The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-income to promote inclusive economic growth and social development while protecting the planet. It recognizes the need to mobilize science at multiple levels and across disciplines to gather or create the necessary knowledge and thus lay the foundations for practices, innovations and technologies needed to address global challenges today and in the future.

Science and technology, through research and development, are major contributors to economic growth.

Key facts of how the science and technology importance in Cambodia:

• In 2015, only 15% of Cambodian university graduates were enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) degrees, compared to 23% in Vietnam, 27% in Thailand, and 30 to 40% in Korea, Singapore and China (UNESCO);
• Gross expenditure on research and development in Cambodia is0.12%. In Thailand this figure is 0.62% . Top performers in the region are Korea (4.24%), Japan (3.15%), Singapore (2.18%) and China (2.11%) (UNESCO, 2015)
• Science and technology are essential for the realization of Cambodia’s Rectangular Strategy 4. Priority 1 under Rectangle 1 is “Improving the quality of education, science and technology”. Related priorities under rectangle 2 on economic diversification include: 1) Improving logistics system and enhancing transport, energy and digital connectivity; 2) Developing key and new sources of economic growth; 3) Readiness for digital economy and industrial revolution 4.0