About Us

The Center for International Science and Technology Policy (CISTP) conducts cutting-edge research on the policy issues that affect science and technology around the world. Center faculty, who teach the M.A. program in International Science and Technology Policy, bring the theories and methods of this research to students who will use these ideas to shape future policies and plans here and abroad. The Center also provides a vehicle for international scholars to bring their ideas to Washington, D.C.

The CISTP is widely recognized for the following five major areas of research and graduate instruction:

Science, Technology, and Innovation Public Policy

The Center focuses on the policy implications of scientific advances and technological development, innovations, especially comparative analyses across countries and regions. The Center's faculty members have been prominent in applying new theories, such as the science of complexity and the analysis of national innovation systems, to innovation policymaking and problems of economic growth and development.

Space Policy

The Space Policy Institute , a division within the Center, concentrates its research and teaching efforts on issues related to the space program of the United States and other countries, including human space flight, space transportation, earth observations from space, and space law.

Technology & Industry Dynamics

A key area of Center research concerns connections between technological advance and industrial structure, tension between cooperation and competition, and relationships among private companies, research universities, governments, and other technological institutions. The latter area includes the study of strategic alliances and networks.

Information Technology

Center researchers study the development of information technologies and their impacts on political decisions and the practice of international affairs.

Evaluation of Research & Development Programs

Center faculty members are international leaders on the methods and application of R&D program evaluation in the United States, Europe and Asia. The Center is a core academic member of the Washington Research Evaluation Network (WREN).