A challenge of sustaining technology relates to a society’s or an economy’s limits imposed on the usage of technologies. In a society, national level societies face a variety of environmental, economic, and social challenges. A global economy can have various challenges, including energy, resource scarcity, demographic growth, and political unrest. Although most challenges are at the national level, developing countries have significant economic, social, and technological concerns.Developing countries lack access to advanced technologies.The barriers include: poor infrastructure, lack of private capital funding, corruption, poor quality of products and services, lack of training and education, and poverty. Resource constraints reduce economic growth. The challenge of maintaining high levels of economic growth is especially acute in developing countries where improved infrastructure would greatly improve living standards and overall quality of life.One challenge facing societies is how to retain and enhance the advances made in science and technology while reducing costs.The costs include: reduced economic output, higher costs for goods and services, and loss of human life and productivity. Advanced technologies create new economic opportunities and these opportunities need not be available to all. Therefore, public and private sectors must work together to reduce costs and make the most of the opportunities available.The key is to develop a coordinated and flexible public sector strategy to reduce costs and enhance efficiency. In doing so, a mix of technologies needs to be available from different sources to deliver cost savings, while maintaining adequate levels of innovation and technology portfolios. A government research institute can develop a strategic plan based on technology portfolio analysis of public sector technology portfolios. It can also provide technical assistance in the form of information technology consultants and conduct market researches.Researching and developing new, innovative technologies requires finances. The best way to obtain financing is through establishing a partnership between the public sector and private industry. Several projects dealing with the same technologies are usually coordinated by the private sector and funded by the government. Government research institutes also conduct financial sponsorships, scholarships and grants to support research activities focusing on technologies vital to the nation.Another challenge of sustaining technologies relates to human health. Technological innovations have provided us with a number of convenience factors such as electricity, water and telecommunication. However, there is a risk that we may cause too much exposure to these chemicals, which may have unforeseen negative health consequences. In addition, the chemicals may prove to be carcinogenic, teratogenic or toxic. Therefore, the challenge of sustaining these advances poses significant risks to our environment. Steps should be taken to mitigate the risks of exposure and maintain a safe environment.