Sida, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and VINNOVA, Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, in collaboration offer an Advanced International Training Programme 2009 on how to promote an innovation-led sustainable growth. The programme will start on Sunday, September 6, 2009 and finish on Friday, October 2, 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden. A regional seminar will be organized in March 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand.

This training programme is about promoting sustainable growth and development for the business community, society and individuals by developing effective innovation systems. The overall objective of the training programme is to contribute to the renewal and development through innovations in the participants? home countries.

The invitation and selection of participants is outlined as a “call for proposals” where the best and most promising proposals will be picked out for this programme. In total, 25 participants will be selected. They may come from one of the following countries: Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Namibia, The Philippines, Russian Federation, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Vietnam and Zambia. The application to the training programme must comprise a team of candidates (two to four), making individual applications and a common proposal for a change project.

Participants should have an academic background and could be found in the government sector within governmental agencies, departments or ministries and/or business and academic sector with the special task to promote economic growth, financing R&D and introducing policies for promoting innovation.

The programme 2009 will have a special focus on innovation systems development regarding the environment, energy and health. This training programme will result in an understanding of strategic learning processes at project, program and policy levels and an insight in practical experiences on how to create good conditions for a closer collaboration between the universities, business sector and politicians.

Closing date for applications is March 31, 2009.

For more information, programme description and application form: http://www.VINNOVA.se/itp/  or http://www.sida.se/  .