ABSTRACT
In research and development activities in developing countries there exists a major problem which relates to a naive—or even quasi-mystic—concept that once a scientific capacity is built, then a national demand for it will automatically emerge. In science and technology, self-reliance means developing endogenous capacities, delinking of the production with international market and consumption patterns, and gearing it to national demands, new consumption models internally designed to privilege domestic raw materials, product goods and know-how, so avoiding dangers of technological dependence. Technology acquisition, adaptation and development together provide one of the best procedures for building up, promoting and strengthening endogenous scientific capacities, and rendering them in the service of production. The wider use of bio-technology and genetic engineering research for the production of food and energy, the processing of materials and the creation of better means for health care holds a promise for developing countries.
