In 1989, the Council of the United Nations University decided to establish in Macauthe United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology as a research and training centre of the University. UNU-IIST opened its door in 1992 with the blessing of the governments of Portugal, China and Macau, also the initial donors of the institute. As part of the United Nations, the institute was to address the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare by international co-operation, research and advanced training in software technology.
Recent history during the 2000-2010 decade
UNU-IIST positions as both a university and an organ of United Nations. For nearly a generation, it has been committed to providing vital research on critical software systems while mentoring exceptional academics from around the developing world. As the world of information and communication technology has changed immensely over the decades, it has defined a new mission along with a four-year strategic plan in 2010. The plan calls for UNU-IIST to embark on a more dramatic and focused response to the new computing environment and its potential to serve the cause of sustainable development. Eventually, UNU decided to evolve the former IIST into a new Institute on Computing and Society.
Administration
The last Director of UNU-CS was Professor Michael Best. ;Former directors
The Center for Electronic Governance at UNU-IIST is an International Center of Excellence on research and practice in Electronic Governance. Established in 2007, the center has been built upon the contribution of UNU-IIST to the eMacao Project and eMacao Program, a collaborative initiative to build and utilize a foundation for Electronic Government in Macao SAR. Since 2010, it has become an official programme of UNU-IIST. The mission of the Center for Electronic Governance at UNU-IIST is to support governments in developing countries in strategic use of technology to transform the working of public organizations and their relationships with citizens, businesses, civil society, and with one another. Activities at the Center include applied and policy research, capacity building and various forms of development – strategy development, software development, institutional development and development of communities of practice.
Teaching
The Center regularly organizes and conducts schools, seminars, lectures and presentations for government leaders, managers, researchers, educators, etc. on various aspects of Electronic Governance. Various courses and presentation materials from these events are available.
