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Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development

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    • Partnerships between BOTH THE public and THE private sector, A KEY ISSUE FOR DEVELOPMENT
      • Using the methods of Louis Pasteur to encourage cooperation between various actors - William C. CLARK

Using the methods of Louis Pasteur to encourage cooperation between various actors - William C. CLARK

There are numerous instances of the need to better direct fundamental research towards potential uses for satisfying human needs. To succeed, it is essential to create links between researchers and the various organisations working in different countries on the same subjects.

For the work we have to do, we are fortunate in being able to rely on fundamental research. We can also turn to purely applied research leading to important products, as the exceptionally striking example of Thomas Edison has demonstrated. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of directing fundamental research towards its potential uses; this is what Louis Pasteur did in his time. But this is a method that explores the most fundamental aspects to harness them to the needs of the human race, without ceasing to engage in research. This type of action must be supported by strong moral principles in order to continue to be meaningful. Louis Pasteur led us along that road and the verdict of history has been in his favour.

To succeed in the same way nowadays, it is essential to create links between various organisations working on the same lines in different countries.

In fact, the two universes of fundamental and applied research differ, and it is not an easy matter to get them to speak to each other. Knowledge must be translated into reality. Another difficulty today is the fragility of the organisations able to do such work; they can be subjected to pressures that orient their applications in a certain direction. Fortunately, there are some bodies who can maintain a balance, such as the Institut Pasteur, or the Tyndall Centre in the United Kingdom.

The challenge is to find a way of following in Pasteur's footsteps, by empowering users in the process of research and development. Of course, the objective is to create precise knowledge, but principally to relate knowledge to action, that is, the use to which it is put. To encourage that process, one cannot but repeat over and again that the few organisations that do that must be supported preferentially. One solution would be to mobilise private and public sector partnerships and give them stable financial resources.