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Science & Innovation Policy

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Developing countries are increasingly recognising the importance of science in developing their economies, and the challenges that entails.

International bodies

Displaying 1-20 of 69 links

Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research

The Alliance is an initiative of the Global Forum for Health Research in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and has 310 members in over 70 developing countries. Concerned with the effectiveness of health policy and systems research, the Alliance recognises that health systems currently vary greatly in their performance. It considers that there is an urgent need to improve understanding about how societies organise themselves to achieve health goals, including how they plan, manage and finance activities to improve health, the roles played by different actors in these efforts, and the need to provide scientifically sound, socially relevant and ethically acceptable guidance. The site links to a number of useful resources, including relevant reports, the online international journal for equity in health and online tutorials.

Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The CGRFA is a permanent forum of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, where governments discuss and negotiate matters relevant to genetic resources for food and agriculture. Originally established in 1983, the forum aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable utilisation of genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use.

Conservation International

Conservation International is a US-based group set up in 1987 to work on habitat conservation and community participation in Bolivia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Later that year it also launched the world’s first debt-for-nature swap. Conservation International is a major player in world biodiversity science and politics and has convinced a number of governments to set aside land as protected areas, and was among the first groups to adopt the ‘hotspots’ concept of protecting areas with large numbers of threatened species. Together with the Ford Foundation, CI has set up the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, which promotes business practices that reduce industry’s ecological footprint and contribute to conservation.

Consortium on Science, Technology and Innovation for the South (COSTIS) (formerly Third World Network of Scientific Organisations (TWNSO))

An international NGO, TWNSO was founded at the initiative of the Third World Academy of Sciences by ministers of science and technology and higher education and heads of science academies and research councils in developing countries to promote science-based sustainable economic development.

Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences

This site is a useful source of information about CIOMS, which is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation established jointly by the WHO and UNESCO in 1949. CIOMS has contributed to the field of bioethics by issuing international guidelines for the application of ethical principles in various key areas. Copies of CIOMS publications and guidance are available on the website.

Earth Negotiations Bulletin

An authoritative and comprehensive newsletter covering meetings of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification – as well as all other meetings of UN environment and development-related conventions. ENB writers have high-level access to all meetings and to UN officials, which makes ENB a must-read by experts in the field. It is the best way to follow a meeting without attending it in person. The site also contains links to newsletters covering the latest developments in water, climate change, forests and multilateral environmental agreements.

Economic Commission for Africa

The ECA helps African governments develop policies for economic and social development, including enhancing the role of science and technology. It carries out policy research, disseminates information, promotes co-operation and offers policy advice to different stakeholders. It also runs a collaborative policy research network — the ECA Science and Technology Network — promoting the dissemination and exchange of information on science and technology management and policy issues in Africa.

Entrepreneurship

This website hosts information and research data on entrepreneurial activity as part of the World Bank's Development Research Program on finance and private sector research.

It links to research and reports on entrepreneurship as well as presentations and upcoming conferences. The website also publishes the World Bank Group Entrepreneurship Surveys that provide data on entrepreneurial activity — such as number of newly registered businesses — for over 100 developing and industrial countries from 2000–2007.

European-Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Programme

Under its Framework Six funding programme, this new European Union initiative aims to translate medical research results into clinical trials in developing countries, particularly in Africa. The first move is to provide 200 million Euros for the development of new medicines and vaccines for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The website contains a general outline of this scheme and information about its projects.

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

This foundation's mission is to reduce malnutrition through food fortification. It focuses on providing supplements — such as iodised salt — and healthy food to malnourished populations. The website includes downloadable fact sheets of GAIN's programmes around the world and overviews of vitamins and nutrient deficiencies.

The organisation targets vulnerable groups such as young children, pregnant women, people with infectious diseases, remote rural populations, or refugees. GAIN takes a business-minded approach to funding better nutrition, pooling its money with financial institutions, not-for-profit global venture funds and venture capitalists to encourage local businesses to develop new products, distribution channels and marketing approaches.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility is an international, government-funded initiative focused on providing free and open access to biodiversity data online for scientific research, conservation and sustainable development.

The website provides an Internet-based index of primary biodiversity data, such as museum specimens and field observations of plants and animals in nature; community-developed tools for formatting and sharing data; and capacity building through training, including access to international experts and mentoring programmes. The website links to relevant reports and news, and publishes information in different languages including English, Chinese and Korean.

Global Forum for Health Research

The Global Forum was set up as an independent international foundation in 1998 to help correct the 10/90 gap (only 10 per cent of funding for health R&D is used for research into 90 per cent of the world's health problems). It aims to focus research efforts on diseases representing the heaviest burden on the world's health, and to facilitate collaboration between partners in both the public and private sectors.

Global Forum for Health Research

The Global Forum for Health Research provides evidence, tools and discussion forums for decision-makers in research funding and policy to improve the health of the poor. Although it covers issues for both infectious and non-communicable diseases, the agency recognises that mental health problems are severely neglected in developing countries. As well as links to various publications and reports, the website also hosts RealHealthNews, which aims to share news on research and interventions that can improve the health of those in developing countries.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The International Atomic Energy Agency, an independent UN organisation, works with member states to promote the safe, secure and peaceful development of nuclear technology. The website outlines the organisation's five key areas of work which include helping countries to use nuclear technology for sustainable development, building capacity in energy planning, and providing a framework to protect people's health against radiation. It also signposts relevant resources such as reports, conferences and research laboratories.

International Center for Research on Women

The ICRW is a US/India-based non-profit organisation that is engaged in policy, advocacy, technical support and research on women's issues. Its website has a special section on HIV and development.

International Centre for Theoretical Physics

The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics is a research centre based in Trieste, Italy. It offers scientists from developing countries the opportunity to pursue research in physics, methematics, and related fields. Other than its research activities, the centre hosts training courses, workshops, conferences and topical meetings. ICTP operates under the aegis of two United Nations bodies, UNESCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

The ICTSD is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organisation aimed at improving dialogue and understanding about trade and sustainable development.  It works with a broad network of organisations, publishing information on and hosting events to discuss intellectual property rights, agriculture and environmental issues.

The ICTSD publishes a monthly review, Bridges, that contains information and analysis of international developments in the global trade debate.

International Council for Science

ICSU is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1931 that brings together natural scientists in international scientific endeavour. Its membership comprises 101 multi-disciplinary national science academies and research councils, and 27 international single-discipline science unions. The council uses this broad range of expertise to create international inter-disciplinary programmes. It also organises international meetings such as the World Summit on Information Society, and offers a number of grants.

International Environmental Law Research Centre

IELRC is an independent, non-profit research organisation based in Geneva that focuses on international and comparative environmental law issues, particularly in India and East Africa. The centre seeks to promote sustainable patterns of world development through collaborative research, policy studies, teaching, consensus building and public information, and includes programmes on biodiversity, climate change and intellectual property.

International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme

IGBP is an international organisation that brings individual research projects on earth systems sciences together into international collaborations, when an integrative approach is best suited to the study. The programme's activities include: developing common international frameworks for collaborative research; promoting standardised methodologies; and forming research networks. IGBP is funded primarily by national contributions.
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