LIRNE.NET: ICT4D with or without universities Rohan Samarajiva Director of External Programs LIRNE.NET & Executive Director LIRNEasia

What does LIRNE.NET do?  Research Applied research driven by what we think policy makers/regulators want  Teaching Those directly engaged in policy/regulation Through media Emphasis on the teachable moment  Outreach Rapid response/consulting  Not very different from universities? As different as could be?

Research  Thematic coherence Next stage of reform: ICT convergence regulation or multisector multiutility regulation? Regulation: facilitating or hindering investment? Diverse approaches to extending ICT infrastructure

Research: by whom?  Coalition of the willing Researchers in multiple universities (e.g., Technical U of Denmark), research institutes (NCAER, India); virtual organizations (LIRNEasia) When we can, we pay  Not “collection of small businesses under one roof” as university departments have been described

Research: of what?  Highly policy-relevant applied research Theme decided on through consultation with LIRNE.NET community But based on judgment of leadership  Focused But deviation in extraordinary circumstances  Tsunami  disaster preparedness/communication research in 2005  Case studies that tell a generalizable story Principles communicated through examples

Research process  Conflation of production and dissemination Multiple drafts discussed on Internet and at Expert Forums  Research improves  But dissemination also occurs Experts not defined solely as academics, but as informed stakeholders that may include academics

Research dissemination  No priority to peer-reviewed journals But will also publish in them  Internet publication under copyleft  Sometimes output is collated into volumes and distributed to decision- makers

Teaching  Short executive courses for senior decision makers E.g., 4.5 day course in Antigua, Guatemala for Regulatel, association of L American regulators  Involvement in university programs E.g., niche MBA in infrastructure, U of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka  Through the media E.g., Melody interviews in S Africa

Teaching  Infused and informed by research  Intentional avoidance of “how to” teaching (=training) Has a role, but best for junior staff

Outreach  Consulting and advising in response to demand E.g., written input for public consultation process  E.g., Telecom Regulatory Authority of India consultation paper on extending rural networks Sector performance review for Danish regulatory agency

Organizational structure  Incorporated as an association in Denmark, with money managed in a university account, with relatively low overhead extraction But we can leave anytime  Primarily university based TU Delft, Netherlands (Economics of Infrastructures Section) Technical U of Denmark (Center for ICT) Witwatersrand U, South Africa (LINK Centre) London School of Economics & Political Science

Organizational structure  Work with people for some time; then organizational affiliation LINK Centre at Wits U joined after 3-4 years of collaboration  Exception to university rule: LIRNEasia Well defined centers existed in previous sites; not in SL SL institutions universities in name only  Highly bureaucratic; inward oriented Good (only?) researchers in ICT4D outside university structure  Needed a center to support them

Organizational structure  Our organizational objective: create an effective, virtual, regional organization Recruited a organizational development consultant for 12 months to  Manage all interaction processes  Develop proposal for 2 nd office Use the web (blog inspired) Play with WiFi, blog, video conferencing

LIRNEasia  The ultimate workaround? 