Annual Report 1993

3 The UNU/IIST Programme

UNU/IIST is for the whole world and focuses on all of the developing countries. Initially UNU/IIST's programmatic activities have occurred within in a widening circle centered in Macau and including the People's Republic of China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, the Phillipines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thus UNU/IIST is not only for China and Macau.

3.1 The Charter

The UNU Council approved, at its February 1993 Session, the UNU/IIST Programme -- which is being strictly adhered to.

UNU/IIST is to serve developing countries in attaining self-reliance in software technology.

UNU/IIST shall help developing countries in:

1. Own development of as advanced and indigenous software as possible -- emphasizing design calculi oriented techniques and tools for:

   1. Application domain (ie. enterprise) modelling,

   2. Requirements capture,

   3. Programming,

   4. Software engineering, and

   5. Software technology management:

2. Graduate university teaching:

   1. Curriculum development -- and:

   2. Research and lecturing inter-dependencies

3. Research:

   1. Its internationalization -- and in areas of:

   2. Application domain modelling,

   3. Requirements capture, and

   4. Programming methodologies.

UNU/IIST currently implements the charter along 5 programmatic activity axes:

1. Joint Advanced Development Projects -- section 7.1

2. Training Workshops -- section 7.2

3. Joint Research -- section 7.3

4. Events -- section 7.4

5. Dissemination -- section 7.5

For 1993 these are covered in section 7.

3.2 The UNU/IIST Approach to Technology Transfer

The main task is `technology transfer'. The approach is, we sincerely believe, not only unique, but also the only viable known.

UNU/IIST technology transfer "up front":

1. UNU/IIST works closely with the targets of the transfer, both in industries, universities and academy research institutes: their staff (software engineers, lecturers, researchers) become fellows at UNU/IIST for periods of from 4-5 to 9-12 months.

2. Not after the technology has already been developed, but already as from the very earliest phases of development.

3. While training the fellows: leading staff of the targets, UNU/IIST actually researches and develops advanced applications, including software and theories -- with the fellows, and

4. UNU/IIST do it across borders, not only north-south, but also south-south: internationally oriented staff and visiting experts from several continents work closely with the fellows.

These are the characteristics needed for evolving software industries, university departments and academy research institutes -- also in developing countries -- to become successful on the international scene. All advanced information technology projects (and sales) are international -- hence experience in advanced R&D projects which involve tight international collaboration is indispensable.

A further important component in most projects is the establishment of Enterprise Models. Such models are indispensable in disaster relief and recovery, in industrial development in developing countries in the context of the environment, in securing balanced introduction of computing for university, for health care system and for railway system operation and management, and in creating new (initially small) industries.

UNU/IIST sincerely believes that this is the way it can best help, both the UN System: UNDP, UNIDO, UNESCO, WHO, &c., the international financial institutions (IBRD, ADB, EBRD, &c.) and especially the emerging industries and software houses, computer science departments and academy research institutes in developing countries.

Annual Report 1993