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CERTIFICATE OF ADVANCED STUDIES IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY (CSDRT) - Innovative Approaches for Emerging Countries

Recognizing the need to understand technology in the context of development, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, (IISc) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland, (EPFL) have developed the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Sustainable Development and the Role of Technology (CSDRT) to serve a diverse group of professionals directly concerned with the role of technology for sustainable development.

The course will examine the role of technology and how it may contribute most effectively to sustainable development. It will consider approaches to soundly integrate technology into a specific environment, rather than the technical details, with particular attention to social, economic, and environmental impact of new technologies and the contexts that affect innovation and creativity.

Several key questions will be examined in formulating a framework for applying new technology to the interests of sustainable development:

• What is the meaning of sustainable development with respect to the priorities of low- and middle-income countries?
• How may the technological potential of developing countries be applied to better meet basic human needs - alleviating poverty, creating improved livelihood opportunities, reducing inequities, building infrastructures, and so forth?
• What are the main obstacles to a complementary relationship between the interest of technology and development?
• What are or what should be appropriate technologies in regard of development problems?

The course is primarily intended for professionals, researchers or managers called upon by their profession to make decisions concerning technological solutions to development problems.  Participants are required to have a university degree or equivalent. Their background could be in environmental sciences, engineering, architecture, physics, or mathematics, but also human sciences, such as sociology, geography, and international relations. This list is not exhaustive.

he course will be organized in two parts:

• The first part, organised in partnership with UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research), will consist of six weeks of e-learning, representing the equivalent of two weeks full-time starting from April 12th 2010 to May 21st 2010.
• The second part will be held in India, at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, from May 31st 2010 to June 26th 2010.

The deadline for applications is the February 21st 2010.

For further information, please contact the organizers:

CSDRT - CM 2 - Station 10 - CH-1015 Lausanne - Switzerland - +41 21 693 5563 - csdrt@epfl.ch

http://cooperation.epfl.ch/Jahia/site/cooperation/op/edit/pid/71655

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