OBJECTIVE:
The CICALICS Academy 2011 is sponsored by Sino-Denmark Center and the Research Center for Technological Innovation, Tsinghua University, one of Key Research Centers in Humanities and Social Sciences accredited by the Ministry of Education of China.

The goal of CICALICS Academy is to provide research training for best doctoral students from China and abroad working on Innovation and Competence Building Systems in the context of China and other developing economies. The CICALICS Academy 2011 will invite leading international scholars to deliver lectures both on frontier research and on methodological issues in the field of innovation. It aims to become a forum at which doctoral students can discuss their thesis work and establish international links with senior and junior scholars.

The Academy will be held from 24 to 30 August 2011 in Tsinghua University, Beijing. During the two days in the middle (August 27 and 28), all participants are invited to attend the CICALICS Workshop 2011 on “Chinese Innovation System in Transition”. The best works by the Academy participants will be selected and invited to present in the workshop.

Among the international scholars that have lectured in CICALICS Academy during the past years were Bengt-Åke Lundvall (Denmark), Sidney Winter (United Sates), Franco Malerba (Italy), Bart Verspagen (The Netherlands), Edward Lorenz (France), and Anthony Arundel (The Netherlands). For CICALICS Academy and Workshop 2011, we expect to have a similar panel of international scholars.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES:
Academic activities include
(1)lecture series delivered by well-known international and Chinese scholars.. Each lecture is followed by open discussions. Focus of lectures will be on new advances in innovation studies, competence building systems and research methodology;
(2)presentations by participating young scholars of their own research work, followed by comments from both senior and junior scholars.

DATE AND DURATION:
Seven Days from August 24, 2011 to August 30 2011.

LOCATION:
Tsinghua University Campus.

WHO SHOULD APPLY:
Doctoral students working on innovation-related topics are highly encouraged to apply for admission to this Academy. First priority will be given to those students who are at dissertation stage and have developed a research question.

It is expected that the admitted students present an original paper/chapter related to their dissertation work or ongoing research in the field of innovation management, innovation systems and economic development. This may include research objectives, analytical framework and method, source of data, as well as potential or achieved results.

HOW TO APPLY:
Perspective applicants should send:
(1) one page of description of dissertation topic or research questions, and
(2) a finished paper or a dissertation chapter (about 15-20 pages in length) with an abstract of no more than 500 English words;
to Dr. Xibao LI (Lixibao@sem.tsinghua.edu.cn), not later than 30 June 2011.

The paper or dissertation chapter is what you will present in the Academy. Senior lecturers who will teach research methodology may take them as input in organizing their lectures.

FEES:
(1)No application or admission fee;
(2)Participants should in principle pay travel cost and local accommodations by themselves. Campus hotel will be available for students. The total cost for local accommodations is around 150 RMB yuan or $25 per day.

SELECTION AND ADMISSION:
Admission decision is based on research excellence. Totally 40 doctoral students will be selected. Admission notice will be sent out not later than 10 July, 2011.

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Anthony Arundel, Benjamin Coriat, Bart Verspagen, Franco Malerba, Maureen McKelvey, Hiro Odagiri have confirmed their contributions to CICALICS 2011 academy lectures.

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CICALICS: the China Innovation Circles and Academy - Learning, Innovation and Competence Systems

Background
The initiative of CICALICS is built upon the experience by academia in Europe and North America. The experience shows that innovation studies can be greatly strengthened when scholars form national and international networks and organise research and training together. The topic of innovation studies has received increasing support from the political level, from policy makers and business managers. But it is not always easy to build innovation studies at the single university and sometimes the scale of the activity is too limited at the single university.

The formations of the network CCC in the US, of EUNETIC-ETIC-DIME in Europe and of DRUID in Denmark have played a crucial role in moving innovation studies into a stronger position in academic studies and, as well, giving better quality for policy advice. One purpose of these initiatives has been to establish meeting places but another major purpose has been research training. In research training a minimum scale of the activity is important to create high quality.
What is CICALICS?
The mission of CICALICS includes the following:

1 Invite a limited number, about 25, of outstanding international innovation scholars to become CICALICS members which form the outer circle.

2 Create an open national-level network of Chinese innovation scholars – and public administrators / policy makers which form the inner circle.

3 Become a new centre for innovation research at School of Economics and Management (SEM), Tsinghua University, which will be the central node in both the inner and outer circle in alliance with the strong groups at other Chinese Universities.

4 The network organises two annual events between late August and early September.

A An annual CICALICS Workshop, connecting both inner and outer circle around some selected topics within innovation research. The workshop normally invites 10-20 international, 40 Chinese scholars and 20 Chinese Ph.Ds. It is sometimes combined with some public lectures on management and policy issues.

The 2011 CICALICS Workshop will be held from 27 to 29 August in Tsinghua University.

B An annual CICALICS Academy, delivering research training to Ph.D. students from China and from abroad as well. CICALICS Academy invites both international and Chinese scholars as lecturers, some of whom would be invited from among the participants in CICALICS Workshop.

The 2011 CICALICS Academy will be held from 24 to 30 August, in Tsinghua University.