The Global Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (GLOBELICS) is an open and diverse community of scholars working on innovation and competence building in the context of economic development. The major purpose of the network is to contribute to building capacity and create a forum for exchange worldwide in the innovation and development research field. It was conceived at the very beginning of the new millennium. Inspired by the work of Christopher Freeman and Richard Nelson, the network was initially built on conversations among scholars in the South and in the North and developed by economists and experts in innovation systems.

Over time, the network has integrated expertise from a wider social science background and experts on broader aspects of development. The network comprises of more than 2000 scholars engaged in research on how innovation and competence building contribute to economic and sustainable development. The network is open and diverse in terms of disciplines, perspectives and research tools. The Network has various events including PhD academies and Conferences. The Conference, which is an annual event is a natural incubator for international research projects and a meeting place where project groups with worldwide participation meet, present and coordinate their research work. The Conference brings together over 300 leading and young scholars from all over the world and aims at building research capacity and orienting research toward the local challenges of the host country.