ICT4DEVIS “Information and Communication Technologies for Development International School”: A Bridge Between Technology

1. ICT4DEVIS“Information and Communication Technologies for Development International School”:A Bridge Between Technology & Development Danilo Piaggesi, Managing Director Fondazione Rosselli Americas Urban Futures: New Mindsets “North meets South” New York City, NY

2. There is a widely shared expectation that ICTs can help fostering development in less developed countries (LDC), thus contributing to reduce, if not solve, some of the world’s most severe challenges to human wellbeing and development. Icti4devis rationale (1)

3. Harnessing ICTs to achieve this result is not an easy matter; it requires the understanding of a multitude of disciplines varying from moral and ethics, cultural differences, politics, sociology, systems thinking, finance, project management and, of course, the Knowledge Society and Economy and the evolving and convergent issues that surround them. Ict4devis rationale (2)

4. Students coming out of traditional academic courses, who want to engage in a professional career devoted to ICT for international development, are not likely to possess all the skills required to cope with these complexities. There is a strong tendency towards specialization among most advanced degree schools, which is very effective in turning out students highly skilled in a specific field, but tends to fall short in terms of creating a well-rounded-up professional as is needed to tackle complex development issues. Ict4devis rationale (3)

5. In general, formal academic education in this field would benefit from supplementary training aimed at rounding up a student’s education with practical, job-related, additional capacity-building, for the purpose of improving their effectiveness in a development context. Ict4devis rationale (4)

6. ICT4DEVIS is a joint initiative of Fondazione Rosselli Americas (FRA), USA; Universita’ dell’Insubria, Italy; Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil. Other Universities and Institutions have confirmed their interest in joining ICT4DEVIS, among which: Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico Universidad del Rosario, Colombia Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT ICT4DEVIS, a joint Initiative

7. This is the aim of the ICT for Development International School (ICT4DEVIS) that is conceived as a hands-on, practice oriented, cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary course intended for students who want to pursue a professional career in deploying ICT as a means for international development. ICT4DEVIS objectives

8. ICT4DEVIS OBJECTIVES Our challenge: Building capacity to maximize the benefits of ICT as an instrument for international development Our purpose: Improving students’ effectiveness in a development context Our objective: Providing a practical, job-oriented, supplementary education on ICT applications in development work

9. The Target of ICT4DEVIS The School is reserved to graduate students who want to pursue a professional career in deploying ICT as a means for international development and to professionals who want to improve their skills in the field of ICT4DEV. Particular attention will be devoted to ensure a link between the students and the International Organizations that need professionals in the area of ICT4DEV.

10. Selection criteria for participation in ICT4DEVIS • Students will be selected using the following basic criteria: • Clear commitment to work in the development area; • Ability to contribute to a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment • Ability to work in English (official ICT4DEVIS language) • At the end of the school a Participation Certificatewill be awarded to participants.

11. The Environment of ICT4DEVIS ICT4DEVIS will operate as a mixed on-site and on-linesummer school A maximum of 30 studentswill be admitted to each edition of the School ICT4DEVIS will provide a stimulating opportunity to participants, who will benefit from direct interactionwith their scientific and professional peers, in a friendly and pleasant environment.

12. The venues of ICT4DEVIS The first edition of ICT4DEVIS will be organized by the Universitàdell’Insubria, located in Como, Italy, as the European hub of ICT4DEVIS. In 2013, the second edition will be organized by the University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil, as the Latin American hub.USP will also organize the world-world launch of ICT4DEVIS during the 9th CONTECSI, in May 2012 Future venues will be chosen among other ICT4DEVIS participating institutions.

13. The Contents of ICT4DEVIS • ICT4DEVIS will give students a basic background and some in-depth insights into, but not limited to: • What are the different technologies that can be used to implement ICT infrastructures in different contexts; • How the transformational potential of ICT can be exploited to foster innovation in government, in business and in society; • How to define and implement a project in the area; and, • How to define and measure the impact of an ICT4DEV project on the economic context.

14. The schedule of ICT4DEVIS’s first edition ICT4DEVIS sessions will be organized in “modules”. Each module will include both on site lessons and video lectures; the video lectures will be devoted to the presentation of experiences and best practices in ICT4DEV and in depth lessons related to specific topics. In the 2012 edition, the School will deliver 24 hours of on-site lessons over 4 days and 16 hours of video lectures that the students can attend asynchronously online. Sessions will start in September 2012.

15. The Modules of the first edition of ICT4DEVIS • Module 1: • ICT Infrastructures and Systems for Development (INFSYS) • Network architectures, devices and access technologies; • Innovative Information Systems architectures, models and tools; and • Building and enforcing communities through Social Computing.

16. The Modules of the first edition of ICT4DEVIS Module 2: Impacts and Socio-Economic Benefits of ICT4D Programs (SOCECO) ICT4DEV and the UN Millennium Development Goals; Development and Knowledge-Based Societies; Infrastructure and Policy; and Trade / Market Access and ICT.

17. The Modules of the first edition of ICT4DEVIS • Module 3: • ICT for Sustainable Development (ICT4DEV) • ICT for Sustainable Development: Potential applications for public and private sector; • Building Innovative Knowledge Society: Benefits, Risks and Outcomes; • Indicators of Less Developed Countries’ Participation in the Knowledge Society; and • Implementing ICT in Less Developed Countries: The “Life-Cycle” of a Development Project

18. ICT4DEVIS Module Add-ons Some of the lessons will also include testimonials from the major international organizations for development like the World Bank, the United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States, the UNDP, the European Union, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Asian Development Bank, etc.

19. ICT4DEVIS Governance Presidency Scientific Committee Board ASIA U. Dongguk, Korea EUROPE U. Uninsubria, Italy NORTH AMERICA FRA, USA AFRICA Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Ghana SOUTH AMERICA U. São Paulo, Brazil ICT4DEVIS Regional Hubs

20. ICT4DEVIS Scientific Committee As of February 2012 • Walter Castelnovo, University of Insubria (Italy) • Dianne Davis, United Nations ECOSOC accredited ICCC (USA) • Elena Ferrari, University of Insubria (Italy) • Dorothy K. Gordon, Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence (Ghana-India) • Jae Jon Kim, Chonnam National University (Korea) • Sang Yoo Kim, Dongguk University (Korea) • DaniloPiaggesi, FondazioneRosselli America (USA) • Leonardo Pineda Serna, Universidad del Rosario (Colombia) • EdsonLuizRiccio, TECSI, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) • Carlos Scheel, ITESM (Mexico) • Pablo Rodas, Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) • Kristian Sund,Middlesex University (UK)

21. ICT4DEVIS Outreach Tools VIRTUAL COMMUNITY • AKNOS DEDICATED WEB SITE BULLETTIN AND NEWSLETTER OF THE SCHOOL

22. ICT4DEVIS Participating Institutions

23. DANILO PIAGGESI Director, International Knowledge Economy Program (IKEP) Managing Director, Fondazione Rosselli Americas (FRA) A low-ecological footprint, non-for-profit organization Postal address: 6005 Grove Drive Alexandria, VA 22307 USA Email: Ikep.fra01@gmail.com ; danilopiaggesi4456@gmail.com; danilo.piaggesi@fondazionerosselli.it Skype ID:danilop4456 Telephones: +1 202 3511149 (main) +1 301 2333095 (mobile)