The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) is a research and training institute of United Nations University based in Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands.

The institute, which collaborates closely with Maastricht University, carries out research and training on a range of social, political and economic factors that drive economic development in a global perspective. Special emphasis is on the process of technological change and innovation, including the governance of science and technology and on factors limiting the access to knowledge; on (public) policy analysis and evaluation; on the social aspects of growth and development, in particular the policy challenges posed by low levels of development including the limitations and possibilities for social security and other social policies; and on the relationship between global development and migration.

Missions

• To research how countries can catch up in the unequal global playing field of the 21st century, without increasing inequality and social exclusion;
• To analyse knowledge flows at the regional and global levels, and their impact on local development, employment and productivity;
• To train specialists who combine a high level of academic scholarship with leadership, in order to strengthen democratic governance in domestic and international organisations.