The Special Initiative: Final Report
	Towards a Methodology for Mapping and Analysing National Research Systems In Middle and Low Income Countries Explanatory Note The Special Initiative (2006-2009), a sub-project of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge , focuses on the design of an appropriate methodology for understanding research systems in middle and low income countries where this capacity requires major reinforcement. At the 2006 Global Research Seminar, the UNESCO Forum invited Professor Johann Mouton , Director, Centre for Research on Science and Technology (CREST), University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Professor Roland Waast, Emeritus Professor at the Institut pour la Recherche sur le Développment (IRD), France, to undertake this activity in collaboration with regional research teams. http://academic.sun.ac.za/crest/unesco/ ___________________________________

Primary Outcomes These are the Template to map these systems and the methodology which produced this tool, which is described in the document, entitled Project Overview. Background Elements These include 53 national case studies in Africa, the Arab States, Asia/Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean based on a literature search of existing reports, Regional Reports which list major trends, Regional Bibiliographies and an Overall Synthesis Report. The UNESCO Forum expresses appreciation to the project leaders and their colleagues for undertaking this sub-project and hopes that researchers and policy makers interested in arriving at a better understanding of these systems will find the methodology useful. ___________________________________ Contents I. Primary Outcomes - Template - Project Overview II. Background Elements - Synthesis Report - Regional Reports - Country Reports - Regional Bibliographies