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During the Cold War, science and technology were on the front line developing high-tech weapons systems and high-tech defenses for them. Engineers and scientists were eagerly recruited and enjoyed prestige from the citizens they protected. Current threats are different, but perhaps even more worrisome.  We have little or no defense against biological threats, as the anthrax attack and the SARS epidemic have made painfully obvious. A dirty bomb made from readily available components could render much of [insert your nearest city] uninhabitable for decades.  The military still uses canaries or other fowl to detect chemical attacks.  Budgets for defense research have been increased, but not in proportion to the threat.  With all that S&T has to offer, why don't we mount a crash program with some serious money to develop better defenses?  If you agree, I suggest that you write your elected representative.

Duane Shelton, Editor:  rds@itri2.org
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In This Issue of ITRInews
Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators 2003
The Second Science and Technology Basic Plan: a Blueprint for Japan's Science and Technology Policy
An Evaluation of China’s Science &Technology System and its Impact on the Research Community
OSTP-OMB Budget Guidance Memo for FY2005

Featured Sites in International S&T:  
MEXT S&T Site
incites
Mitsubishi Research Institute
Australian REPP
TA-SWISS
Science Policy Section of the British Royal Society

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77

Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators 2003: Towards a Knowledge-based Economy The EU produces the highest number of science graduates and postgraduates and is also the world's largest producer of scientific publications. European scientists continue to be strong in areas such as medical research and chemistry. Europe also excels in high-tech sectors such as aeronautics and telecommunications. However the EU is still investing much less than its main competitors in research, and the difference is increasing. Europe produces more PhDs and graduates in S&T than the US and Japan, but employs fewer researchers. Many of Europe’s best brains still prefer to go to North America for better employment opportunities. Europe also accounts for a decreasing number of patents and its high tech trade position is deteriorating. [Press release summary] This is one impressive report, running to almost 500 pages and scores of indicator charts.. It was published March 17, 2003.  You can buy a paper copy for 77 Euros plus tax or download the report for free from: http://www.cordis.lu/indicators/third_report.htm Our paper, "The US-EU Race for Leadership of Science and Technology: Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators," tackles the same issue in 10 pages with a lot fewer charts, but with some insight from WTEC's expert assessments of European S&T.  Our conclusions are similar, but we are more upbeat about the EU's chances of meeting its goal of becoming the world's most competitive knowledge-based economy (i. e. passing the U.S.) in 2010.  http://itri2.org/s/USEU/

The Second Science and Technology Basic Plan: a Blueprint for Japan's Science and Technology Policy  by Dr. William A. Blanpied, who headed NSF's Tokyo office 1999-2002.  Dr. Blanpied returned to Japan in 2003 under a JSPS fellowship and interviewed 40 individuals about the effects of this new approach to Japanese S&T policy, including the recent reorganization of government ministries..  His recently posted report provides a snapshot of Japanese S&T planning.    http://www.nsftokyo.org/ssr03-02.html

An Evaluation of China’s Science &Technology System and its Impact on the Research Community by Deh-I Hsiung (NSF Fellow) for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.  Recent rapid economic growth combined with reform efforts in China’s science and technology (S&T) sector have resulted in a major realignment of scientific research priorities, as well as significant changes in how the country’s research institutes manage and conduct scientific research.  China has adopted a series of measures to bind S&T activities more closely to economic development, and the R&D sector, including China’s institutes of higher education, has been pushed to commercialize research results.  This study provides a “snapshot” of recent changes in China’s S&T management and funding policy.   It also identifies some of the issues and challenges that lie ahead for China as the country works to catch up with S&T capabilities in developed countries.  This report was posted last summer, but better late than never.    http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/sandt/ST-Report.doc

OSTP-OMB Budget Guidance Memo for FY2005  The nearest thing that the U.S. Government has as a S&T grand strategy is the instructions that agency heads are being given in preparation of their next budget request.  Interagency priorities for FY2005 are:

• R&D for Combating Terrorism
• Nanotechnology
• Networking and Information Technology R&D
• Molecular-Level Understanding of Life Processes
• Environment and Energy

I couldn't find any words that maintain the long-standing goal of maintaining world leadership.  The closest thing is in II.B. where agencies are required to assess the quality of their research programs by benchmarking against other programs, other agencies, and other countries.  

http://www.ostp.gov/html/OSTP-OMB Memo.pdf

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FEATURED SITES THIS MONTH 

MEXT S&T Site   The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has a site on S&T policy in English. . Within the government, MEXT is primarily responsible for research and development. Based on the "Science and Technology Basic Plan" formulated at the end of March 2001, MEXT promotes comprehensive research and development in order to accomplish the highest creative achievements in worldwide comparisons by nurturing the merits of science, technology, and scientific research, and by seeking harmony and balance between science and technology on one hand and scientific research on the other.  
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/org/science/07a.htm

incites provides a free look at the scientists, journals, institutions, nations, and papers selected by ISI Essential Science Indicators Web product. Read interviews and first-person essays about highly cited scientists in a wide variety of fields. View selected overall and field rankings, pertinent statistics on the principles behind the data. Updated weekly is SCI-BYTES: a summary of what’s new in research. http://www.in-cites.com/index.html

Mitsubishi Research Institute  With some 700 professional researchers in a variety of specialist areas, we are able to offer considerable expertise based on our proven track record in a wide range of fields such as economics and management, social issues and public policy, systems and information, and science and technology.Takeshi Yano/President  http://www.mri.co.jp/E/PROFILE/message.html

Australian REPP  The Research Evaluation and Policy Project was established  in the Australian National University in 1996. It is is Australia's leading centre for the systematic evaluation and mapping of research across all fields of scholarship. In particular, REPP focuses on the advanced quantitative analysis of scientific performance and the organisational structure of Australia’s research landscape. The Project team has established an extensive database of all Australian publications appearing in the international journal literature. The database contains all publications listing at least one Australian address that appear in journals in the Institute of Scientific Information's four main indices. http://repp.anu.edu.au/

TA-SWISS  The team at the Centre for Technology Assessment has the objective of transmitting independent information on the potential, the risks, and the repercussions of new technologies, and of dealing with the issues emerging from them. TA-SWISS also conducts constructive dialogues between the public and the scientific community.   http://www.ta-swiss.ch/

Science Policy Section of the British Royal Society   Science is vital to the economic and social development of the UK and the Royal Society plays an important role in ensuring that the public and government appreciate its significance. Providing independent advice on scientific issues, some of which are highly controversial, has been a cornerstone of the Society’s activities for many years. Its widely acknowledged independence, together with its ability to draw upon the expertise of a large pool of leading scientists, has made the Society invaluable to policy makers seeking advice on issues of science policy.  The Society deals with both policy for science and the scientific aspects of public policy, nationally and internationally.  http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/policy/intro.htm

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Copyright © 2003 ITRI,  Inc. Comments to rds@itri2.org please.

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