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8.3
GLOBAL COOPERATION
1
Now, in the 21st century, we’ve seen a new
dynamic that is pushing the boundaries of invention and
innovation – global cooperation. Scientific and technical research
and development is now so complicated and sophisticated that no
one scientist, however brilliant, can know it all. So innovation is
increasingly coming from combining cutting-edge expertise from
diverse scientific fields. Scientists at CERN, for example, have come
together from all over the world to seek answers to questions such
as what the universe is made of and how it started. In this article
we will look at two more examples of this new global phenomenon
that is quietly revolutionising our world.
2
There are now over 8,000 scientific journals
worldwide and it is impossible to be an expert in all areas. Professor
Bob Langer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has made
significant breakthroughs in the field of biomedical engineering
and cancer treatment. But he hasn’t done it on his own. His skill
has been in bringing together truly interdisciplinary teams. He has
worked with experts from around the world in polymer science,
medicine, pharmaceuticals, radiology, neurosurgery, molecular
biology and engineering in a global team to design new polymers*
which can go inside the body, deliver medicines and then dissolve.
Professor Langer is constantly looking for new global collaborators
and experts in different fields.
3
When Cesar Harada heard about the effects of
the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, he quit his dream job
as project leader at MIT and tried to develop a more efficient way
to soak up the oil. But rather than prioritising profit, he decided to
‘open-source’ the design. He shared his own ideas on the web for
free and then got experts from all around the world to contribute
ideas and even donations. He then invited scientists and engineers
to join him in New Orleans, and together they designed a highly
manoeuvrable, flexible boat capable of cleaning large tracts of oil
quickly. This free, not-for-profit way of sharing ideas, and releasing
intellectual property on the internet, meant that innovation
happened very quickly. All they had to do was credit all the inventors
who cooperated. Harada’s ‘open-source’ reciprocity is a new
economic model with global cooperation at its core.
4
Drawing people together from all over the world
and creating synergy is a powerful way of driving innovation. Global
teams with a united purpose building on everyone’s expertise can
collectively do far more than one brilliant individual. The inventor
today is a global collaborator, a sharer, and not a protector of ideas.
With 2.3 billion people online, collaboration and global cooperation
can happen really quickly and it is possible to connect in a more
profound way than ever before.
*polymers = a chemical compound formed from long chains of the same
molecule group
Global cooperat ion
