We are hoping to link up this lunchtime with the Innovation Asia-Pacific Symposium being held in Kathmandu, Nepal, for the first in a series of roundtables events for the STEPS Centre Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto project.

A group of delegates at the symposium in Kathamndu are gathering to discuss a series of questions around rethinking science, technology and development policies.

The New Manifesto project – 40 years after the original Sussex Manifesto was published – seeks to recommend new ways of linking science and innovation to development in order to address dynamic, uncertain global contexts and challenges of environmental sustainability, poverty reduction and social justice.

This event -organised in Nepal by David Grimshaw of Practical Action – is part of the process of bringing together cutting-edge ideas and diverse perspectives from around the world.

And, after a couple of minutes of anticipation, we are live and direct to Kathmandu’s Everest Hotel, via the magic of video conferencing.

Adrian Ely, the convenor of the New Manifesto project and Professor Geoff Oldham, one of the authors of the original Sussex Manifesto, have just given opening addresses from here at SPRU on the Sussex University campus, followed by delegates in Nepal arranging themselves into small groups to discuss the roundtable questions (which I will endevour to make available on our website, so you can have a peak at what people are discussing).

Unfortunately I am unable to link you through to the Nepal event from this blog, but David’s team is collecting video and audio material in Kathmandu, which we will also put on the website as soon as we can. And Practical Action’s webpage for this event is here.