Mapping Research and Innovation in the Republic of Rwanda

Description

The growing complexity of science and innovation systems and the interface with society have been accompanied by a more complex policy environment. This results in a need for better co-ordination and coherence at national level. One of the most crucial factors is the increasingly global nature of the issues with which national policy-makers are confronted. In a whole series of areas, such as the environment, telecommunications, health, energy, education and intellectual property, it no longer makes much sense to construe problems in purely sectoral and national terms. In a world that is becoming daily more interdependent, policy-making is inevitably assuming an increasingly transversal and global dimension. In this context, science, technology and innovation (STI) policy systems have emerged as interconnections between knowledge, values, national and international socio-economic, environmental, technological and organizational components. UNESCO has a long tradition of supporting Member States in policy development. With the convergence of S&T fields, the need to harness science, engineering, technology and innovation (SETI) for human and economic development and the transnational nature of today’s challenges, STI policy processes have become a much more complex undertaking. It is our vision that STI policies are transversal, cross-cutting policies that support and build the structural pillars for sustainable development. Therefore, UNESCO is conscious that monitoring and evaluating the impact of explicit and implicit policies and instruments is part of our work in supporting the design and implementation of STI frameworks in our Member States. Mapping Research and Innovation in the Republic of Rwanda is the fourth in a series of a series of country profiles prepared by the Global Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Instruments (GOàSPIN), a new UNESCO initiative. The GOàSPIN programme is helping Member States to reform and upgrade national science systems and governance, and to build capacity to monitor and evaluate performance through SETI and social indicators. In this way, the scope of standard SETI assessment can be widened, to take into account country-specific contexts, as well as emerging knowledge of technological advances that contribute to sustainable development. Complementing efforts to promote evidence-based SETI policy-making, GOàSPIN offers a good basis for the promotion of scientific and technological foresight studies. Through the GOàSPIN programme, UNESCO’s Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building is working as a standard-setter, assisting in the elaboration of guidelines for SETI policy formulation, review and reforms, including monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes. In this context, scientific advisory systems for governments and parliaments are necessary, as well as the availability of a wide range of scientific assessments to inform policy- and decision-makers and to bridge the gap between science and policy. The Division of Science Policy and Capacity building has been collaborating with the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Rwanda with the support of the Embassy of Sweden in Kigali and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to produce this country profile. Foreword ix Introduction xi Acknowledgments xiii The methodological framework for this series xv Rwanda: mapping the landscape of a small-economy innovation system 1 R&D indicators for Rwanda 85 A scientometric analysis of Rwanda 97 Historical background to SETI policies in Rwanda 123 The SETI policy cycle of Rwanda 135 The analytical content of Rwanda’s SETI policy 139 Analysis of the SETI organizational chart and flows in Rwanda 145 Inventory of the SETI institutions in Rwanda 149 Inventory of Rwanda’s legal framework for SETI 199 Inventory of SETI operational policy instruments in Rwanda 221 SWOT analysis of Rwanda’s research and innovation system 231 References 241 Glossary 251