UNIVERSITY OF TLEMCEN GROUPE DE RECHERCHE EN ECONOMIE DES FINANCES PUBLIQUES – GREFIP In Partnership With THE HIGHER EDUCATION GROUP – UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE Call for Abstracts and Papers “THE ROLE OF INVESTMENTS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INNOVATION:THE NEW ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION” November 29 - 30, 2015 Modern economic growth is a complex process. It is increasingly dependent on innovation -- the ability to create economic value through the creative application of knowledge. Knowledge is arguably the most important commodity of the modern economy and universities are the primary creators of this currency. Universities have long served as a source of knowledge creation and dissemination for industrial activity. Indeed, one of the responsibilities of institutions of higher education is now to create effective mechanisms to transfer knowledge to impact on social or economic development, enhanced economic competitiveness or simply to increase the stock of knowledge and to improve our understanding about the world. Of course, knowledge is a concept that is embodied in human capital- individuals who have received the benefit of education and who are able to appreciate, integrate and augment knowledge and innovate. 2 High quality human capital requires investments in higher education –institutions dedicated to advanced learning, sophisticated research and public service important to the functioning of the modern economy. The question then becomes how to best create and enable human capital with the ultimate goal of reaping rewards in terms of wealth creation and increased standards of living. How to best organize higher education in order to create and transfer knowledge to sustain innovation and economic growth is an important question for both advanced and developing economies. This 2015 conference proposes to explore the issues raised by these developments, focusing on several interrelated questions: These are only indicative of the range of topics to be explored. 1. What is the current state of higher education and its need to adapt? 2. Is higher education really at a crossroad for change? 3. What are the major innovation challenges for the higher education system and how can they best be addressed? 4. What are the innovation models that could help to transform higher education systems? 5. What are the requirements for change and create the best conducive environment for universities to innovate and engage with industry? 6. How to remove the barriers that inhibit innovation and structural change? This process requires a thorough review and modernisation of the regulatory framework in the country, including intellectual-property rights, market authorization, public procurement and state-aid rules. 7. The best practices to link the university with its economic and cultural environment. 3 Some Guidelines for Submission The language of the conference will be English, French and Arabic. Deadline for the submission of abstracts is May 31, 2015. The abstract should not be more than 500 words. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by June 30, 2015. The deadline for the full paper is: October 30, 2015. The full paper must be at most 14 pages in length, including references. For English and French papers please use MS Word, Times New Roman, size 12, space 1.5, standard margins. The paper should include the following: o Paper title, o author(s) name(s), o email(s), o affiliation(s) Accepted papers MUST be presented at the symposium. The conference program will be made available by October 30, 2015. We are planning to publish selected papers. There is no registration fee. Organizers cover participants’ accommodation and meals costs. However participants will have to cover their travel and visa costs if they travel from abroad. Program details, more information and updates will be made available at a later date. All submissions should be sent to: [email protected] Chair:Zine M. BARKA Co-Chairs: Prof. Seppo HOLTTA and Prof. Tuomo MELASUO Symposium Venue: University of Tlemcen – Faculty of Economics