 Knowledge Economy: The World bank Institute has been supporting India’s efforts to become a knowledge-based economy since 2001 and assisted the National Knowledge Commission in devising a strategy to make India a knowledge engine of the world. WBI undertook a comprehensive knowledge assessment of India using the Knowledge Assessment Methodology that resulted in a report “India and the Knowledge Economy: Leveraging Strengths and Opportunities (2006)”. Since then, WBI has been providing advisory services on the `innovation pillar’ of India’s knowledge economy strategy. This included a regional workshop on Education, Training and the Knowledge Economyin September 2006 in Delhi, attended by about 100 high and mid-level government, private-sector representatives and researchers from across South Asia. WBI also fostered a partnership with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) to strengthen Indo-US collaboration in engineering education. Issues such as innovation and the skills needed to compete better in the global knowledge economy are at the center of this partnership. Read more on WBI’s knowledge for Development Program.  GAIN Business Alliance for Improved Nutrition. The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Bank Institute jointly founded the GAIN Business Alliance. It is a learning and knowledge-sharing platform for companies around the world to see how they can contribute to tackle malnutrition, raise awareness on the issue, discuss common difficulties, and help develop new business models to reach poor consumers with fortified foods - the only of its kind worldwide. It provides networking opportunities and helps to make new business connections. Two hundred companies have joined the Business Alliance since its inception in 2005 in Bejing. Since then local chapters have been launched in China, Africa, North America, and Europe.
At the second Global Forum of the Business Alliance from 22-23 March in New Delhi, the Indian Chapter of the Alliance was launched. The mission of the alliance is to develop innovative new approaches for dealing with the barriers that have traditionally kept affordable fortified food from the market—barriers caused by lack of commitment from government and industry, uneven regulatory and quality control environments, low consumer awareness and understanding of fortified foods, and the absence of clear strategies on covering the additional cost of fortification. GAIN provides financial support and technical expertise and builds alliances with both public and private partners and U.N. agencies. Currently, GAIN reaches 600 million people with food fortification. Its target is to reach 1 billion by the end of 2007
 Frontiers of Infrastructure Finance. This program helps client governments create the proper environment to develop successful and sustainable public-private partnerships and helps design, develop and implement public-private partnership programs. Currently the program focuses on core infrastructure sectors such as energy, water, transport, and telecommunications. Progressively, it will also cover key social sectors such as education, health and housing.
In India, WBI collaborates with the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of India in delivering an annual "Frontiers of Infrastructure Finance" training course. The program provides a forum for sharing and exchange of ideas, experiences, expertise and knowledge across a wide spectrum of participants from across the globe. The key learning take-aways include joint public-private project development, structuring and financing across key infrastructure sectors like power, transportation, water, and urban infrastructure within the context of a corresponsing legislative, regulatory and policy framework. The next course will take place September 10-18, 2007 in Goa. For further information please click here.
Read more about WBI's public-private partnership in infrastructure program
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