On the sidelines of the 2nd Bhutan Economic Forum for Innovative Transformation (BEFIT) Summit 2019, the Asian and Pacific Center for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with the Department of Cottage and Small Industry, Ministry of Economic Affairs, organized a regional workshop on the theme: “Planning and Managing Technology Transfer for Inclusive Development ” from 16th – 18th July 2019.
The workshop was a part of the capacity building efforts of APCTT under the 11th Tranche of the United Nations Development Account project titled: “Evidence-based Innovation Policy for Effective Implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific Region”. The workshop was organized with the objectives of:
- Facilitating sharing of experiences and best practices towards promoting inclusive innovation among APCTT member countries’ policy makers, representatives from cottage industry federations, and related stakeholders on access to technologies, technology transfer & commercialization, and leveraging technologies for productivity gains;
- Deliberating on activities for strengthening cottage and small industries through access to finance, technologies, mentoring and cross-border business partnerships;
- Enhancing the skill and capability of stakeholders to use innovative tools and best practices for efficient technology transfer and commercialization; and
- Developing an action plan for establishing an online platform for facilitating technology transfer for cottage and small industries in Bhutan as an initial pilot.
Members from India, Nepal, and Thailand participated in the workshop.