,
technology and innovation fund
 Bilateral cooperation. Synergies between UK and Colombian
authorities:
 Role of the British Council
 Role of the Newton-Caldas Fund
 Other initiatives

7. 10+ Years of Manchester-Univalle synergies
 2003-2014
 10+ years of RICO synergies
 2003-08, Colciencias-Univalle
- Colombian Technology
Foresight Programme (CTFP)
 Training courses
 Research studies
 International evaluation
 2005-07, EC - Self-Rule
 Mobility programme
 Publications
 2008, EC - SCOPE 2015
 Joint research
 2008-14, Colciencias-Univalle -
Foresight, Innovation and
Knowledge Management
Institute
 Joint publications
Raising the profile of Colombian FHS
Undertaking joint research activities
Strengthening UK-Colombia RICO
Building FHS capacities and skills
Supporting and evaluating FHS
Promoting joint publications

8. Key RICO Areas
 Area 1: Knowledge
(Institutions, capacities,
infrastructures, platforms,
networks)
 Science, Technology & Innovation
 Entrepreneurship
 Area 2: Territorial/Sectorial
Development
(Urban, rural, production modes
transformations)
 Sustainable cities
 Climate change
 Agroindustry
National
synergies
Specific
programmes
with
universities
RICO
Broader
programmes
with multiple
stakeholders

9. UK-CO RICO Delegates in Figures
20
UK Delegates
1 organizer
19 participants
13 institutions
20
Colombian Delegates
2 organizers
18 participants
12 institutions
8
Invited Delegates
2 sponsors
5 supporters
1 organizer
5 institutions

10. UK Institutions
 City University London
 Heriot-Watt University
 Hugh Sinclair University of Reading
 Imperial College London
 King’s College London
 Nottingham Trent University
 University of Sussex
 University College London (UCL)
 University of Edinburgh
 University of Exeter
 University of Manchester
 University of Southampton
 University of Warwick
13
institutions

11. Colombian Institutions
 Colombian Observatory of Science and Technology (OCyT)
 Corporacion Biotec
 GIC Politécnico Colombiano
 Mariana University
 Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
 UNAC University
12
 Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia
 Universidad de Cartagena
 Universidad del Rosario
 Universidad del Valle
 Universidad EAN
 Universidad Nacional de Colombia
institutions

12. 25 UK-CO RICO Posters

13. Interest Areas for UK-CO RICO
Pre-Workshop Task
16
22
36
23
20
Theme 1: Science and innovation policy
Theme 2: Agriculture competitiveness
Theme 3: Climate change research
Theme 4: Entrepreneurship
Theme 5: Cities
117

14. Opportunities & Actions for UK-CO RICO
Pre-Workshop Task
88 89
Opportunities
Actions

15. UK-CO RICO Workshop Objectives
Day 1
Building a
‘RICO’ Momentum
Day 2
Exploring Key
‘RICO’ Features
Day 3
Scoping
‘RICO’ Futures

16. Building a ‘RICO’ Momentum
Contextualising international and UK-Colombia RICO
Recognising opportunities for UK-Colombia RICO
Strengthening UK-Colombia RICO on 5 themes
Introducing Days 2-3 of UK-Colombia RICO Workshop
B1
B2
B3
B4

17. Exploring Key ‘RICO’ Features
Identifying Key Interest Areas for RICO
Identifying Key Opportunities for RICO
Identifying Key Actions for RICO
Prioritising Day 2 Results
B1
B2
B3
B4

18. Scoping ‘RICO’ Futures
Scoping 1st set of RICO Futures per theme
Scoping 2nd set of RICO Futures per theme
Scoping 3rd set of RICO Futures per theme
Assessing UK-Colombia RICO Futures
B1
B2
B3
B4

19. Foresight is a systematic, participatory, prospective and
policy-oriented process which, with the support of
environmental/horizon scanning approaches, is aimed to
actively engage key stakeholders into a wide range of
activities anticipating, recommending and transforming
(ART) technological, economic, environmental, political,
social and ethical (TEEPSE) futures.
Source:
R. Popper (2011)
Scoping
Futures
(Pre-foresight)
Mobilising
Futures
(Recruitment)
Anticipating
Futures
(Generation)
Transforming
Futures
(Renewal)
Recommending
Futures
(Action)
• Key/Emerging/Frontier Issues
– Environmental Scanning
– Horizon Scanning
• ART
– Anticipating
– Recommending
– Transforming
• TEEPSE futures
– Technological
– Economic
– Environmental
– Political
– Social
– Ethical

20. Building sustainable
RICO Futures
requires the use of
forward-looking
approaches combining:
Evidence
Expertise
Creativity
Interaction

21. Thank you