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The UNCTAD project "Science, Technology and Innovation Parks for sustainable development: building expertise in policy and practice in selected Asian and African countries", funded by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund under the UN Peace and Development Fund, aims to strengthen the policy and operational capacities for implementing STI parks in selected Asian and African countries. This project enables policymakers and practitioners to learn from the successful experiences of other countries, where STI parks have played a key role in technological and industrial advancements and development at regional and national levels.
STI parks which include incubators and accelerators have become important instruments for improving national innovation performance. However, attempts to use STI parks to generate positive socio-economic outcomes often fail to deliver optimal results due to insufficient local capabilities for STI park design, implementation and management. This project addresses these challenges by supporting beneficiary countries in building capacity and sharing best practices, with a focus on developing effective policy frameworks and promoting inclusive approaches.
Important outputs of this project include a Policy Toolkit for STI Park Development, complemented by three technical notes and a capacity-building e-learning module for STI policymaking and practices. The Policy Toolkit, which is under preparation, is designed to capture good practices and policy options identified through the project’s implementation and exchanges among policymakers, STI park practionners and experts. The technical notes provide in-depth analysis of international experiences, challenges in developing countries and policy options for strengthening STI parks, including their roles in national innovation systems, industrial development through clustering and entrepreneurship nurturing. The three published technical notes are:
- Strengthening science, technology and innovation parks in national innovation systems of developing countries (UNCTAD/TCS/DTL/INF/2025/3).
- Strengthening science, technology and innovation parks for industrial development through clustering (UNCTAD/TCS/DTL/INF/2025/5).
- Strengthening science, technology and innovation parks as catalysts for fostering entrepreneurship in developing countries (UNCTAD/TCS/DTL/INF/2025/7).
The side event will discuss the three topics covered respectively in the three recently published technical notes, and provide policymakers and practitioners with practical tools and evidence-based policy options to harness STI parks for development. The event will also provide a platform to discuss lessons learned and highlight policy considerations, particularly addressing the entrepreneurial challenges and perspectives of women and youth.
Target participants
In-person participants: The event targets CSTD member States and participants to the the Intersessional Panel (ISP) of the 29th CSTD. It is open to all approved ISP participants.
Virtual participants: Open to professionals engaged in STI park development or involved in related fields as part of their work.
