UNECE has released a handbook on innovation policies for Central Asian economies
“New innovation policies for countries with economies in transition in the SPECA subregion” - a guide under this title was released by the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
“Innovation – or systematic experimentation with new ideas – is essential for sustainable economic growth and increased competitiveness of the seven UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) countries, i.e. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to achieve sustainable development in accordance with the UN Agenda for the period up to 2030,” the annotation to the publication on the organization’s website says.
In recent decades, SPECA countries have increasingly prioritized innovation to accelerate the transition to a knowledge-based economy and as a tool to address national economic and social challenges.
SPECA countries have worked to develop and strengthen their respective national innovation ecosystems by reforming policies, institutions and processes in research, education and entrepreneurship, while strengthening public sector governance and the framework conditions in which innovation occurs.
The New Innovation Policy for Transition Economies is a set of policies and strategies aimed at promoting innovation and technological progress in transition economies. Policy approaches include, but are not limited to:
encouraging private sector investment in research and development through tax breaks and other financial incentives;
creating innovation networks and clusters to facilitate collaboration between business, universities and research institutes;
strengthening technology transfer mechanisms to encourage innovation and investment.
supporting entrepreneurship and start-up culture by providing training, mentoring and access to funding;
investing in soft infrastructure, education and workforce development to ensure workers have the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the global economy.
The guide is part of UNECE support to SPECA countries to improve their innovation policies and achieve sustainable development through the project “Strengthening innovation policies for SPECA countries in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, carried out jointly with the Economic and Social Commission of the United Nations for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
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