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Global Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Instruments (GO-SPIN)
Training and Resources
Trainings
Training workshops are the first step in the development of the national research and innovation mapping, following the steps involved in participating in GO-SPIN. Since 2012, UNESCO has run several training workshops, primarily in Africa.
In Botswana and Malawi national trainings have also been organized. Furthermore, there have been national consultations and GO-SPIN sessions in Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal.
More workshops are planned for the coming years. Countries are invited to express interest in hosting or participating in one of these workshops.
Information and resources of past trainings
- Uganda Stakeholders receive training on UNESCO Global Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Instruments (GOSPIN), (news article. April 2021)
- Analytical programme (PDF)
- Presentations and Bibliography
- Strengthening science, technology and innovation policy: UNESCO launches ‘GO-SPIN’ in Lao PDR (News article, 21 November 2016)
- Agenda and presentations (pdf)
From 5 to 6 July 2016, a GO-SPIN training workshop was organized in Guatemala City, Guatemala, by the National Secretary of Science and Technology of the Republic of Guatemala (SENACYT), in cooperation with UNESCO’s Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building and UNESCO Office in Guatemala. Participants included Dr Oscar Cobar Pinto, the National Secretary of Science and Technology of Guatemala, Dr Julio Carranza, Director of the UNESCO Office in the country, Dr Hugo Figueroa, Director of Planning at SENACYT; Dr Eduardo Stein, former Vice President of the Republic of Guatemala (2004-2008), and Dr Monica Stein, Dean of Research at the University of Del Valle.
In the two months that followed experts from SENACYT and the National Council of Science and Technology (CONCYT) worked together to complete the GO-SPIN survey, which was the basis of the publication “Mapping Research and Innovation in the state of Guatemala” (vol. 6 of the series GO-SPIN Country Profiles in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy).
- Agenda and presentations (pdf, in Spanish)
- UNESCO presents GO-SPIN survey of science, technology and innovation (News article, 8 November 2012)
- Agenda and presentations
Resources
The Paris Manual will be a standard-setting instrument within GO-SPIN. It will provide guidelines for generating and publishing information related to Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy instruments, STI country reviews, technology intelligence and reports about public and private policies designed to promote innovation. The manual will offer a proposed standard practice for surveys on STI policy instruments, as well as on STI governing bodies and policies. The purpose of the manual will be to define the ontological and epistemological bases of a common paradigm for evaluating STI policies. It will:
- Define the different analytical categories;
- Define common structures for representing national STI organization charts, categories of governmental bodies in STI, assessing institutions, etc.;
- Define a common system of classification for laws, decrees, international agreements and all kinds of legal frameworks related to STI activities;
- Define a common classification system for operational STI policy instruments;
- Develop a methodology for tracking and making more explicit those ‘implicit’ policy instruments that affect the performance of STI worldwide;
- Define the categories of analysis and operational policy instruments for international technical and financial co-operation in STI;
- Define units of policy analysis on national, regional and international scales;
- Suggest a template for elaborating national country assessments on STI policies;
- Suggest a methodology for evaluating STI policy instruments within firms; and
- Prepare a set of recommendations for countries wishing to generate and publish on Internet all their STI policy instruments and the relevant information on their STI policies, including higher education, industrial and environmental policies.
The committee of experts UNESCO has put together to work on the Paris Manual met for the first time at a technical workshop in October 2011 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on STI Policy Instruments, STI Governing Bodies, STI Legal Framework and Policies (Publication, 2014 | PDF)
GO-SPIN: Towards better governance of STI (Publication, 2013 | PDF)
UNESCO´s Global Observatory on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Instruments (GO-SPIN) (Concept paper, 2011 | PDF)
