United Nations Industrial Development Organization Original: English Us/glo/94/009 In-depth Evaluation of Selected Unido Activities on Development and Transfer of Technology

The UNIDO/UNEP NCPC Programme confirms that the methodology on which the CP is built is an effective tool for identification and prioritization of technology changes which yield both environmental and economic benefits. However, the Programme has also confirmed that dissemination and application of the CP concept among SMEs on the basis of its own economic merits does not occur easily, so there is a need to support the dissemination of the concept through promotional (awareness raising, training) activities, policy measures and access to financing. The Programme has contributed to the dissemination and application of the CP concept in the countries supported by the Programme. Its effectiveness can be observed mainly in awareness raising, training of CP assessors, introduction of the CP concept in curricula of educational institutions and, in some countries, integration of CP in the environmental policy framework. Actual impact in terms of environmental and economic benefits at the industry level has been rather modest compared to the potential which exists in the whole industrial sector of the target countries. Given the constraints explained in the report (such as limited access to financing) the technological changes induced by the Programme are primarily in the lower order of complexity and investment so that most of the implemented changes are not spectacular. This is compounded by the fact that majority of the companies supported by the Programme are SMEs. For the same reasons these changes call for limited transfer of technology by industry. The Programme has transferred the CP methodology to the countries supported by the Programme and it also entails transfer of some technical know how to industry and to the NCPCs through external consultants participating in in-plant assessments. It appears that more frequent transfer of technology has occurred among stakeholders within the countries. Access to finance is the critical factor of implementing more complex technology changes with significant transfer of technology. Success at company level depends also on the level of management in the company. The best candidates for CP application are companies introducing or planning to introduce ISO 9000, EMS or ISO 14000, that is the more advanced segment of the SMEs. CP can achieve significant improvement also in highly polluting enterprises which do not belong to this category. However, a certain level of management and financial stability should be a prerequisite for any intervention. Complementing CP advisory services or integrating them with other management advisory services could overcome this problem. Thus, effectiveness and impact of the NCPC Programme could be enhanced if supported by (through integration with) some other UNIDO service modules. However, in order to achieve actual synergy effects it is necessary to ensure that interventions under different UNIDO services are directed towards the same target groups.