Strategic Engagement in Global S&T Opportunities for Defense Research (2014) / Chapter Skim
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1 Globalization of Science and Technology
1 Globalization of Science and Technology
Pages 7-26
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From page 7... ...
The 20th century birth of the Internet spawned what Yale researchers termed "a speeded-up virtuous cycle" in which "the internet and electronic publication revolution have proved a boon -- expanding the areas of research and accelerating the pace of knowledge exchange." 2 A recent report published by the European Commission observed that "[o] ver the past few decades the international landscape has changed in ways that seem both dramatic and contradictory.
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The globalization of R&D [research and development] capabilities is becoming an increasingly important component of the business strategies of multinational corporations, not only because they wish to boost competitiveness by enhancing local customization, gaining access to new markets, and placing technical staff close to manufacturing and design centers, but also because the accelerating pace of S&T-based innovation and its potential for high-margin products drive successful firms to seek out the best S&T talent, regardless of where it resides."4 The European Commission has identified a number of factors that drive the globalization of science, including: "The globalisation of the world economy drives firms to increasingly access scientific sources outside their local boundaries.
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, relative shares are shifting due to substantial growth in Asia. In fact, while aggregate R&D spending grew at an estimated 6.7 percent over the 10-year period between 2001 and 2011, China was the largest single contributor to the 5 "International Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation: Strategies for a Changing World." Report of the Expert Group established to support the further development of an EU international STI cooperation strategy.
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. 6 While the United States, European Union, and Japan continue to dominate in aggregate annual R&D expenditures, China 6 Science and Engineering Indicators 2014.
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More than half of the 2010 S&E doctoral degrees awarded in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan were in engineering (compared with the United States and United Kingdom, where only about one quarter of the doctoral degrees were in engineering.8 On the other hand, the United States and many European countries produce larger percentages of doctorates in physical and biological sciences; disciplines that often provide foundational knowledge and discoveries that lead to technological advances Research universities are essential to a vibrant national R&D enterprise. Figure 1-3 examines data compiled from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2013-2014, which used 13 indicators across four core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook to generate the rankings.9 While North America and Europe still dominate most higher education rankings (Figure 1-3a)
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While many have not yet broken into the overall Top 100 rankings, the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and other emerging economies are intent on strengthening their higher education institutions.
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for BRIC countries and emerging economies, overall. SOURCE: Data compiled from Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
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of international collaboration include geosciences, computer sciences, mathematics, physics, and biological sciences (the rate of international collaboration was lower for agricultural sciences, medical sciences, engineering, psychology, chemistry, social sciences, and other life sciences, which was the lowest at only 17 percent)
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A variety of other leading and lagging indicators appear in the biennial publication of the Science and Engineering Indicators. The collective array, even when supplemented by analyses produced by other sources, provides an inadequate picture of the global S&T landscape.
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SOURCE: Data compiled from Appendix Table 5-56 of National Science Board Science and Engineering Indicators 2014. Arlington VA: National Science Foundation (NSB 14-01)
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Geography is also an important consideration in global S&T engagement as one country cannot do all global oceanography research, all Arctic research, or all disease vector research. Competing organizations also have a need to reach out globally in order to have full access to growing external knowledge in their technology areas and to maintain sufficient in-house skills and understanding to either introduce new technologies, catch up, or very quickly adjust if critical technologies are developed or introduced elsewhere first.
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The NSB Science and Engineering Indicators previously discussed are a rich source of such measures. The Royal Society has also made use of bibliometrics to analyze how collaborative networks were changing regionally and globally.18 A recent report by Thomson Reuters also used bibliometric data to analyze the scholarly output and innovation capacity of the G2019 in an effort to provide insight on questions including: "…which regions are leading and in what areas?
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) Professional Attending meetings Access to the Has the information gathered at meetings changed Relevant new results are meetings organized by newest results; what was done in the last year?
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These mechanisms allow for more formal information exchange and 20 Nesta is a UK independent charity that works to increase innovation capacity (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts http://www.nesta.org. uk/about-us/our-history 21 Quantitative Analysis of Technology Futures.
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From page 21... ...
. However, this superiority is being challenged by increasingly capable and economically strong potential adversaries that are likely developing and fielding counters to some or all of the key technologies on which the United States has come to rely."26 The DoD has long relied on technological superiority to maintain military advantage and has successfully leveraged U.S.
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hile the global technology landscape indicates that the United States should not plan to rely on unquestioned technical leadership in all fields, the Department must ensure that technological superiority is maintained in areas most critical to meeting current and future military challenges." 28 Three overarching characteristics of the global S&T landscape -- ongoing geographic expansion, growing interconnectedness, and shifting centers of S&T leadership -- combine to make the DoD's ability to sustain technological superiority to underpin military advantage a daunting challenge. The authors of "Globalization of S&T: Key Challenges Facing DOD" concluded that "[m]
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Moreover, many advanced technologies are no longer predominantly developed for military applications with eventual transition to commercial uses, but follow the exact opposite course." 32 In defining a risk management framework for defense, the report elaborated on the future challenges risk stemming from globalization of S&T (emphasis added) : Future Challenges Risk33 A number of factors related to research and development will, over time, generate increased risk to America's technological edge.
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Finding I Sustained mission success will require the DoD to selectively maintain technological superiority while effectively leveraging advances occurring throughout the global S&T landscape. There is ample evidence that the DoD cannot maintain technological superiority across the full spectrum of technologies that underpin military capabilities, but it will remain important to sustain an edge in strategically critical areas.
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and serves as invaluable input at an institutional level to inform S&T budgets, international collaboration policies, and strategies for technological and economic competitiveness and national security. Many mechanisms for international S&T engagement exist, such as publication scans and bibliometric analyses, researcher exchanges and visits, scientific conferences and meetings, international research funding, and collaborative research activities.
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From page 26... ...
26 Strategic Engagement in Global S&T Subsequent chapters will assess DoD's current international S&T activities and its approaches for global S&T engagement and awareness, as well as examine opportunities for the DoD to adapt, adopt and leverage engagement approaches used by the public and private sectors in the United States and abroad. Through these examinations, the committee will identify opportunities to improve DoD's approach for maintaining global S&T situational awareness and for leveraging global S&T developments through appropriate engagement and collaboration efforts.
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