Sector: Services - ICT, telecom & media, Services - training & education

Theme: Design, branding & marketing, Technology & innovation

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The Silicon Valley Challenge Summit: Sharing Technological Innovation for Global Benefit, 16 November 2006, Santa Clara, California, United States

As Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, said in 2002 - Silicon Valley needs to: "broaden its horizon and bring more of its remarkable dynamism and innovation to the developing world." Then as now, the challenge remains for this region to assume its place at the center of the international discussion around the use of ICT for global development.

Co-presenting the Silicon Valley Challenge Summit is about RiOS putting a stake in the ground right where we live and work. Being located in and around Silicon Valley and having studied and worked with some of its best-known high-tech companies, RiOS' efforts are focused on the ICTD (Information and Communication Technologies for Development), as a natural starting point for the Institute.

Silicon Valley is a world leader in information and communication technology (ICT) innovation and as such acts as a magnet for the best and brightest from all parts of the globe, who come here for the freedom to be creative and successful. Their talents, ambitions and hard work have made Silicon Valley a center of financial wealth and technological innovation emulated by regions throughout the world. Through their work and their lives, these individuals frequently challenge conventional wisdoms.

This array of creative, technical and financial resources brings with it a great responsibility. As Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, said in 2002 - Silicon Valley needs to: "broaden its horizon and bring more of its remarkable dynamism and innovation to the developing world." Then as now, the challenge remains for this region to assume its place at the center of the international discussion around the use of ICT for global development. In the same way in which Silicon Valley has exported its models of innovative research, entrepreneurial drive and cross-institutional collaboration it has the opportunity to play an exemplary role in exploring new ways to create a more equitable, sustainable future for all inhabitants of the world.

The Silicon Valley Challenge Summit, an international forum taking place November 16 2006 at the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University in the heart of Silicon Valley, defines this leadership agenda. Local, national and international experts from a wide variety of ICT for development contexts will explore the opportunities for Silicon Valley institutions and individuals to play a more decisive role in the creation of relevant, effective and sustainable ICT programs which address social and economic inequalities worldwide. Through debates and panels, the speakers will explore the role of research, innovation, collaboration and institutional support for ICT for development.

The day will be structured around four key questions:

  • What are we doing?
  • How are we doing it?
  • What can't we do?
  • What else can we do?

The Summit, co-presented by the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University and the Rios Institute, will result in a strong agenda for Silicon Valley to adopt in the service of socioeconomic change in the developing world.