The Board of the InterAcademy Council (IAC), at its first meeting in January 2001, decided that its highest priority issue would be the building of greatly increased capacity in science and technology throughout all regions of the world. The underlying premise is that all nations and societies will continue to face many challenges that require the application of up-to-date scientific knowledge and technology for their resolution. Although aware that many other organizations are also deeply concerned with this issue, the IAC Board considered science and technology capacity building to be of such an overarching global importance that it needed to bring the IAC's unique perspectives to bear on the task.

The IAC Board invited the member academies of the 90-nation InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP) to nominate candidates for performing a study on capacity building; and in fall 2001 the IAC Board appointed a Study Panel on Promoting Worldwide Science and Technology Capacities for the 21st Century. Composed of co-chairs Ismail Serageldin of Egypt and Jacob Palis of Brazil plus 10 other distinguished members, the Panel's personal experience in scientific capacity building spans all regions of the world and many scientific disciplines. Its charge was to develop a global strategy for promoting capacities in science and technol-ogy as a report from the InterAcademy Council.

The document that follows is the result. First written in draft form, the final report incorporates the Panel's response to an extensive external review process that involved 27 experts plus two distinguished scientists who served as review monitors. We thank all of the Panel members, reviewers, and monitors who contrib-uted to this important effort. Special appreciation is due to the Panel's co-chairs, who put much time and devo-tion into ensuring that the final product would make a difference. The InterAcademy Council also gratefully acknowledges the leadership exhibited by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation of New York, which provided the financial support for this study and its dissemination.

The IAC Board is committed to help guide the follow-up efforts that will be required to implement this report's many recommendations. Thus, the publication of this report represents only the first step by the InterAcademy Council in the critical effort to strengthen capacities in science and technology throughout the world.

Bruce ALBERTS
President, U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Co-Chair, InterAcademy Council

Goverdhan MEHTA
Former President, Indian National Science Academy
Co-Chair, InterAcademy Council

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