An international workshop on “Global South in the Age of Digital Revolution: Innovation and Capabilities Development” was held on 6th June 2023. This event, organised by the Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD) at the University of Oxford, was a hybrid meeting that was attended by 17,000 people worldwide.

Professor Christopher Adam, acting Head of the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID) at the University of Oxford, chaired the workshop. He delivered the opening remarks and warmly welcomed the participants who were attending the event in-person and online. Professor Xiaolan Fu, Director of TMCD, then introduced the context of the workshop, noting that the current digital revolution presented significant opportunities, but also significant challenges, for the Global South. This workshop was designed to contribute to discussions on how the Global South could develop innovation and technological capabilities to catch-up and benefit from this wave of digital revolution. 

Professor Bengt-Åke Lundvall, Emeritus Professor in Economics at Aalborg University Business School, then made a presentation, entitled "Tech Giants as Corporate Innovation Systems and the Need for a New World Order”. He explained how the ‘tech giants’ harvest global knowledge through their corporate innovation systems, and recommended that the Global South build stronger national innovation systems and join forces to change the new international economic order. He further explained how regional collaborations within the Global South could aid national development, and take advantage of the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI). In conclusion, Professor Lundvall emphasized the crucial role of the United Nations, as a platform for transformative knowledge sharing and addressing global issues, in helping the Global South build stronger national innovation systems.

Professor Xiaolan Fu then presented a study entitled "Innovation in the Platform Economy: The Case of Tencent". This research, part of the TMCD's Innovation and Catch-up in Platform Economy (ICPE) project, is an in-depth exploration of Chinese internet giant Tencent and its innovation capabilities development. This study began in 2021 and is due to be completed by the end of 2023. It employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Professor Fu presented some interim findings, highlighting the impact of intrafirm coopetition, incentives and internal mobility, and the digitalization of human resource management on promoting employee innovation performance. She concluded her presentation by discussing several managerial and policy implications from the case study that could inform how firms in the Global South might enhance their innovation performance in the digital era.

Dr. Ling Ge, the General Manager and Chief European Representative at Tencent, then shared her thoughts following the academic presentations. She outlined Tencent's approach to investing in start-ups that could help expand its ecosystem. This is based on three key principles: a long-term horizon, a hands-off approach to maintain investees' independence, and mutual respect and trust. She also shared Tencent's stance on AI, emphasizing that it must be safe, secure, and ethical. Dr. Ge concluded her remarks by raising an important question for discussion: How can we ensure that people all around the world benefit from breakthroughs in AI and technological innovation?

During the Q&A session that followed, speakers engaged in discussions with participants online and in the seminar room. Professor Adam then delivered the closing remarks. He concluded the event by thanking the audience for attending, the guest presenters for their valuable and insightful contributions, and the team that had organised the workshop. 

Please find the recorded video of this workshop here 

Please find slides for this workshop here