Established in 1988, the International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS) focuses its activities on the transfer of technology for the benefit of industries in the developing world.

As envisioned by Nobel Prize winner Abdus Salam, who spearheaded the drive for its creation, ICS is designed to serve as an 'applied science' counterpoint to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), which focuses on research and training in the basic sciences, particularly in physics and mathematics.

Technology transfer and management training, which lie at the heart of ICS's mandate, are realized through long-term international and regional projects with partnering institutions, largely from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

To help ensure these projects are well-conceived and well-executed, each year ICS holds around 50 training activities (courses, workshops and meetings) and awards about 20 fellowships.

These activities, which draw more than 1,000 participants annually, are designed to build a strong foundation for the identification and development of project proposals subsequently submitted for funding.

ICS also fosters the development of integrated information systems and advisory services to advance technology transfer efforts in partner countries.

The effort seeks to develop such information technology instruments as databases, expert systems, mathematical and molecular models, and simulations related, for example, to industrial siting, pharmaceutical development and new material design.

ICS, in brief, seeks to apply advanced skills in information technologies to a wide variety of fields that cover pure and applied chemistry; earth, environmental and marine sciences and technologies; advanced technologies; and new materials.

The goal is to encourage industrial innovation among both scientific institutions and small- and medium-sized enterprises that serve as the core client base of ICS.

In addition, ICS collaborates with UNIDO on issues related to technology transfer management by examining such issues as technology foresight, benchmarking, and the forging of business alliances that could help set the stage for economic and industrial cooperation among small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Recent ICS projects, all of which have emphasized issues of critical importance to countries in the developing world, include:

÷ Encouragement of industrial processes that rely on biodegradable material.

÷ Exploration of remediation techniques designed to transform pollutants into benign and potentially useful byproducts.

÷ Development of sustainable coastal zone management strategies.

÷ Assistance for conservation and commercialization of medicinal plants.

÷ Promotion of laser technologies for industrial use.

÷ Development of solar and other renewable energy sources.

ICS is now working closely with its partners:

÷ In Malaysia and South Africa - on initiatives to create centres for computer-aided molecular design.

÷ In Egypt - on development of a register for recording pollutant releases and transfers in an industrial area of Alexandria.

÷In West Africa - on laser applications for monitoring air pollution at industrial sites.

÷In Brazil and Russia - on programmes to improve management of technology transfer efforts.

ICS operates under the aegis of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and receives most of its funding from the Italian government.