The Rio+20 Secretariat's analysis of S&T trends and achievements since the 1992 Earth Summit points to ways of accelerating progress.

Nutritional interventions can improve health, save lives and boost economic growth but only if implemented before the age of two.

Sending students abroad and inviting in foreign institutions are both effective methods for boosting developing world higher education.

A four-step plan to help governments integrate adaptation to climate change into development planning and policy.

Advice for policymakers in southern Africa on how to improve pesticide use and reduce the risks they pose to human health and the environment.

South–South research collaboration can be a powerful strategy for boosting scientific capacity and achieving common goals. But it should not be embraced uncritically, says Athar Osama.

Sue Eckstein reviews existing schemes to build capacity in research ethics in developing countries, which range from sponsored academic degree programmes to tailored courses and one-off meetings.

Ethical review committees are the main way of ensuring that clinical research conforms to ethical standards. But, as Zulfiqar A. Bhutta explains, the work of such committees is severely constrained in many developing countries.