Title: Presentation of GRAHN-World’s Innovation Pole of the Greater North of Haiti (PIGraN) – The City of Knowledge [Pôle d’Innovation du Grand Nord – La Cité du Savoir].
Presenters: GRAHN-World in partnership with:
- CIASTH (Congrès des Ingénieurs, Architectes, Scientifiques et Technologues Haïtiens; or Congress of Haitian Engineers, Architects, Scientists and Technologists)
- HAES (Haitian-American Association of Engineers and Scientists)
- AIHC (Association des Ingénieurs Haïtiano-Canadiens; or Association of Haitian-Canadian Engineers)
- ADIHA (Association des Ingénieurs et Scientifiques Haïtiano-Américains; or Association of Haitian-American Engineers and Scientists)
- SHEAB (Society of Haitian Engineers and Architects of Boston)
Overview:
PIGraN is the main campus of ISTEAH, the Institute of Science, Technology, and Advanced Studies of Haiti. ISTEAH was founded by GRAHN-World, the Group for Reflection and Action for a New Haiti.
GRAHN-Monde (or GRAHN-World) was launched in Montreal, Canada, on January 20, 2010, one week after the earthquake. It is a worldwide citizen-watch organization that wants to contribute, through well thought-out actions, to solving the problems of Haiti. It aims to be a nonpartisan civil society movement, focused on the construction of a new Haiti that is founded on the rule of law, on sharing, solidarity, education, respect for the environment, and a strong commitment for the common good. GRAHN-USA is the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt branch of GRAHN-World in the U.S.
GRAHN-World established ISTEAH on January 8, 2013. Dedicated exclusively to graduate studies in Haiti, ISTEAH obtained from the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training the authorization to operate on January 14, 2013, and then, on March 31, 2014, its certificate of accreditation as an institution authorized to confer masters and doctoral degrees. ISTEAH is the first institution ever in Haiti to receive such an accreditation. ISTEAH operates simultaneously on four sites located in Cap-Haïtien, Hinche, Les Cayes, and Port-au-Prince, combining distance learning with face-to-face learning. Today ISTEAH has a student body of nearly 200, recruited following rigorous admission tests. ISTEAH’s motto is: 1,000 Scientists for Haiti in 10 Years.
GRAHN-World opted to build the main campus of ISTEAH in the North of the country, in Génipailler, a rural district of the city of Milot, at about 5 kilometers (3.2 miles) from the Cap-Haïtien airport and city. This primary campus will serve as the nucleus for a larger project titled Innovation Pole of the Greater North (PIGraN) – The City of Knowledge.
An innovation pole is a network of independent enterprises (small, medium and large) linked to institutions of higher education and research, which is active in one or multiple sectors of activity within a specific region. A pole is designed to stimulate innovation activities by promoting intense interactions, the sharing of equipment, knowledge and expertise; thus, a pole effectively contributes to the transfer of technology, and to the networking of the enterprises included in the consortium, as well as the dissemination of information among them. An innovation pole is characterized by its ability to develop solutions that meet the needs of small enterprises, and to support them in their efforts to grow through innovation (technological, organizational, environmental and social).
PIGRaN will consist (1) of the City of Knowledge, whose planning will be done exclusively by ISTEAH, GRAHN-World, and their partners; (2) of the immediate environment of the campus, and its planning will be done in collaboration with the bordering property owners and local authorities; (3) of the surrounding urban community in which the project is integrated, and its planning will be done by the local authorities with the technical support of ISTEAH, GRAHN-World, and their partners; and (4) of the surrounding geographic departments at large (North, Northeast, Northwest, and Artibonite), with which two-way exchanges will be conducted.
PIGraN will work closely with the relevant government ministries, chambers of commerce, businesses and local cooperatives, schools and higher-learning institutions established in the region, thus creating a socio-economic ecosystem that will lead to wealth and job creation in order to reduce poverty. From a steady-state perspective, we estimate that approximately 20,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created from the implementation in the region of ISTEAH’s main campus, as the central component in The Innovation Pole of the Greater North. This number excludes the direct and indirect spinoffs, in terms of job opportunities, that will be generated on ISTEAH’s satellite sites.
GRAHN’s hope is that, as an economic and social development model, PIGraN will pave the way for PIGraS (Innovation Pole of the Greater South) and PIGraC (Innovation Pole of the Greater Centre).
To be sure, GRAHN-World will not be able to achieve this ambitious goal without the significant support of individuals and organizations, both Haitian and friendly to Haiti. For this participation in the 4th Annual Conference of NAHP, GRAHN-World is delighted to collaborate with CIASTH, HAES, AIHC, ADIHA and SHEAB, which are trusted partner organizations.
After completing this session the participant will understand the potential of an unprecedented project to contribute to unleashing positive forces for the long-term development of Haiti and for sustained and sustainable reduction of poverty.
Moderator: Luckner Bayas, P.E., GRAHN-Boston, CIASTH and SHEAB
Participants:
- Ludovic Comeau Jr, Ph.D., GRAHN-USA and GRAHN-World
- Max Massac, P.E., HAES and CIASTH
- Others TBA
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