A UNESCO Chair on Science and Innovation Policies is to be established at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest, Romania.

The agreement was signed on 9 July 2012 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the Rector of the National School , Remus Pricopie.

This new UNESCO Chair will serve as a think tank and ‘bridge-builder’ between researchers, trainers, entrepreneurs and policy-makers in areas of science policy, innovation management, science education and communication, futures studies, technology foresight and strategic intelligence.

The Chair will facilitate scientific collaboration with other institutions in Romania and Europe, as well as beyond.

The specific objectives of the Chair are to:

• design postgraduate programmes and short-term courses in futures studies and technology foresight, science governance and management of innovation, while training students, policy makers and managers in these fields;
• carry out, jointly with partners, research on theories underpinning policy- making for science governance and the management of innovation;
•  produce strategic foresight studies relevant to South-East Europe, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea sub-regions, and the Danube region, and disseminate these widely;
• organize joint scientific events (workshops, including on mutual learning, conferences and summer schools) to foster networking and sharing of knowledge and examples of good practice;
• help build capacities for the development of national, regional and inter-regional foresight exercises, notably through the organization of regional foresight exercises for South-East Europe, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea sub-regions;
• develop projects and apply for funding in the country’s priority fields for development and innovation and;
• cooperate closely with UNESCO on relevant programmes and activities.

For details, contact Sonia Bahri in UNESCO’s Science Policy and Reform Section.