The subsidiary bodies, at their thirty-first sessions, endorsed the two-year rolling programme of work of the Expert Group on Technology Transfer (EGTT) for 2010–2011. This programme of work mandated the EGTT to prepare terms of reference for a report on options for facilitating collaborative research and development (R&D) relevant to environmentally sound technologies. This note presents these terms of reference, including the background, objectives and scope of the work, as well as the approach to organizing it. The EGTT will explore options for facilitating collaborative R&D relevant to environmentally sound technologies at the international, regional and national levels. It will also identify criteria that could be used to support decision-making on the allocation of funding to collaborative R&D activities. The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice may wish to consider and endorse the terms of reference