UNU-INTECH renamed UNU-MERIT

On 1 January 2006, UNU-INTECH formally ceases to exist following its full integration with the former Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology, MERIT, at Maastricht University. The two former institutes have become the Maastricht Economic and social Research and Training centre on Innovation and Technology, UNU-MERIT.

The new website for UNU-MERIT is www.merit.unu.edu.

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Research highlights

The Hydrogen Economy: Which Way Forward for the South?

The hydrogen economy could be just two decades away, but if we do not start today, ten years from now it will still be two decades away (Gabriel F. de Scheemaker, Shell Hydrogen, Tokyo)

A United Nations University international conference on Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Alternatives in the Transport Sector: Issues for Developing Countries took place at UNU-INTECH from 7-9 November 2005. 40 experts drawn from the private sector, research organizations and policymaking institutions in both developed and developing countries assessed the status of hydrogen fuel cell activities and alternative technology applications in the transport sector.
"If the future is still 'hydrogen', countries will need to make some tough decisions now," noted Professor Lynn Mytelka, coordinator of a joint UNU research and capacity building project in this area (with the UNU-Energy and Sustainable Development Programme and UNU-Geothermal Training Programme). This will include making judgements on whether to wait until all pieces of the system are in place or to take action now; how to build a path today that does not compromise change in the future; and how to incorporate a range of options - gasoline, methanol and hydrogen without wasteful investment.
Download conference papers
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4th Amilcar Herrera Annual Public Lecture: Climate Change: A Political Quagmire? NEW: Download full text (PDF 81 Kb)
	This year's lecture was given by Eugene Skolnikoff, Professor of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and outgoing chairman of UNU-INTECH Advisory Board (1997-2005). The lecture focused on the US climate change policy, and why it is such a difficult policy issue to deal with. It was followed by a panel debate on the implications for sustainable development globally.
The panellists (from left ) were: Professor Itaru Yasui, Vice Rector, UNU, Tokyo; Prof. Pim Martens, Director of the International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable Development (ICIS), & Prof. Dr. Ir. Wiebe Bijker, Chair - European Studies on Science and Technology, Faculty of Arts and Culture, Maastricht University; At the extreme right is Prof. Luc Soete, INTECH director

MERIT/UNU-INTECH PhD Programme
Samia Satti Mohamed Nour has successfully defended her PhD thesis on the topic Technological Change and Skill Development in the Arab Gulf Countries. She is the fourth UNU-INTECH student to graduate from the programme.

PhD programme alumni

Other News

UNU-INTECH East Africa hub update
Makerere University ,Uganda, and Alemaya University in Ethiopia are to launch MSc. Graduate Programmes in Agricultural Research Management and Policy to Support Innovation Systems. UNU-INTECH is facilitating a study visit by a three-member team from the two universities to established European programmes. Read More...

UNU at the World Summit on the Information Society
United Nations University hosted three events at the second leg of WSIS, held from 16-18 November in Tunisia. During the Summit, UNU Rector, Professor Hans van Ginkel, announced plans to build a virtual academy to bolster the sustainable development of Africa - a joint initiative with the Borj-Cedria Science and Technology Park. Read press release.

Recent Publications

Measuring Innovation: Making Innovation Surveys Work for Developing Countries. UNU-INTECH Technology Policy Brief 4:1 (December).

Lal, Kaushalesh. 2006. “ICTs and Export Performance: The Case of Garment Manufacturing Enterprises in India ”, in: Maximo Torero and Joachim von Braun (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies for Development and Poverty Reduction: The Potential of Telecommunications , Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 207-233.

Lal, Kaushalesh. 2005. “E-business, Entrepreneurship, Organizational Restructuring: Evidence from Indian Firms,” in: Ashwani Saith and M. Vijayabhaskar (Eds.), ICTs and Indian Economic Development: Economy, Work, Regulation , New Delhi , London : Sage Publications, 366-85.

Gehl Sampath, Padmashree. 2005. Breaking the Fence : Can Patent Rights Deter Biomedical Innovation in “Technology Followers” ? (PDF 275 KB). UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper 2005-10.

Other publications