27th November – 8th December 2023
Johannesburg, South Africa
The Sixteenth International Doctoral Academy of the Global Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (GLOBELICS) will be convened in Johannesburg, in the Republic of South Africa. The International GLOBELICS Doctoral Academy seeks to support the training of PhD/DPhil candidates from different parts of the world who are writing dissertations on issues related to science, technology, and innovation studies. The 2023 edition is organised as a collaboration of the Globelics network, the DSI/NRF Trilateral Chair in Transformative Innovation, the 4IR and Sustainable Development (University of Johannesburg), the UNESCO Chair in African Integration and Innovation hosted at the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI) (Tshwane University of Technology), and AUDA-NEPAD.
The International GLOBELICS Doctoral Academy specifically aims to enhance the capacities, capabilities, and competencies, of doctoral candidates who are undertaking theoretically informed and policy-relevant empirical studies on challenges and opportunities emerging from innovation in enterprises (firms), communities (households) and societies (political economy), the impacts of learning, and the interactive dynamics of competence-building for development. In the context of the concurrent, global and interconnected challenges confronting contemporary world systems, participants are expected to gain critical insights into the role of innovation in addressing complex processes of sustainability and inclusion. The broad theme of the 16th International GLOBELICS Doctoral Academy will be “Innovation as a driver of transformative change: conceptual challenges and policy implications”.
The Doctoral academy will be based on keynote interventions, scholarly seminars, and paper presentations from the participating doctoral candidates. Part of the academy will overlap with the Science Forum South Africa, which is an important event for the African science and technology community, as it provides a space for multi-stakeholder discussions on STI, knowledge sharing, and policy dialogue. At the Science Forum, and as part of the Academy, participants will also engage in a policy hackathon, to develop innovative solutions to reallife policy problems.
Student presentations are expected to focus explicitly on their ongoing research, methodological challenges, and their contributions to the advancement of knowledge on innovation. Students will focus their presentations on one full paper derived from their PhD. To qualify for participation, the doctoral candidates should fulfil the following four
requirements:
- Registration at a recognised degree-granting higher education institution as a Doctoral candidate;
- Successfully defence of their Research Proposal and be at least in their second year of study;
- Research proposal explicitly covers issues related to science, technology, innovation, and development;
- Capacity and capability to present an original academic paper derived from their doctoral studies.
Student selection will be based on the evaluation of:
1) Extended Abstract of 5-10 pages (not more than 10 pages) describing the candidate’s research,
2) Student’s CV; and
3) Recommendation letters from the supervisor and/or from another senior scholar.
Participants will be selected on the basis of the alignment of their doctoral research with the theme of the 16th International GLOBELICS Doctoral Academy. A maximum of twenty (20) participants will be selected for the 2023 edition. The selection also aims at encouraging participation from countries of the Global South and especially those from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Candidates from and based in North America, Europe, and other member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are encouraged to apply but may be required to cover more of their costs than those from lower middle income, and least developed – countries. Candidates from each geographical origin with the potential-rich CVs, and with the most promising research proposals will be selected.
Extended abstracts must:
- Be about 5-10 pages (maximum of 10 pages)
- Be typed double-spaced in English using a 12-point Time-Roman font
- Include research objectives, methodology, expected results, and emergent conclusions, from their doctoral research, including supporting figures, and references in the form of a Bibliography (this could be in addition to the 10-page limitation).
Extended abstracts and applications should be sent, before the 15th September 2023, to ujtrcti@uj.ac.za. If approved, students must provide their full academic paper to be presented at the academy by no later than the 6th November 2023.
Funding and local arrangements
Local hospitality (accommodation, breakfasts and lunches during the academy) will be sponsored by the local organiser. The local organising team is also soliciting sponsorships for the travel costs of successful doctoral candidates from low and middle income countries. Flight costs of applicants from high-income countries will not be considered for sponsorship. Funding will be selectively awarded on the basis of applications – students must specify in their application letter whether they require funding and provide an estimate of the least cost amount required for travel expenses. As available funds cannot cover all students’ expenses, all applicants are encouraged to raise their own funding.
Important dates
- Deadline for submission of application: 15th September 2023
- Notification of acceptance: 5th October 2023
- Submission of full papers: 6th November 2023
- Arrival in Johannesburg: 26th November 2023
- Academy: 27th November – 8th December 2023
- Departure from Johannesburg: 8th-9th December 2023
Local Organisation Team
- Erika Kraemer-Mbula (UJ)
- Rebecca Hanlin (UJ)
- Rasigan Maharajh (TUT)
- Mario Scerri (TUT)
Scientific Committee
- Erika Kraemer-Mbula (UJ, South Africa)
- Rebecca Hanlin (UJ, South Africa)
- Rob Byrne (University of Sussex, UK)
- Ann Kingiri (African Centre of Technology Studies, Kenya)
- Rasigan Maharajh (TUT, South Africa)
- Mario Scerri (TUT, South Africa)
- Glenda Kruss (Deputy Executive Director: Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) in the Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa)
- Imraan Patel (Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa)
- Lukovi Seke (Programme Officer, AUDA-NEPAD)