COSTECH ranked one of the world's best 2012 S&T global think tanks
The survey conducted by the International Relations Program under the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, ranked the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) as one of the top 50 Global Think Tanks under the category of science and technology.
According to Dr. James G. McGann, the Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, the report’s publication is the culmination of an eight-month process involving the support of think tanks and experts from every region of the world.
He noted that despite the scope of the project, the rankings are conducted without the benefit of a full time staff or budget, instead made possible with the assistance of a group of research interns from the University of Pennsylvania and other colleges in the Philadelphia area.
More than 1950 experts and peer institutions participated in this year’s ranking process include:
793 expert panelists for all the regional and functional research categories; 150 journalists and scholars with expertise spanning politics, think tanks, and civil society
; 55 current and former directors of think tank programs and networks; 40 public and private donors; 100s of think tanks; 25-30 intergovernmental organizations; and 120 academic institutions.
Dr. McGann reported that he is pleased to highlight the increasingly global reach of the rankings, as reflected in the following statistics regarding this year’s report:
6,603 think tanks from 182 countries were invited to participate in the process.
1,100 plus individuals from 120 countries participated in the nominations and rankings process.
He further said that think tanks were nominated, and subsequently ranked, in 38 categories.
A total of 1647 think tanks were nominated. A total of well over 57,000 nominations were received across the 38 categories and 171 think tanks were nominated as the world’s top think tanks.
COSTECH Director Genaral, Dr. Hassan Mshinda.
Talking about the ranking process, Dr. McGann noted that each year, the team works to improve the quality of the data collected and the results generated.
He added,” A summary of the changes we have over the last six years is highlighted below. This and last years’ reviews of the process sparked an upheaval of certain aspects of past year’s methodology. In an effort to make the rankings process more democratic and fair, 2012’s process, like 2011’s, began with a call for nominations of think tanks across the thirty eight categories, not relying (as the process had in the past) on Expert Panels for these nominations. At each stage of the process, Expert Panel members were then consulted to verify the legitimacy of each round’s results. By using the Expert Panels as barometers for the data’s accuracy rather than as generators of data, we intend to make the process more democratic and eliminate the influence of any potential biases on the rankings.”
In addition, Dr. McGann noted that this year’s process featured the modification and development of additional categories relative to last year’s ranking. The 2012 Global Go-To Think Tank Index includes both new and altered categories in comparison to the 2011 index.
On the roles of the COSTECH, Dr. Mshinda said that the Commission supervises, promotes and coordinates research, mobilizes, solicits, and disburses research funds, monitors the development and transfer of technology, provides patent and the intellectual property rights information to researchers, scientists, grassroots innovators and the public at large; honors and awards grassroots innovators; nurtures incubation programs, supports cluster development initiatives and at the same time acquires, stores and disseminates scientific and technological information.
He also noted that efforts to streamline and perfect the process are ongoing, and the program is continually seeking ways to enhance the process.
He calls for stakeholders’ comments and suggestions on how the ranking process might be improved. He further encourages stakeholders to provide the names and contact information for prospective Expert Panel members from functional areas and geographic regions covered by the rankings.
We, at COSTECH are proud of this achievement and we promise to do more in this coming year.
For more information about this article, please visit: http://repository.upenn.edu/think_tanks/7/
Iran kushirikiana na Tanzania katika sekta ya Sayansi
Elizabeth Mlay (kulia kwa waziri ) mwanafunzi wa kidato cha sita kutoka shule ya Sekondari Jangwani iliyopo jijini Dar es Salaam akimuelezea Waziri wa Mawasiliano, Sayansi na Teknolojia Prof. Makame Mbarawa (kushoto) jinsi ya kutengeneza dawa ya kusafishia na kuondoa harufu chooni. Waziri Prof. Makame alikuwa mgeni rasmi katika ufunguzi wa sherehe za mwaka wa kimataifa wa kemia zilizoandaliwa na Chama cha wakemia Tanzania kwa kushirikiana na Kamisheni ya Taifa ya UNESCO uliofanyika leo jijini Dar es Salaam katika ukumbi wa Diamond Jubilee.
Dk. Mohammad Baqer Khorramshad
Na Mwandishi Wetu
MKUU wa Shirika la Iran la Utamaduni na Uhusiano wa Kiislamu ICRO amesema ustawi wa kipekee wa Jamhuri ya Kiislamu ya Iran katika uga wa kisayansi ni mfano mzuri wa kuigwa na nchi za Kiafrika.
Dk. Mohammad Baqer Khorramshad alisema hayo hivi karibuni jijini Dar es Salaam alipokutana na Waziri wa Mawasiliano, Sayansi na Teknolojia Tanzania Profesa Makame Mbarawa,
Alisema ustawi wa kasi wa Iran katika uga wa sayansi na teknolojia ni natija ya juhudi na ubunifu wa wasomi na wanasayansi wa Jamhuri ya Kiislamu ya Iran.
