Science, technology and innovation policy
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Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) is important for socio-economic progress, sustainable development and inclusivity. Typically, national Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies lay down goals, strategies and development plans for STI agencies and governance, R&D, skills and higher education, open source software and open data, investment in strategic sectors, and finance mechanisms. Increasingly, STI policies also engage with development, adaptation and promotion of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, blockchain technology and genetic engineering. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) supports inclusion of STIP within the national development strategy of a country.[1]
Definition[edit]
An STI policy initiative can be defined as “a public action that i) aims to achieve one or several public policy goals in the policy area of science, technology and innovation, ii) is expected to modify or frame the behaviours of actors and stakeholders, being national, domestic or foreign, who are part of or influential on, the national innovation system, and iii) is implemented with a minimum time horizon or on a continuous basis (i.e. not as a one-off “event”).”[2]
Innovation policies can be classified based on certain characteristics. Mission-oriented policies aim at solving specific social issues through Big Science and focus on few technologies, such as aerospace, electronics, and renewable energy. Invention-oriented policies have a narrow focus and concentrate on R&D and invention. The underlying assumption of these policies is that technological development benefits society as a whole. System-oriented policies focus on interaction among different parts of the system and have long been supported by the OECD through the National innovation system.[3] The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, explicitly recognizes the importance of STI in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through national policies and strategies.[4]
History[edit]
J.D. Bernal identified science policy as a key area[5] and pioneered the measurement of R&D efforts in the UK, recommending a major increase in R&D to stimulate economic growth and welfare. In post-war US, science policy was linked with national security, health and economic growth, and emphasized the potential economic impact of investing in science.[6] In the 70s, USSR’s success and technological goals of the Cold War converted science and technology into national issues, with political and economic consequences. As a result, defense and space related research gained broader importance, triggering policy initiatives in specific technological fields.
Since its inception in 1961, the OECD is closely connected with the evolving discourse around STIP. The OECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) was established in 1962. The OECD played a major role in linking STIP with overall economic growth[7], and emphasizing a social and ecological approach to science and technology policy[8]. Recognizing the far-reaching socio-economic impact of STI, it was recommended that “by integrating research and innovation policies more closely with other aspects of public policy, in particular economic and social policy...governments can implement decisions that take into account both the opportunities provided and the constraints imposed by science and technology.”[9] In 1992, the OECD introduced the National innovation system (NIS), which emphasised a systems approach to innovation proposing that flows of technology and information among people, enterprises and institutions are key to the innovative process.[10]
Japan’s interest in technology dates back to 1868 and the Meiji Restoration, after which there was rapid industrialization as advanced technologies were imported from industrialized countries. In the post-war decade, the main objective of the STI policy was to facilitate industrial recovery and stimulate economic growth. In 1956, the Japan Science and Technology Authority was established with the aim of facilitating domestic research capacities, reducing dependence on foreign technology, and strengthening academia-industry linkages. Under the policy guidance of the Council for Science and Technology, the Government began investing heavily into developing indigenous technologies by advancing research capabilities. Aiming at domestic technological breakthroughs and spillover effects, the Government financed a large-scale industrial research and development system, absorbing risks involved and catalysing development of indigenous technologies through private enterprises, universities and national laboratories. This effort paid off in the late 1980s, when Japan caught up with the industrialized countries.[3]
Until the 1980s, attempts to strengthen information technology in Europe had been limited to regional bodies that dealt with specific fields of science and technology including European Southern Laboratory (Astronomy), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the European Space Agency (ESA), and national efforts in European countries like France, the UK and Germany with limited success. The first coordinated effort, European Strategic Programme on Research in Information Technology (ESPRIT) was developed in the early 1980s by the EU. ESPRIT was a response to the rapid development of information technology in the US and Japan and was inspired by the collaborative-style of Japanese technology policy.[11]
