expected outputs

1. Stakeholders identified.

Identification of stakeholders with interest in participating in innovative modalities of partnerships involving use of exchanges, courses for professional updating, and information and communication facilities.

2. Potential supply and demand identified.

Identification of potential supply and demand for courses of two-four weeks’ duration to update knowledge and skills of professionals and entrepreneurs in the substantive areas of focus with origin in Canada as well as the Andean region and Latin America.

3. Technical specifications for a Portal.

Technical specifications, options, modalities, and components of a system to alert and inform about current or future activities to be conducted by Canadian and institutions and persons from the region, and their potential for diverse North-South partnership options.

4. Design for an Exchange Program.

Assessment of the viability of self-financed and self-sustaining exchanges supported by a community-based infrastructure, for professionals, businesspersons, academics, and policy makers interested in their professional updating, conduct market explorations, or explore hard and soft technology transfer. Complementary support in terms of information and capacity-building services, which would be made available through other products or components of the overall program, will be given special attention.

5. Strategy for on-line cost recovery.

Identification and assessment of modalities for on-line cost recovery corresponding to delivery of courses, selling of publications, documents, and accessing to data basis. The strategy will propose steps to be taken at the short, medium and long term, and mechanisms and means to be implemented at each step.

6. One or more proposals.

One or more proposals developed on the basis of consultations with current and potential partners, and on findings of the pilot project and on the experience in designing the products and services described above. These proposals will be submitted to potential funding agencies, with a view to institutionalizing mechanisms that support innovative Latin American-Andean-Canadian (North-South) partnerships, and prototypes and/or design specifications for the following products and services:

• Latin American-Andean-Canadian portal
   
• Latin America-Andean-Canadian exchange program
   
• Short-term training courses for interactive on-line delivery
   
• On-line cost recovery for training and document delivery