原题：Japan integrates aid and scientific cooperation

　　Japan is the latest country to give scientific cooperation with developing countries a higher profile in its foreign aid policies.

　　日本是最新的一个把对外援助政策中的科学合作提升到了更重要的位置的国家。

　　Last week, a delegation of Japanese science and aid officials arrived in South Africa to begin a tour of several African countries and discuss potential collaboration on research topics, ranging from climate change to nanotechnology.

　　上周，日本科学和援助官员的代表团抵达了南非，从而开始了对7个非洲国家的访问并就研究科研领域的可能合作开展讨论，这些领域包括从气候变化到纳米技术。

　　Akihiko Iwahashi, deputy director general of Japan's science ministry heads the delegation. Speaking in Pretoria at a seminar with representatives of the Southern African Development Community, Iwahashi said that the purpose of the visit was to become "more familiar with African needs, policies and priorities".

　　日本文部科学省的副局长Akihiko Iwahashi率领这个代表团。Iwahashi在比勒陀利亚举行的一场与南非发展界的代表进行的研讨会上说，这次访问的目的是变得“更加熟悉非洲的需求、政策和优先级”。

　　The tour follows an exploratory meeting, the first between African and Japanese ministers of science, held in Tokyo last October. Representatives from 32 African countries attended.

　　在这次访问前，去年10月还在东京召开了一场试探性的会议，这是非洲和日本科学部长之间的首次会议。来自32个非洲国家的代表参加了会议。

　　Science and technology diplomacy

　　科学技术外交

　　Both events are direct outcomes of Japan's decision, taken shortly before the G8 summit meeting in Hokkaido last summer, to use the country's scientific and technological prowess to help achieve foreign policy objectives. Or, to put it another way, to develop skills in 'science and technology diplomacy'.

　　这些活动都是日本的一个决定的直接结果，这一利用该国科学技术实力帮助实现外交政策目标的决定是在去年夏天北海道举行的西方八国峰会之前不久确立的。或者，换句话说，是为了发展“科学技术外交”的技能。

　　Both also demonstrate a welcome recognition that such skills, when applied to aid policy, can only be effective when offered in a spirit of partnership, rather than on terms primarily designed to meet immediate domestic interests (see Can Japan take the 'science for development' baton).

　　这些也都表明了一个令人欢迎的承认，即：这样的技能应用到援助政策的时候，只有在本着合作的精神——而非按照主要为了满足直接的国内利益的条件——的情况下才能见成效（见 日本能够拿起“科学促进发展”的指挥棒吗？）

　　Much of Japan's past efforts to integrate science and technology into aid policy focused on encouraging developing countries to use Japanese technology. Inevitably, a high proportion of the funding ended up with Japanese manufacturers.

　　日本过去把科学技术整合到援助政策的大部分举措把重点放在鼓励发展中国家利用日本的技术方面。不可避免的是，很大一部分资助最终到了日本生产商的手中。

　　Scientific collaboration has a similar history. Japan has long financed its own researchers to undertake joint projects directly relevant to developing countries, particularly in fields where it has a strong track record such as medicine and energy. But it usually required developing country collaborators to raise their own funds. This severely limited work with scientists in countries where research is a low social and political priority.

　　科学合作也有类似的历史。日本长期以来资助国内的科学家开展与发展中国家直接相关的联合项目，特别是在它拥有雄厚基础的领域，诸如医学和能源。但是它常常要求发展中国家的合作者自筹资金。这严重限制了与研究处于社会和政治的低优先级的国家的科学家的合作。

　　Policy of partnership

　　伙伴关系的政策

　　Fortunately Japan now seems to have a new commitment to science and technology diplomacy. Perhaps the clearest evidence is the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development — launched jointly last year by the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

　　幸运的是，日本如今似乎对科学技术外交有了新的承诺。或许最明显的证据就是“科学技术研究伙伴关系促进可持续发展”项目。该项目是去年由日本科学技术振兴机构（JST）和日本国际协力机构（JICA）联合启动的。

　　Under the scheme, JST continues to organise and finance Japanese researchers' participation in joint projects. But, for the first time, JICA is funding participation from research institutions within developing countries, acknowledging that such support is important for capacity building.

　　根据这一方案，JST继续组织和资助日本科学家参与联合项目，但是JICA首次资助发展中国家研究机构的参与，承认了这种支持对于能力建设至关重要。

　　At the end of last year, the scheme approved funding for 12 research projects, covering disease control, food and security, and environmental protection. A second set of award winners is due to be announced shortly.

　　在去年年底，该项目批准了12个研究项目的资助，包括疾病控制、粮食和安全，以及环境保护。第二组获奖者将在不久内公布。

　　In a further contrast to earlier efforts, officials in Tokyo emphasise that each project aims to reinforce developing countries' research capacity for finding their own solutions to problems, as well as produce useful results.

　　与早先的举措形成更鲜明对比的是，东京的官员强调每一个项目的目标是加强发展中国家用于找到它们自己的问题解决方案的研究能力，并产生有用的成果。

　　Caution and caveats

　　警告和告诫

　　But the new scheme has not been without teething problems. Japanese universities remain cautious about committing to activities that lie outside the normal grant procedures, or that do not promise an obvious return for Japanese taxpayers.

　　但是这个新方案并非没有初始的问题。日本大学仍然对于从事正常资助程序之外、或者没有承诺对日本的纳税人有明显回报的活动保持谨慎。

　　And JICA officials are more experienced with funding large-scale infrastructure projects. They admit the agency is ill-equipped to judge the scientific value of projects submitted by research organisations in the developing world, or to negotiate complex ethical requirements, for example those needed to carry out clinical trials (which, as a result, are not included in the scheme).

　　而且JICA的官员对资助大型基础建设项目更有经验。他们承认，在判断发展中国家的科研组织提交的项目的科学价值方面，或者商谈复杂的伦理要求（例如那些需要进行临床研究的项目）方面，该机构的能力不足（其结果是临床研究项目没有纳入该方案）。

　　There is clearly much more that could be done. While the Japanese government has doubled its support for the scheme from 2008, this is still considerably less than the support countries like Sweden or the United Kingdom give similar activities.

　　很明显还有很多事可做。尽管日本政府从2008年起把对该项目的支持加倍，这仍然比从事类似活动的援助国——如瑞典或英国——少很多。

　　And communication activities are being given relatively little support. Such activities are important in increasing public awareness and getting policymakers to take up research results. Without them, the impact of the JST/JICA sponsored research will be inevitably limited.

　　而且传播活动获得的支持相对很少。这样的活动对于提升公众意识和让决策者采纳研究成果至关重要。缺少了它们，JST/JICA资助的研究的影响力将不可避免地受到限制。

　　Still, judging from the enthusiasm expressed both at the Tokyo meeting last October, and in Southern Africa last week, Japan's new willingness to go for partnership over top-down directives is pressing the right buttons in Africa.

　　然而，从去年10月东京会议和上周南部非洲的会议上表达的热情判断，日本的按照高层指示寻求伙伴关系的新意愿在非洲确实是正确的行动。

　　David Dickson

　　科学与发展网络（SciDev.Net）主任

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