In contrast, China relied on the USSR model to develop its national technological capacity through public research institutions and long-term development plans. However, the Cultural Revolution of 1966 was a major set-back for science and technology in China, as public institutions closed down and human capital was lost. After economic liberalization, China pursued a top-down innovation policy characterized by targeted investments in science and technology for economic development. From the late 80s onwards, the Chinese government sought to build domestic industrial capacity through technological development. China also invested in basic scientific research through various national institutions such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (1986) and the National Knowledge Innovation Programme in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (1998). The Torch Programme launched in 1988 incentivized private technology companies, many of which originated from public research institutes. The National Medium-to-Long-term Plan for Science and Technology Development 2006-2020 followed the national innovation system and aimed at making China a global leader in innovation.[12]
International Initiatives[edit]
EC-OECD STIP Compass[edit]
A joint initiative of the European Commission and the OECD that aims to collect quantitative and qualitative data on national trends in STI policy. Its main source of data is countries’ responses to the EC-OECD STI Policy survey. Data is freely accessible following the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).[13]
OECD[edit]
The OECD has a dedicated Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) which facilitates development of evidence-based policy on science, technology and industry. DSTI manages databases to produce internationally comparable statistics and indicators for STIP analysis and leads the development of international statistical standards in STI. [14] DSTI also publishes ‘OECD Reviews of Innovation Policy’ which assesses the innovation systems and role of government of individual OECD member and partner countries, and provides recommendations to improve innovation related policies, including R&D policies.[15] The Committee for Scientific and Technology Policy (CSTP) encourages cooperation among OECD member and partner countries in the field of STIP, to facilitate the achievement of economic, social and scientific aims such as growth and the creation of jobs, sustainable development, improved well-being and advancing knowledge. It encourages the integration of STIP with other aspects of government policy that impact globalized knowledge economies.[16] CSTP established the OECD Working Group on Innovation and Technology Policy (TIP) to provide countries with evidence-based advice for STI policies that, among other things, enhance productivity and foster sustainable, knowledge-driven economic growth.[17]
UNCTAD[edit]
The STI Policy Section, under the UNCTAD Division on Technology and Logistics, carries out policy oriented analyses of innovation, new and emerging technologies and sustainable development, with a particular focus on developing countries through Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Reviews. It also publishes the Technology and Innovation Report, which seeks to address STI issues faced by developing countries.[18]
UNESCO[edit]
UNESCO has assisted Member States on design, monitoring and implementation of STIP as an integral part of national development policies and plans. UNESCO also partnered with international and regional institutions to create political awareness on the role of STI in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It carries out the following functions: providing technical advice on policy development and implementation; setting standards for national policy reforms; and catalysing regional and international cooperation. UNESCO also promotes gender equity in STEM through STIP.[19] UNESCO’s Global Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Instruments (GO-SPIN) tool maps and analyses national STI policies and their implementation. It is an open-access platform used by policy-makers, parliamentarians, universities, knowledge brokers, industry, specialists and the general public.[20]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Technology and Innovation Report 2021, UNCTAD, United Nation, 2021
- ↑ Innovation Policy Platform
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Background Paper: Innovation Policy in Asia, Taeyoung Park and Junyun Kim, ADB, Feb 2020, p. 5
- ↑ United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030
- ↑ J.D. Bernal, The Social Function of Science, 1939
- ↑ Vannevar Bush, Science: The endless frontier, 1945
- ↑ Science, economic growth and government policy,1963, Paris, OECD
- ↑ Science, growth and society, 1971, Paris, OECD
- ↑ Technical Change and Economic Policy, 1980, Paris, OECD
- ↑ National Innovation Systems, Paris, OECD, 1997
- ↑ Assimakopoulos, Dimitris & Rebecca, Piekkari & Macdonald, Stuart,ESPRIT: Europe's Response to US and Japanese Domination in Information Technology, Information Technology Policy: An International History. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199241057.003.0010
- ↑ UN STI Policy Report, UNESCAP, United Nation, 2018
- ↑ The EC-OECD STIP Compass: International Database on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 2021
- ↑ OECD STI statistics
- ↑ OECD Reviews of Innovation Policy
- ↑ OECD CSTP
- ↑ OECD Working Group on Innovation and Technology Policy
- ↑ UNCTAD STI
- ↑ UNESCO STI Policy development
- ↑ GO-SPIN
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