WDR Partners

Foundation Partners

Research Partners

Foundation Partners

infoDev's mission is “to promote innovative projects on the use of information and communication technologies for economic and social development, with a special emphasis on the needs of the poor in developing countries”. World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn has noted that “information technology has become a major development issue for the 21^st century”. New infoDev Manager Bruno Lanvin has announced infoDev goals “to become a premier ‘knowledge network’ fostering global communication and sharing of information on development issues” and “to help close the ICT gap”.

Under its core program, infoDev provides grants that support innovative projects or activities aimed at alleviating poverty through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). The core program is demand-driven; that is, it is implemented via projects selected on the basis of unsolicited proposals. The proposals-which can cover one or more countries-may be submitted by governments, nonprofit organizations, private companies, development organizations, or partnerships between different stakeholders in the international development community. The proposed activities may be in several fields, including e-commerce, education, telecommunications policy, and health.

Most of the activities in infoDev’s project portfolio fall under four broad categories: Consensus Building, Information Infrastructure Strategies, Telecommunications Reform, and Demonstration Projects. More information on infoDev’s core programs is available at: www.infodev.org/projects/apply.html.

In addition, infoDev supports flagship initiatives, which are strategic projects that complement the portfolio of demand-driven projects in the core program. Current flagship initiatives include,

Country Gateways, where infoDev supports the development of business plans for the establishment of one-stop websites (portals) that allow users to share materials, network, and discuss development issues;
E-Readiness, where infoDev supports assessments of countries’ information infrastructures and e-readiness;
E-Government, where infoDev has supported the development of an E-Government Toolkit for developing countries, an Internet-based platform designed to share development information, tools and services worldwide.
World Dialogue Regulation Network Economy (WDR).

For further information, see www.infodev.org.

Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies (LIRNE.NET)

LIRNE.NET was founded as a strategic collaboration between the Center for Tele-Information (CTI), Technical University of Denmark and the Economics of Infrastructures Section, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. It is registered as non-profit Association in Denmark. In 2002 two new research partners joined LIRNE.NET: Media@LSE, the media and communications programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the LINK Centre at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

LIRNE.NET’s Mission:

to facilitate telecom reform and information infrastructure development throughout the world – through research, training, dialogue, policy & regulation advice; and
to build human capital in the area as the foundation for development, effective regulation and governance for new network economies.

LIRNE.NET’s Major Activities:

research and publications
external training initiatives (short courses for government, industry and NGOs)
expert analysis, commentary, advice and assistance on current issues
World Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economies (WDR).

The LIRNE.NET Management Team

William H. Melody, Managing Director LIRNE.NET; Guest Professor, Center for Tele-Information (CTI), Technical University of Denmark, University of Witswatersrand and London School of Economics and Political Science, e-mail: melody@lirne.net

Knud Erik Skouby, Director of University Networks, LIRNE.NET; Director, Center for Tele-Information (CTI), Technical University of Denmark, e-mail: skouby@cti.dtu.dk

Rohan Samarajiva, Director of External Programs, LIRNE.NET; Visiting Professor, Delft University of Technology, NL; Senior International Specialist, National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI), USA, e-mail: samarajiva@lirne.net

Contact:

LIRNE.NET

Center for Tele-Information, Building 371

Technical University of Denmark

2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Phone: +45 4525 5178; Fax: +45 4596 3171; E-mail: lirne@lirne.net

For further information, see www.lirne.net or contact LIRNE.NET Coordinator Merete Aagaard Henriksen at henriksen@lirne.net.

The International Development Research Centre

IDRC

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a public corporation created in 1970 to help developing countries find long-term
solutions to the social, economic, and environmental problems they face.
IDRC's mandate is to initiate, encourage, support, and conduct research
into the problems of the developing regions of the world and into the means for applying and adapting scientific, technical, and other knowledge to the economic and social advancement of those regions.

The Acacia initiative is an international program to empower sub-Saharan communities with the ability to apply information and communication technologies (ICTs) to their own social and economic development.This initiative is designed as an integrated program of research and development and demonstration projects to address issues of applications, technology, infrastructure, policy and governance. Conceived and led by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Acacia supports Canada's contribution to the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) which was endorsed by African governments as an action framework to build Africa's information and communication infrastructure. Support of ICT policy research in Africa is a key component of Acacia's work.

Research Partners

TU Delft Interfaculty Research Program, Design and Management of Infrastructures (DIOC)

The TU Delft Research Program on Design and Management of Infrastructures is one of ten interdisciplinary research programs at Delft University of Technology. It examines the interrelations between technical, economic and policy factors in the design and ongoing management of a wide variety of infrastructures.

The program aims to perform comparative analyses of the technological, economic and administrative developments in different infrastructure sectors, in particular the traditional public utilities of water, waste, energy, telecommunication and transport, with a view to identifying common features and interrelationships. These common features and interrelationships then serve as the basis for the development of generic approaches, methods and tools for users and policy makers to support the future design and management of infrastructures and the policy making on infrastructure development and management.

The Program's director, Margot Weijnen notes "the synergies and common interest between the DIOC program and the WDR are substantial. The DIOC is delighted to be a research partner as the research will provide additional benefit for both the DIOC and WDR."

Home

Dialogue 2003

Dialogue 2002

About WDR