The Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) initiative was established in 2010, with funding from the U.S. Department of State, to spur economic advancement through science and technology-based innovation in countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.

Consultation

The GIST initiative was formally launched at the inaugural consultative meeting in Alexandria, Egypt (14–15 December 2010), attracting over 100 innovation experts and leaders from 23 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. The event attendees included representatives from government and research institutions, non-government organizations, foundations, and corporations. Over the two days, participants actively explored ways to harness science, technology and innovation capacity to spur economic development, especially in critical sectors such as agriculture, health, energy, and information and communication technologies (ICT). The next consultative meeting, taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (22-23 February 2011) built on the discussions started in Alexandria and identified two key innovation gaps that GIST should address: strengthening entrepreneurship and university-private sector partnerships.

Action

At the in “Economic Development through Science and Technology Innovation” Conference in Rabat, Morocco (16–17 June 2011), GIST launched its action plan and the GIST Network – a virtual platform to connect and support technology entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors.