National strategies for science, technology and innovation (STI) serve several functions in government policy making. First, they articulate the government’s vision regarding the contribution of STI to their country’s social and economic development. Second, they set priorities for public investment in STI and identify the focus of government reforms (e.g. funding of university research, evaluation systems). They also mobilise STI actors around specific goals, such as energy, environmental issues or health, and may help steer investments of private actors and increasingly autonomous universities and public research institutes towards priority areas or technologies. Third, the elaboration of these strategies can engage stakeholders (the research community, funding agencies, business, civil society, regional and local governments) in broad consultations that will help building a common vision of the future and facilitate co-ordination within the innovation system.