19 August 2024 - UNIDO has launched the Industrial Policy Lab (IPL) with support from the Government of the Republic of Korea. This global initiative will assist Member States in different areas of industrial and innovation policymaking. The IPL serves as a platform to facilitate and mediate policy learning processes by engaging key stakeholders in innovation and industrial development. Through the IPL, policymakers and other relevant actors will be able to exchange knowledge, share experiences and collaborate on specific topics and issues at the intersection of industrial and innovation policies.

Three regional pilot projects are currently underway in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean as part of UNIDO’s IPL. Recognizing the increasingly complex landscape that developing countries face in innovation and industrial policy, UNIDO’s IPL emphasizes the crucial role of innovation and industrialization in building resilience against emerging crises such as pandemics and extreme weather events (UNIDO. 2021. “Industrial Development Report 2022: The Future of Industrialization in a Post-Pandemic World.” United Nations Industrial Development Organization. https://www.unido.org/idr2022). These policies are expected to be key drivers of industrialization while promoting sustainable and inclusive development. The renewed relevance of industrial policy, along with the deepening interlinkages between industrial innovation and development in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, cannot be overstated (UNIDO. 2023. “Industrial Development Report 2024: Turning Challenges into Sustainable Solutions: The New Era of Industrial Policy.” United Nations Industrial Development Organization. https://www.unido.org/idr2024). Novel approaches to industrial and innovation policy are essential to closing industrialization gaps. Against this backdrop, three regional, tailored IPL pilots have been introduced in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean to address each region’s specific challenges and opportunities.

In Africa, UNIDO’s IPL held its first consultation with key stakeholders in industrial and innovation policy on 27 August in Pretoria, South Africa. The in-person workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), and the Transformative Innovation Africa Hub (TIAH). The event brought together around 30 participants from South Africa’s government, industry and academia, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and representatives from the donor community at the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Campus. The discussions highlighted that while South Africa has developed coherent and comprehensive industrial and innovation policies, the country has been underperforming over the past decade. The primary focus of the discussion revolved around the causes and possible solutions to the observed deindustrialization in the country. Recommendations included the need for enhanced policy coordination and alignment, improved systems for monitoring and evaluation, and increased engagement with and awareness-raising among politicians who have a stake in industrial and innovation policymaking.

In Asia, IPL was kicked off with a virtual session held on 28 August, bringing together policymakers from developing countries who are currently pursuing postgraduate studies at Korean universities. This initiative, led by UNIDO in partnership with the Science and Technology Policy Institute of the Republic of Korea (STEPI)—which serves as the host of the Asian IPL node—will involve around 20 graduate students from various nationalities, many of whom have backgrounds in industrial or innovation policymaking. Throughout the year, these participants will closely study the industrial and innovation policies of selected Asian countries. The participants’ diverse perspectives and experiences are expected to enrich the policy discussions and exchanges. The programme will emphasize ideation and experimentation in industrial and innovation policy, drawing on the dynamics and experiences of Asian economies, particularly in the Republic of Korea.

For more information, please contact:

Santiago Rodriguez Fernando,
Industrial Policy Officer,
Email