of the nonprofit research institutes in both the 

 developed and developing countries. It is said to be 

 underfinanced and constrained from full effectiveness 

 by other limitations. 



We propose that the United states support the 

 creation of a formal international association of 

 developing nation industrial research organizations. 

 The activities of such a network, which conceivably 

 could be related to or within WAITRO, could include 

 regular meetings of managers of developing country 

 research institutes, and exchanges of personnel, 

 cooperation on joint projects, technical meetings, 

 specialized organizations, and similar activities. The 

 association would need a small staff to help plan 

 activities, manage information services, and help raise 

 financing for association activities. It might 

 possibly be linked with programs of the United Nations 

 University. 



Such an association might also stimulate the 

 development of more specialized groupings of individual 

 research institutions within a country or among 

 developing nations. Networking of this sort might take 

 place within specific subject areas, as has been the 

 case among the agricultural research institutes. 



Initiative 7. Develop a "Technology Corps" 



The U.S. International Executive Service Corps 

 (I ESC) , a program with more than a decade of 

 accomplishment partially financed by the U.S. 

 government, sends experienced, retired U.S. executives, 

 including technical managers, to developing nations to 

 help local firms (predominantly small to medium-sized 

 businesses) solve managerial problems at less than 

 standard consulting costs. These consultants usually 

 stay for about 6 days. At UNCTAD IV, the United 

 States proposed a similar initiative that would send 

 experienced engineers and consultants abroad in mid- 

 career to stay as long as a year or more. A recent 

 feasibility study suggests that this proposal could be 

 pursued most effectively by incorporating the new 

 dimensions within IESC. 



We endorse this proposal and recommend that the 

 United states renew its support in the context of the 

 1979 Conference if the feasibility factors such as 

 those noted below can be worked out with IESC. The 

 proposed broadening of professional services could 

 prove a valuable additional resource to industrial 

 firms, including state-owned industries, in the 

 developing nations. Conversely, U.S. participants 

 would learn more about what could be done to adapt 



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