Towards a Framework for Conceptualising International Cooperation in Science Technology and Innovation

This paper proposes a framework to identify the various dimensions inherent in the concept of international cooperation in science, technology, and innovation (STI). The study employed two methods to identify an integrative framework where the agency perspectives of international cooperation can be integrated and contrasted. First, surveys of four major international cooperation agencies with an explicit commitment to STI funding were conducted. The study looked at how individual agencies define and classify this type of investment as well as their approach to development and innovation. Second, we distil from the literature two innovative theoretical frameworks that inform international cooperation in STI initiatives. The first approach focuses on the inputs and outputs of innovation, and the second is the Systems of Innovation that emphasises the capabilities and development of actors, institutions, and organisations that participate in national innovation systems. Building upon these two methods, we posit a set of minimum attributes that any STI governance system should have. We also provide a tentative typology of such a system.