Terms of Reference

Introduction

The Team of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies (ToS-ICP) is an inter-governmental body of UNECE that annually meets in Geneva. ToS-ICP reports to the UNECE Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships.

Its memberships and sessions are multilateral with the participation not only of UNECE member States but also of representatives of business, academia, the private sector and civil society as well as other international organizations.

ToS-ICP addresses issues related to the creation of a supportive environment for innovation-based development and knowledge-based competitiveness in UNECE member States in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Team’s activities aim at facilitating the exchange of experience, lessons learned and good practices among UNECE member States.

In its work, TOS-ICP responds to the Governments’ needs and requests while taking into account the needs of consumers as well as the academic and business communities.

Areas of work

To support the Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships in achieving its objectives, ToS-ICP engages in the following activities:

• Organizing international policy dialogues on knowledge-based economic development in the UNECE region with the aim of identifying international good practices and policy recommendations on the role of innovation and competitiveness policies to foster sustainable development as well as on selected key issues within the mandate of the Team;
• Preparing synopses of good practices and policy recommendations on the roles of innovation policies to foster sustainable development and selected key issues;
• Broadly disseminating the above good practices and policy recommendations;
• At the request of Governments, carrying out assessments of national innovation systems and policies (“Innovation for Sustainable Development Reviews”) with the aim of providing peer-reviewed policy recommendations to improve national innovation performance and the achievement of sustainable development outcomes;
• At the request of Governments, providing advice on the implementation of policy reforms in selected areas and organizing technical assistance and capacity-building activities on agreed issues.

For a full list of ToS-ICP activities and more information, please consult the below Terms of Reference.