The United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) and based in the city of Guimarães, north of Portugal, is a think tank dedicated to Electronic Governance; a core centre of research, advisory services and training; a bridge between research and public policies; an innovation enhancer; a solid partner within the UN system and its Member States with a particular focus on sustainable development, social inclusion and active citizenship. UNU-EGOV strives to cement its role as an international reference of excellence in this area, bringing together multidisciplinary and multicultural teams around complex problems and emerging challenges.

The UNU is headquartered in Tokyo and is composed of several Institutes and Programmes located in more than 12 countries. It was established in 1972 by decision of the UN General Assembly to contribute, through collaborative research and education, dissemination, and advisory services, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States. It is a common goal of both UNU-EGOV and the Portuguese Republic to make this Operating Unit the next Institute of UNU.