|
SU/TCDC
has the unique responsibility -- and opportunity -- to foster international
development cooperation by promoting maximum possible use of the
TCDC modality. Among the most valuable resources made available
by SU/TCDC for this purpose -- yet still an under-appreciated and
under-utilized UNDP -- is its Information Referral System
for developing countries, known as TCDC-INRES.
INRES
is the most comprehensive database exclusively dedicated to cataloging
and providing instant access -- at the stroke of a computer -- to
training and expert services available in the developing world.
Yet, even after nearly two decades of continuous refining and improvement,
and, most recently, availabilty on desktop computers in over 130
countries throughout the world, INRES remains surprisingly under-utilized
by all but a select group of knowledgeable users.
The
range of organizations targeted by INRES as beneficiaries of the
system spans a wide spectrum of users:
Ø
Businesses, non-profit organizations, individuals and government
agencies in developing countries needing consultancy services or
seeking training opportunities for their staff can easily take advantage
of the massive information maintained in INRES.
Ø
Government ministries, agencies or departments can use INRES to
identify qualified contractors or facilities offering training for
development projects. Indeed, INRES can also serve as an excellent
source of information to developing countries on their own national
institutions' capacities.
Ø
Institutions and the private sector can use INRES to find potential
partners for business ventures or joint research projects.
Ø
Other agencies within the UN System can use INRES, alongdside the
databases they maintain themselves, to identify contractors to participate
in technical cooperation projects. Although INRES at the moment
does not contain the name of individual experts, it contains information
on institutions where experts are available and the specific fields
in which they work.
The
opportunities provided by INRES are made all the more attractive
by a continuous process of upgrading and improvement. INRES was
launched in 1977 with the publication of the "Directory of Services
for Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries". Physical
copies of these directories were distributed from UN headquarters
-- but were marred over time by dated or obsolete information and
data.
As
a result, responding to mandates from the UN General Assembly, INRES
was modernized in 1984 through automation on a mainframe computer.
When this method, in turn, was found to be too centralized and inflexible,
it was replaced by a PC-based system in 1989. Continuing the process
further, INRES was re-thought and revamped yet again in 1993 through
use of the Microsoft Access Data Base management System -- making
the data-base both "user friendly" and suitable for mass dissemination
at the same time.
Last
year, SU/TCDC broke new ground yet again with the creation of "INRES-Lite".
This new PC-based format was distributed in late 1994 to over 350
beneficiaries worldwide, making INRES data available literally,
at the finger-tips of its users. INRES-Lite contains the full set
of the data previously maintained in the main database but is presented
in software known as "Folio Views". Among the attractive features
of the new INRES-Lite include:
Ø
A powerful on-line query capability;
Ø
A multilingual thesaurus making it possible to cross-reference enquiries
instantly in three languages: English, French and Spanish;
Ø
Distribution in a nine-disk package available in two PC environments
-- DOS and Windows -- and working both on stand-alone and local
networks (LAN).
In
the spirit of TCDC itself, INRES is meant to be used by every national
and international organization involved in any degree in the development
field. To encourage the widest possible distribution of INRES-Lite,
the SU/TCDC has ensured that INRES/Lite is free of limitations restricting
the free and open transfer of intellectual property rights (IPR).
In this spirit, all organizations receiving the new INRES-Lite are
encouraged to copy and distribute the software in the widest possible
manner.
The
next wave of the future? To provide world-wide and real-time access
to INRES, preparations have already started to offer access to INRES
on the Internet. Watch this space for further details in the not-too-distant
future!
Meanwhile,
how does the INRES system maintain data that is kept relevent and
up-to-date? Institutions listed on the INRES files are specifically
certified by national governments which guarantee they have adequate
capacity and expertise to offer professional services for technical
cooperation projects. Meanwhile, SU/TCDC head office, together with
UNDP country offices and governmental TCDC focal points, continues
to make significant efforts to bring about qualitative improvements
in the INRES database. This is true not only in terms of institutional
coverage and capacity but also -- of great importance -- the currency
of the data it contains and its relevance to TCDC and to overall
development objectives.
Of
special note is the scope of information which the INRES database
provides. The institutions registered with INRES offer training
and expert services in a variety of specialized fields relevant
to developing countries. INRES provides a broad range of institutions
offering training at different levels -- from graduate and post-graduate
to technical and so on. Further, the data is also classified by
subject areas relevant to development work. In addition, INRES is
further cross-referenced to include professional bodies, learned
societies and other organizations regularly arranging such tailored
training as specialized short courses.
When
it comes to subjects and topics, INRES is contains information on
all appropriate expert services -- including education, research,
industrial and administrative organizations and so on -- and in
both public and private sectors. Further, institutions registered
with INRES include government laboratories, research associations
or research departments within both public and private industry
and, as well, academia and institutions of higher learning.
The
sheer size and scope of the INRES database is itself a source of
value. For example, users can tap information on over 11,000 training
programs and 8,000 experts and consultancy services offered by the
registered institutions. As indicated above, the training and expert
services cover a wide spectrum of fields relevant to developing
countries. To cite a few examples, over 1,300 training programs
are offered in the filed of agriculture, nearly a thousand in health,
over 600 in management, 300 in economic, 300 in environment, 300
technology and so on.
With
all its benefits, the persistent under-utilization of INRES' global
desktop system remains an ongoing source of concern. The usefulness
in tapping its potential is regarded as self-evident by seasoned
development practitioners. Among informed circles, it is well known
that transfers of service and technology offered between developing
country institutions are almost invariably of equal standard --
but significantly lower in cost -- and, equally important, more
'compatable' and hence more easily adaptable to the needs of the
institutions seeking assistance.
For
those not yet convinced, enquiries about INRES are welcomed throughout
the UNDP system at all times. Questions -- or requests for the software
-- may be sent to TCDC focal points, to the UNDP local office, or
to SU/TCDC in New York. One final hint: the more specific the request,
the more focused the response. In the spirit of INRES: the better
the inputs, the better the results.
Top |
