The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL) will organize the third edition of its sixteen-week long joint post-graduate course on "Technology and Sustainable Development - Innovative and integrated approaches in emerging countries" at the IIT Madras, India from 2nd January through 22nd April 2008. The course is open to graduate students and professionals, with a university degree, in various occupations who are not necessarily specialists in the field.

The course is designed to provide an appreciation of the role of technology and how it may contribute most effectively to sustainable development in the context of developing and emerging countries.

(Ed. Note: the material in this ServiceBook article is transferred with permission from the website of this course, http://www.epfl.ch/tsd/ where more information can be found.)

The IITM is a leading training institute in Asia for higher education in technology and for basic and applied research. Situated on a campus with 360 faculty and 5000 students, it is regarded as one of the foremost centres in India for teaching, research and industrial consultancy. Activities of the institute proceed in the context of departments and advanced research centres associated with various disciplinary and interdisciplinary interests of engineering and basic science in nearly 100 laboratories.

In the heart of Europe, the EPFL is one of two Swiss Federal Institutes of higher education. It is internationally renowned and a leading centre among French-speaking schools of engineering. Its threefold mission includes training, research, and liaison with industry. It trains about 6'500 students, including over 1300 at the level of PhD. The faculty and staff of EPFL comprise 320 professors and 3700 scientific, technical and administrative staff.

It is an active member of major international university networks-including CLUSTER, TIME, CAESAR and SEFI-and it maintains several hundred industrial partnerships.

Course Description

Background

Technology has been identified with a host of problems and solutions that are closely linked with aims for sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries. It is an essential enabling feature of globalization, and local applications of technology offer possibilities for building infrastructures and creating opportunities. The impact of new technologies on society and development affects various interests and domains, and the effective and appropriate use of technology requires consideration of social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental contexts and effects. The opportunities and challenges applying the technologies to old problems require the guidance from a new breed of professionals and policymakers who can integrate technological expertise and a clear understanding of its wider ramifications as a guide to strategies for applying technology to the tasks of achieving sustainable development.

Recognizing the need for a broad-based appreciation of the need to understand technology in the context of development, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, (IITM) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland, (EPFL) have developed this course to serve a diverse group of professionals directly concerned with the role of technology for sustainable development. The course venue in Chennai (the name for Madras) is particularly appropriate because of the resources of the institute and the development challenges of that region with a mix of cultures, languages and religions; immense social and economical disparities; the juxtaposition of levels of education from illiteracy to world-class expertise; and a mix of livelihoods, ranging from agricultural subsistence to hi-tech techno-parks. The combination of experience with the application of technologies for development and the experience and expertise of an academic centre provides a unique opportunity to examine the relationship of theory, policy, and practice, and to consider implications for other settings facing similar dilemmas with potential for technological solutions.

Objectives

The course will examine the role of technology and how it may contribute most effectively to sustainable development. It will consider approaches to integrating and managing technology, rather than the technical details, with particular attention to social, economic, health, and environmental impact of new technologies and the contexts that affect innovation and creativity. Relying on the experience of the faculty and participants and case studies, the course will present a framework for relating technology and development focussing on developing countries, especially India and other Asian countries, and considering the interplay between national and local priorities, resources, and policies. It will contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary agenda, based on the new technologies in diverse fields of engineering, architecture and other disciplines that rely heavily on technology, and which are most influential in their impact on various aspects of development. Recognizing the role of various social, cultural, environmental, and political contexts of development and the value of an interdisciplinary approach, the course will enable participants to work more effectively with others to promote the development and application of new technologies for sustainable development.

Key Questions

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?

How should technologies be transferred between high-income and low- and middle-income countries?  

How may creative, innovative development projects be promoted through a mix of socialist and capitalist models (e.g., venture capital and start-up companies) to serve the interests of sustainable development?

How are priority products and processes identified for investment?

How should start-up companies for new technologies be managed?

What are the main obstacles to a complementary relationship between the interests of technology and development

Who are the main actors and what particular approaches do they represent?

Course Organization

The course will be conducted in English for 16 weeks from 2 January to 22 April 2008 in two parts:

A total of 9.5 weeks covering four classroom modules on the IITM campus, including lectures, case studies, group assignments, video conferences, field visits, and individual and group exercises. 

6.5 weeks project with the following components: 0.5 week preparation, 5 weeks field activity in collaboration with other Indian Institutes of Technology. A final 1 week is devoted to preparing and presenting project reports devoted to the evaluation of the course.

 Attendance and participation over the full range of class activities, about 400 hours, is compulsory. Individual assignments and preparation time, about 200 hours, is also required. In addition to regularly scheduled classes from Monday to Friday, field trips and assignments may also require student investment hours on weekends.

Preparation and preliminary course materials

Introductory preparatory information and documents will be made available to students before the course begins. Readings will provide background information about concepts of sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries, history and current concepts of technology, and information about India.

Modules

Module 1: Technology and Development

Duration: 2.5 weeks

This introductory module covers basic concepts and the history of technology, sustainable development, social issues and economics with a special emphasis on India and the Asian sub-region. This module will also present a framework and methods for technology assessment, environmental impact and environmental risk assessment. The framework considers the role of appropriate indicators, assessment methods, multi-criteria analyses, and other appropriate concepts and methods.

Module 2: Technological Innovations

Duration: 3.5 weeks

This module reviews technological innovations and their impact as they have been integrated in different settings. Case studies will be taken from topics of communications, information technology, natural and built environment, biotechnology, and other relevant areas. It will critically examine determinants of successful and failed technologies with examples concerned with a range of technologies, from hi-tech, intermediate technology and traditional or indigenous technology.

Module 3: Society, Technology and Global Health

Duration: 1.5 weeks

This module considers the social, cultural, economic, and environmental contexts in which technology for health is developed and implemented, and it critically examines the social impact of technology with particular reference to health in India and in other developing countries. It reviews frameworks and models for relating the effects of various technologies on global health as they interact with society and culture.

Module 4: Project Management

Duration: 2 weeks

This module will concentrate on project management techniques. It will examine a range of relevant topics, such as setting up of projects, issues and approaches for negotiation, management, monitoring, project evaluation. It will examine the financial and contractual aspects of projects and technology enterprises, start-ups, and practical management issues that apply to other models for developing and implementing technologies.

Module 5: Field project

Duration: 6.5 weeks

The field project module will begin with a week of preparation for the fieldwork. The project itself may involve a 5 weeks placement in a company, a voluntary organisation or a government agency to study the innovative use of a technology for sustainable development. Each project will be undertaken by an interdisciplinary and multicultural group of 3 participants. The group will attempt to explain various factors related to choosing appropriate technologies for development, priorities for investing in new technologies, and for technology transfer and absorption of new technologies from other settings. The field project will require preparation of a project report.

The last week of the course will include presentation and discussion of all project reports and an overall course evaluation.

Teaching methods

The following teaching methods will be used to fulfill aims of the course:

lectures

case studies

field work

video conference

round table discussions

workshops

interdisciplinary and multicultural group assignments

2 or 3 in-depth field trips (3 or 4 days)

field visits

a 4-week field project

report writing

individual and group presentations

term papers

Evaluation

Students will be graded on a pass-fail basis. Completion of reports and the quality of participation will be considered.

Diploma of Advanced Study

A Post-graduate Diploma of Advanced Study, jointly signed by both the institutions will be delivered to students who successfully complete all requirements of the course.