This fourth edition (2009–2010) features 30 economies and four sub-regional groupings. The chapters provide updated information on ICT infrastructure, industries, content and services, key initiatives, enabling policies, regulation, education and capacity building, open source and R&D initiatives, as well as key ICTD challenges in each of the economies covered.
Policies for managing innovation in the network economy - an important topic for governments in today’s fiercely competitive world, are presented in one chapter by Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen and his co-author, Mahendhiran Nair. Tengku Mohd Azzman headed Malaysia’s ICT R&D agency, MIMOS, for 21 years and was involved in setting up new ventures that introduced innovations arising from technology.
Tan Sri Dato’ Gajaraj Dhanarajan, Vice-Chancellor of Wawasan Open University, Penang, a leading world expert in open distance learning and also a contributor to DirAP, says “As we look ahead to the future of technology-supported learning in the Asia Pacific region, the challenge will not be the availability, cost, maintenance and versatility of technologies. Rather, the challenge will be about the capabilities, capacities, imagination, and aspirations of our institutions of learning and pedagogues to use technologies to their full potential”.
DirAP is published jointly by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Orbicom, Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communications.
There will be an official book launch at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel Ballroom in Penang, Malaysia, on June 11th, 2009, at 7.00PM. This is on the eve of the PAN All Partners’ Conference, where more than 150 ICT researchers, experts and policymakers are gathering to discuss how ICTs have helped solve development problems and what can be expected of the future. The conference is organized by PAN (Pan Asia Networking), IDRC’s ICT4D program for Asia.
For further information contact:
Vivien Chiam
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia
Singapore
Tel: +65 9760-6821 email: [email protected]
www.idrc.org.sg
Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé
Senior Media Advisor
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Ottawa, Canada
Tel: (+1-613) 696-2343; [email protected]
www.crdi.ca /www.idrc.ca
Jian Yan Wang
Orbicom
[email protected]
About IDRC
Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world’s leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For nearly 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.
About Orbicom
Orbicom is an international network that links communications leaders from academic, media,corporate and government circles with a view to providing for the exchange of information and the development of shared projects. Jointly created in 1994 by UNESCO and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), ORBICOM will ultimately embody a network of 300 associate members and 27 UNESCO Chairs in Communications from around the world
