Shyama V. Ramani is a Professorial Fellow at the UNU Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT).
Her research focuses on the relationships between technology, innovation and development, drawing on the evolution of biotech sectors in India and Europe as illustrative case studies. Her career has revolved around three core themes: the impact of the national system of innovation on the creation of industrial competence; the use of patent and publications statistics as indicators of competitive position and comparative advantage for investment; and the creation of incentives for cooperation and coordination. Her methodology is varied, ranging from contextual analysis and case studies to the use of game theory for studying strategic problems related to innovation creation. She is currently studying the role of technology and innovation to attain the Millennium Development Goals, and the corporate social responsibility of firms with respect to innovation. Dr. Ramani holds a PhD in Economics from Cornell University, USA. After the tsunami of December 2004, she founded a charity action-research unit ‘Friend in Need’, which aims to improve sanitation coverage in rural India. It is actively supported by the field participation of European and Indian students. This was followed in 2012 by the creation of the non-profit named ‘Sti4change’, which applies innovative technologies and practices to improve the lives of communities at the bottom of the income pyramid.