UNU-MERIT is a research and training centre of United Nations University (UNU). UNU is an international community of scholars engaged in research, postgraduate training and the dissemination of knowledge aimed at resolving the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare. UNU-MERIT was formally established on following the integration of the former UNU- Institute for New Technologies (INTECH) in Maastricht and the Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology, MERIT. UNU-MERIT is located at, and works in close collaboration with the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands