Project background - to be written.

The project aims to establish the available capacity in the area of Software Technologies in the countries of the South, and the state of cooperation between these countries at the global, regional, sub-regional and bilateral levels.
The study also covers actions by UN organizations to promote south-south cooperation in software technology and the assistance provided by donor organizations within the framework of triangular cooperations to foster such cooperation. Specifically, South-South Cooperation in Software Technology (SSC-ST) related to policy development, human resource development, education, research, trade and export, information system transfer and knowledge sharing will be considered. Lastly, the project will examine the challenges and existing opportunities (especially related to the use of Free and Open-Source Software) for strategic actions towards further SSC-ST-based development and the attainment of other South-South goals.
The project is a part of the South Report Project conducted under the auspices of the Special Unit on South-South Cooperation (SU/SSC) of the UNDP.

Project Objectives:

• Mapping of SSC-ST activities in the areas related to policy development, human resource development, education, research, software production, information system transfer and knowledge sharing.
• Identify countries in the South that could serve as pivotal entities within regions and sub-regions for SSC-ST based on their e-profiles and track-record for SSC.
• Provide a list of research institutions, centers of excellence and other organizations with strong focus on Software Technology.
• Reveal development trends for SSC-ST over time between 2001 and 2006, identifying major challenges and opportunities in regional and inter-regional cooperation in the area of Software Technology.
• Investigate the extent to which SSC-ST features in regional and sub-regional integration efforts within the larger Science and Technology cooperation framework or other specific applications areas such as public administration.
• Investigate opportunities provided by Open Source Software for SSC-ST.
• Provide recommendations on how SSC-ST could be further developed.

Project activities - to be written.

A report covering the finding of the study as described in the Project Description.

A full assessment of the project, which was completed in March 2007, will be carried out in the second half of 2007. However, various exploitation opportunities have been identified beyond the initial objectives, for instance UNU-IIST maintaining the knowledge base of SSC-ST-related information and serving as a reference point for such information within the UN System.

The report was completed and submitted in March 2007.

Project schedule - to be written.

Project Team:

Ojo, Adegboyega (lead)
Basanya, Rilwan
Janowski, Tomasz
Reed, Mike
Tsend, Ganbat

Project Collaborations

The project has closely collaborated with the United Nations Development Program.

Project risks - to be written.

Project conclusions and lessons learnt - to be written.