This chapter introduces the overall context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the on-going cooperative frameworks and the triple helix approach with the support of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). These are devoted to accelerate the implementation of further collaboration between medical schools in both North and South of the Mediterranean area. Three important players are identified in each region. These include the medical school, the public authority, and the business related to healthcare. These players from North and South can engage in specific areas that are education, research, and development, before the identification of means and incentives to be further devoted to attract medical doctors. These collaborations follow the trends developed by international organizations, mainly the WHO. The most important conclusions attained in the previous chapters of the present book are also summarized in the present chapter.
TopLiterature Review
This literature review looks at the most important features that relate to knowledge production and diffusion as facilitated by the global cooperative frameworks and the support of the triple helix model and by ICTs. Applications are mainly referring to the economies of some MENA countries.
As recently suggested by the participants to the Global Health Interest Group of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the strengthening of mechanisms to prioritize, coordinate, finance, and execute R&D to Meet Health Needs in Developing Countries, is a priority (Hotez, Cohen, Mimura, Yamada & Hoffman, 2013). This is a follow-up to the WHO affiliated consultative group on R&D. The IOM group recognizes the necessity of accounting for market failures when addressing the issues related to many diseases and health issues. They also recognize that targeted R&D is the response to advancing global health issues.
The WHO Executive Board (2013) has also urged member states to strengthen R&D in health, to promote capacity building and monitoring of health research and development.
This is introduced first as an overview followed by series of applications before focusing on its use for both global and local development in some MENA countries.
Promising frameworks have been developed to ensure that different players can have benefits from economic and social activities with high levels of interdependencies. Among these frameworks, the triple helix model constitutes an interesting model that accounts for interactions and ensures coordination of tasks. This chapter focuses on the elements of the framework but also on its applications. A special focus is placed on knowledge diffusion in MENA countries. The usefulness of the triple helix coordinating process is clearly shown to be a way of accelerating research and development in the area of health. Further requirements of coordination under this model needs further use of ICTs tools.