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Biography |
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Dr. Halla Thorsteinsdóttir is an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and a member of the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network. She completed her doctoral studies in Science and Technology Policy in 1999 at SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, United Kingdom. Prior to that, she completed a master’s degree in Development Economics from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa Canada as well as a master’s degree in Psychology from the same university. Halla’s research is focused on health biotechnology innovation in developing countries. Her current projects examine collaboration in health biotechnology both between Canada and developing countries (north-south collaboration) and amongst developing countries (south-south collaboration) as well as regenerative medicine innovation systems in several emerging economies. Halla is the recipient of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Genetics Maud Menten New Principal Investigator Prize (2005-2006) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, New Principal Investigator Award (2007-2012).
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Abstract |
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Increasingly, developing countries are signing agreements that encourage scientific and technological (S&T) collaboration amongst themselves. This is with the expectation that these collaborations will lead to increased S&T capacity, and strengthened research and innovation potentials. Yet, little is known about how to meet this expectation, and encourage or leverage south-south collaboration. The objective of this research is, therefore, to examine the potential and characteristics of south-south collaboration in the health biotechnology field, and gain a better understanding of the factors that cultivate and influence it. The key findings indicate that south-south research collaboration in health biotechnology is modest but slowly increasing, while entrepreneurial collaborations seem to be more prevalent. Governments have successfully cultivated closer linkages between researchers in developing countries by setting up programmes and funding to support their collaboration, yet there remains a lack of dedicated resources. Northern governments and international or philanthropic organizations should therefore target south-south collaboration as a means of promoting development and to encourage global health. |
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