(Executive Summary)

Urgent national and international actions can facilitate the strengthening of national science and technology. The four actions listed below are the initiating measures from which all else would follow; the other recommen-dations in this report - and the coalitions in different parts of the world that would implement them - will largely depend on the success of these urgent actions. As such, they should be undertaken immediately.

1. Strengthen national academies of sciences, engineering, and medicine, and the national S&T communities.
   
2. Mobilize the international S&T community.
   
3. Raise the level of public awareness.
   
4. Protect public goods and define the boundaries of the public/private interface.

New initiatives can help promote indigenous S&T capacity. The following set of recommendations, while not necessarily new to those involved in research and development, are nevertheless novel to much of the public at large. The Study Panel believes that their implementation could well make the difference between success and failure in building indigenous S&T capacity around the globe.

1. Attract, develop, and retain young scientists and engineers.
   
2. Provide S&T education at all levels.
   
3. Build centers of excellence.
   
4. Establish virtual networks of excellence.
   
5. Foster public-private partnerships that involve academia.
   
6. Strengthen links with expatriate scientists and engineers.
   
7. Create and maintain digital libraries.
   
8. Build regional networks of collaboration.
   
9. Devise novel funding mechanisms.

Some well-established measures deserve repeating. Beyond the innovative measures noted above, it is important to keep pushing for the adoption of certain measures that have been regularly discussed but insufficiently acted upon in the past. These include:

1. Develop national plans ('policy for S&T').
   
2. Provide expert scientific inputs to policymaking ('S&T for policy').

S&T-lagging countries urgently require regional and international collaboration. The recommendations advanced in this report are more generally suitable for industrialized nations and for those developing nations that have already achieved some sizeable measures of success in their national educational, training, and research systems. For some of the poorest and the smallest countries, some recommendations may not be feasible. Thus the Study Panel emphasizes that they be pursued on a regional basis for such nations - i.e., in collaboration with neighboring countries - so that a critical mass of scientific capability can be achieved. These least-developed countries merit direct attention in this report in terms of 'South-South' and 'North-South' cooperation and of required commitments from the S&T-advanced and -proficient countries. The agenda for S&T-lagging countries should include the following actions:

1. Identify national S&T goals and priorities.
   
2. Mobilize international expertise for promoting national capabilities in science and technology.
   
3. Orient S&T-capacity needs for achieving national goals.
   
4. Participate in regional or international centers of excellence that address issues of national need.
   
5. Establish mechanisms for S&T advice to government.
   
6. Provide information on S&T resources and issues to the public.
   
7. Upgrade educational programs and institutions.
   
8. Join regional and international S&T training programs.
   
9. Increase S&T career opportunities within the country.

A global 'implementation strategy' can lead to new S&T initiatives. It is essential that this report lead to real action: things really happen on the ground. To that end, the Study Panel proposes that the InterAcademy Council - in consultation with other relevant international and national organizations - develop an 'implementation strategy.' This implementation strategy should identify concrete actions for helping international, national, and local actors bring about reforms and introduce the necessary innovations, including:

1. Monitoring the implementation of programs.
   
2. Promoting action networks.
   
3. Acting as a clearinghouse for knowledge information and communications technology.
   
4. Mining the most useful S&T data, and rendering it more accessible.
   
5. Networking among the academies.

An international conference of financial donors can help develop new mechanisms for increasing S&T capacity in developing nations. Many of the proposals in this report require new or improved international procedures for funding science and technology within the developing nations. Such procedures should be developed by the international community of financial donors. A special kick-off conference of members of that community should be convened to review the proposals contained in this report and, if they agree to them, form a steering committee to develop the mechanisms needed for implementation. Organizations represented should include multilateral institutions, national governments, foundations, the for-profit sector, and nongovernmental organizations.

A better future is within our grasp. It is absolutely necessary for developing nations to strengthen their S&T capacity. And they must do so soon, through their own focused efforts, with help from their friends. Given the currently rapid rate of change in science and technology, there is no time to waste if the majority of humanity is not to suffer further marginalization. We must, by our actions from this day forward, lay down the foundations for better tomorrows, when the benefits of science and technology will reach the traditionally detached, include the excluded, serve the unserved, and give hope to every human being on our planet that he or she too has a chance to live in dignity, comfort, health, and happiness. If we truly believe in our common humanity, we must aim for no less.

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