A Culture of Innovation and the Building of Knowledge Societies

From 09-11-2003 to 11-11-2003 (Russian Federation) 

The International Expert Symposium
Moscow, 9 to 11 November 2003

This international experts' symposium was organised jointly by UNESCO and the Institute of Strategic Innovations. It brought together several participants from throughout the Russian Federation, the international intellectual and decision-making community, and included several high-level guest speakers.
The "culture of innovation" can be described briefly as a series of complex and interrelated economic and governance changes underway in various countries aimed at ensuring systematic and reinforced competitiveness in a global economic environment.

The International Expert Symposium on A Culture of Innovation and the Building of Knowledge Societies brought together leading international experts on innovation and knowledge societies to discuss the challenges societies face in order to stay competitive and innovative at a local, national, and global level. During the last decades, numerous concepts of innovation in business, education, science and technology have been formulated. At its 31st session in October 2001, the UNESCO General Conference unanimously supported an initiative entitled A Culture of Innovation put forward by the Russian Federation and several other countries. Since then, UNESCO has organized in cooperation with the Institute for Strategic Innovations (ISI) a series of reflections on the subject, which resulted in the Moscow symposium and the present book.

"The concept of a Culture of Innovation is strongly linked to the concept of knowledge societies. Innovation essentially implies that creative people who lead economic and social development put knowledge to work. Hence, innovation is knowledge intensive."
Framework for a Culture of Innovation and the Building of Knowledge Societies

"Knowledge societies are about capabilities to identify, produce, process, transform, disseminate and use information to build and apply knowledge for human development. They require an empowering social vision which encompasses plurality, inclusion, solidarity and participation."
Communiqué of the Ministerial Roundtable on “Towards Knowledge Societies”, UNESCO Headquarters, 9 and 10 October 2003