Capacity-building is defined by the United Nations as the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes, and resources that organizations and communities
need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing world.

An essential ingredient in capacity-building is the transformation that is generated and sustained over time from within; transformation of this kind goes beyond performing tasks to changing mindsets and attitudes.

Goal 17 of the UN SDCs includes targets for capacity-building, including increasing technology and innovation in the least developed countries and improving data collection and monitoring for achieving the SDGs.

Universities, in particular, can serve as centers of capacity-building through research, innovation, and data collection and analysis.