Aidha amesisitiza kuhusu azma ya ICRO ya kuimarisha uhusiano na Tanzania na kuongeza kuwa shirika hilo litatoa msaada wa masomo kwa wanafunzi 7 wa Tanzania bara na watatu kutoka Zanzibar.
Khorramshad aidha ameashiria uwezo wa Iran katika sekta kama vile utamaduni wa Kiislamu, ustaarabu, nano teknolojia, mawasiliano ya satalaiti na kilimo na kusema Iran iko tayari kubadilishana uzoefu wake huo na Tanzania.
Kwa upande wake Waziri wa Mawasiliano, Sayansi na Teknolojia Tanzania Profesa Makame Mbarawa amesisitiza azma ya nchi yake ya kuimarisha uhusiano wa kiutamaduni na Jamhuri ya Kiislamu ya Iran.
Alisema kwa kuzingatia mahitajio mengi ya Tanzania katika sekta mbali mbali, Jamhuri ya Kiislamu ya Iran inaweza kuwa chanzo kizuri cha kupata uwezo wa kisayansi.
Viongozi wa Kamati ya Utendaji ya TASJA wakiwa katika p;icha ya pamoja
TASJA yapata viongozi wapya
Mgeni Rasmi akifungua Mkutano Mkuu wa uchaguzi wa Uchaguzi wa TASJA, ambaye pia ni Mkurugenzi wa Tume ya Sayansi na Teknolojia (COSTECH), Dk. Hassan Mshinda, akitoa hotuba ya ufunguzi, kushoto ni Meneja Mkuu wa Biashara na uwakala wa Shirika la Posta Tanzania (TPC), Kilala Sendama.
Mgeni rasmi akiwa katika picha ya pamoja na wanachama wa TASJA
Mjumbe wa Mkutano Mkuu wa TASJA, na Katibu Mtendaji Mstaafu, David Ramadhan akichangia hoja katika mkutano wa uchaguzi.
Na Mwandishi Wetu, Dar es Salaam
CHAMA cha Waandishi wa habari za Sayansi nchini (TASJA), kimepata viongozi wapya watakiongoza chama hicho kwa kipindi cha miaka mitatu ijayo
Waliochaguliwa ni Pamoja na Greyson Mutembei, ambaye ni Mwenyekiti mpya, Bakari Kimwanga Makamu Mwenyekiti, Benard Lugongo Katibu Mkuu na Nasra Abdallah Mweka hazina.
Mbali mkutano huo umewachagua wajumbe wa kamati ya utendaji ambao ni David Ramadhan, Asia Rweymamu, Gabriel Mushi, Restusta James, Jackob Nduye na Hamis Shimye.
Awali akifungua mkutano Mkuu huo wa mwaka, mgeni rasmi ambaye pia ni Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Tume ya Sayansi na Teknolojia (COSTECH), Dk. Hassan Mshinda, alisema ili nchi iweze kuendelea inahitaji wanasayansi na wabunifu wengi ambao wataleta maendeleo nchini.
“Tunajua TASJA kwa namna mlivyo mnaweza mkawa chachu ya maendeleo katika sekta ya Sayansi nchini, nasi kama wadau wakuu tunaamini waandishi wa habari mna mchango mkubwa katika wakuelimisha wananchi.
“Ahadi yangu kwenu TASJA kupitia COSTECH mnafika mbali sambamba na kuwaunganisha na taasisi zingine kimataifa,” alisema Dk. Mshinda
Kwa upande wake Meneja Mkuu wa Biashara na uwakala wa Shirika la Posta Tanzania (TPC), Kilala Sendama, alisema kuwa hivi Maendeleo ya teknolojia za mawasiliano yamejkuwa yakichukua nafasi kubwa katika maendeleo ya Taifa.
“Kwetu TPC tumejiandaa katika kutoa huduma zatu ikiwemo EMS, Post Cargo na Inateranet ambayo imekuwa ikitumiwa na watanzania wetu nanyi TASJA ni moja ya wadau wetu,”alisema
Katibu Mktendaji mpya wa TASJA Bernard Lugonga, akikabidhiwa vifaa vya kazi na Katibu Mtendaji mstaafu David Ramadhan, wengine wanaoshudia ni baadhi ya viongozi wa Kamati ya Utendaji ya TASJA
Timu ya Viongozi wa TASJA ikiwa katika picha ya pamoja, kulia ni Mwenyekiti wa TASJA Grayson Mutembei pamoja na Katibu Mtendaji wake Bernard Lugongo, waliosimama ni Makamu Mwenyekiti Bakari Kimwanga na Mweka hazina Nasra Abdallah
