I'm part of a network of science & technology policy advisors, and one thing we have learned is that science & technology is integral to development. Alchemy or one of the Evoke mentors/designers was asking what we could do to involve more people from Africa and other parts (Central and South Asia, parts of the Caribbean and Latin America) involved. One of the most crucial ways to spur development in general in a country is to build up the science & technology infrastructure and human capital in a country. They are the changemakers and leaders.
When I look at all the social innovations and social enterprises the one thing most of them have in common is science & technology. All of them do not use science & technology directly, but it is the most dominant trend. I think we overlook it because it is so ubiquitous and taken for granted in a developed country. But it is what separates world powers from those that are not; it spurs new innovation, and produces advancement.
So I would love to see more science & technology people on this network collaborating on actual scientific ideas that make water access and filtering easier, food production more lucrative, financial dynamics more stable with or without money, energy production possible outside of fossil fuels in a local context, etc. These are the future fruits of such people, and I think we need more of them evoking and researching and working. The tough part is that once they evoke, they must put in the work to take an idea through research to development and market. And the research process is not only hard and long but sometimes fatal as some ideas don't survive. Thankfully they lead to new and better ones and it's in their progeny that those seedling ideas succeed.
In the story, Alchemy's team is very skilled technologically and scientifically. I think we need more of it on this network and a greater cultivated culture of engaging academic scientists (both professors and students) in the application of their science and technology to development.
I'm working on HIV curative research. What are YOU evoking?