Science, technology and innovation; STI) group is the research group 10 of the Millennium Plan (TF 10 for short). The purpose of setting up TF 10 is to provide comprehensive support for the other nine topic-based research groups. Since science, technology and innovation are the pillars to achieve every Millennium Development Goal, it is hard to imagine the benefits of discussing health and environmental issues without science, technology and innovation policies; Similarly, well-designed science, technology and innovation policies will bring great benefits to education, gender equality (usually related to education or health care) or improving living conditions. In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we need to establish policies and systems that can promote the application of science and technology to each goal.

TF 10 is faced with the problem of how to strengthen science and technology and use science and technology to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The guiding ideology of its work is that a development action framework with science and technology as the core is necessary to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals. Its task is to propose strategies on how science and technology can help achieve each Millennium Development Goal. It should be pointed out that these strategies are not a substitute for other methods, but are used in places highly related to science and technology and are a supplement to other methods. For example, solving the problems of poverty and hunger by promoting economic development.

TF 10 consists of universities and research institutions from the United States, Britain, China, Scotland, Australia, Uruguay and other countries, as well as 18 experts from the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Industrial Development Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. Researcher Hu Qiheng, academician of China Academy of Engineering and vice chairman of China Association for Science and Technology, was invited to become a full member of TF 10. As a domestic consultant outside the project, the author participated in the informal exchange and discussion of TF 10.

In the past six months, TF 10 has carried out the following work: (1) Completed the background report; (2) Cooperate with the Joint Bioethics Center of the University of Toronto, Canada, and conduct research on using gene informatics and biotechnology to serve the Millennium Development Goals; (3) In-depth discussion with the Information and Communication Technology Research Group of UNDP on the role of information and communication technology in promoting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Among them, TF 10' s background report "Science, Technology and Innovation: Challenges and Opportunities for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals" initially puts forward a global action framework for achieving the Millennium Development Goals through scientific and technological innovation. Here is a detailed introduction to the basic ideas and contents of this report.