1. A National research council of belize? Preliminary considerations
1 February, 2018
COBEC CONFERENCE, BELIZE CITY, BELIZE

2. Pursuing A National research agenda
2011 Memorandum of Understanding
Institutions with a Research Mandate
Private Sector Development needs
Public Sector Development Needs
Public-Private Sector Partnerships

3. Pursuing a research agenda con’t
Horizon 2030
National Culture Policy
Millennium Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals
Research and Development

5. First National Research Conference
Objectives:
Foster a Culture of Research
Highlight Belizean research & Belizean applied research
Raise awareness – students
Networking & cooperation
Outputs:
Publications

6. First national research conference
Areas:
Social Sciences: history, anthropology, sociology, economics, geography, tourism, technologies
Education: pedagogy, methodology, languages, applied linguistics, online education, adult & continuing education, technical education, intercultural & bilingual education, technologies
Physical & Natural Sciences: environmental science, climate change, math, biology, physics, chemistry, agriculture, computer science, health, conventional, traditional & alternative medicines
Arts & Humanities: culture, literature, performing arts, fine arts, expressive arts, philosophy, ethics,

7. A national research council of BELIZE? PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
1. Rationale
The overall purpose of the body is to serve the productive sector, policy makers and the public through relevant research in science and technology that contributes to sustainable development of Belize through strategic partnership among academia, productive sector, government and NGOs.
2. Overall Goals
To promote research that contributes to national development
To develop a national culture of innovation and research vital in today’s knowledge economy
To develop national capacity for research in innovation and sustainable development
To promote the use of research in decision making and policy development
To rationalize the use of available financial and technical research infrastructure

8. A national research council of BELIZE?
Key strategies
To secure funding for basic and applied research from national, regional and international sources
To establish accredited research standards and processes
To establish partnerships through international, regional and national networking
To establish a national data base of researchers, research centres and units and research projects
To disseminate research through an annual conference, seminars and through a national research journal

9. A national research council of BELIZE?
3. Main Challenges
Demonstrating tangible benefits to key partners to ensure sustained participation and commitment
Learning from previous failed national experiences
Addressing and overcoming limited financial resources and weak research culture
Maximizing the use of limited human resource capacity
Overcoming limited access to research data bases (national, regional, international)

10. A national research council of BELIZE?
Principal Benefits
Relevant research outputs accruing to the country in general, productive sector, government and academia in particular.
Building national research infrastructure
Building national research culture: strengthening research capacity among the key partners
Increased accessibility to research outputs
Greater coordination for increased procurement and efficient use of research resources

11. A national research council of BELIZE?
Structure
Head quarter: In the short term, the body may be housed at an existing participating institution, such as ISCR, UB, Galen, Ministry of Education.
Policy making for the Council: A body representative of academia, productive sector, government and NGOs.
Funding, Short term: financial, infrastructural and human support may come from the four partners based on available resources.
Management: Initial staffing of a full time director, one support staff and one ICT technician.
The body may be brought into formal existence through legislation as independent body or a statutory body or a department or unit of a Ministry of Government.

12. A national research council of BELIZE?
Other key component areas to be addressed
Determining type and range of research and use of technology most relevant to national needs
Developing strategies for the development of research capacity among partners
Promoting the use of research outputs in the productive sector and to help inform public policy formulation
Funding the operational and programmatic work of the Body for the medium term
Creating effective networking among existing research units and researchers at the national and international levels
Establishing mechanisms for quality, relevance and effectiveness of the work of the Body through recognized accreditation standards

13. discussion