The stage into which the world economy has recently entered is marked by a dual and profound transformation. First: under the impact of a considerably liberalized international market, national and local economies are fast changing into a global economy. Secondly, the importance of each country's traditional production factors has been sharply declining; on the contrary, an ever greater role is being played by each country's economic capacity to produce technological innovations, an ability which is based, on the one hand, on the upswing of free enterprise, and on the production and utilization of knowledge, on the other. Knowledge is thus becoming a vital instrument in concentrating practical activities When tackling major social issues and environmental challenges.