UNCTAD will set up a network of centres of excellence on science and technology in developing countries, to be funded initially by a US$ 500,000 grant from the government of Italy. The grant was announced in Geneva last week by Italian Ambassador Paolo Bruni at a meeting of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD).
There are currently over 100 science and technology institutions in developing countries that can qualify as centres of excellence. Existing centres of excellence that have made a name for themselves as major sources and conduits for the diffusion of scientific knowledge, and that already possess adequate infrastructure and critical mass in their scientific and technological R&D work, will be selected for inclusion in the network. The idea is to turn them into regional hubs of learning that can pool resources with one another and conduct joint research in areas of importance to developing countries, such as health, agriculture and environment. The network should reverse the negative impact of "brain drain" by producing researchers able to tackle their countries´ development challenges head-on. Ultimately, it should enhance the capacity of developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Also at last week´s Commission meeting, the government of Pakistan offered to finance 20 fellowships for the network, while Austria and the Canton of Geneva pledged additional funding for other UNCTAD projects on ICTs developed within the context of the Commission´s work.
The CSTD has been examining the role of science and technology in the achievement of the MDGs. One of its main findings is that most developing countries are unlikely to meet those goals without significant efforts to build up their R&D capabilities. (For background, see UNCTAD/PRESS/IN/2005/018 of 25 May.)
