Stronger policy links, collaboration urged in global competition to improve R&D outcomes

Countries need to be wary of cutting expenditures on science, technology and innovation (STI) in the name of fiscal belt tightening, says a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2010 report reveals that the rate of growth in STI spending by OECD member countries has slowed from 4% in recent years to 3.1% in 2008, although countries such as Germany, Korea, Sweden and the US have enhanced public research spending in the face of the fiscal downturn.

The OECD recommends that member nations "carefully consider the long-term impact of spending cuts on science and technology", noting that there is a "need to increase the efficiency of this spending". It make several recommendations on ways to improve policy, governance and access to STI, adding that "a number of key issues need tackling urgently". These include:

* Building a shared system for governance of international S&T cooperation to address challenges such as climate change;

* Improving policy support at different stages of the innovation value chain from basic research to entrepreneurship;

* Improving access to public research data and upgrading information and communications technology infrastructure; and,

* Coordinating policy at the regional, national and international levels.

The report examines STI trends and developments in all the OECD nations as well as those of the so-called emerging BRIICS nations: Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa. In the latter category, it notes that China's gross expenditures on R&D have risen from 5% of the OECD total in 2001 to 13.1% in 2008. Russia's now equals 2.2% of the OECD total.

The OECD notes that Canada has strong human resources in S&T, a high level of tertiary graduates in the workforce, above average number of scientific articles and sound linkages and collaboration. But Canada does not fare as well with other metrics. Most notably R&D spending as a percentage of GDP, has dropped from 2.1% in 2005 to 1.7% in 2008. Triadic patents are about half the OECD average and industry's share of GERD fell from 50% in 2004 to 48% in 2008.

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