Foreign Participation in U.S. Research and Development Asset or Liability? (1996) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
The Contribution of R&D to U.S. Economic Development
The Contribution of R&D to U.S. Economic Development
Pages 29-38
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From page 29... ...
Basic research seeks to advance scientific or technical knowledge or understanding of a particular phenomenon or subject without specific applications in mind. In contrast, applied research recognizes a specific need and seeks new knowledge or understanding in order to meet that need.
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From page 30... ...
, basic research yields chiefly new knowledge, new methods, and skilled scientists and engineers—outputs that contribute indirectly to the development and application of technology. By contrast, applied research and development, while creating new knowledge, know-how, and skills, are generally more directly implicated in the generation and application of technology.
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From page 31... ...
The federal government supports roughly 40 percent of applied research and an equal proportion of development work in the United States, most of which is performed by private companies. The government also funds over two-thirds of U.S.
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From page 32... ...
Research universities, federal laboratories, and other not-for-profit institutions that perform the majority of publicly funded basic research do not generally commercialize technology or produce products for commercial markets. This has led some observers to question whether these institutions are adequately equipped to assess, let alone capture the true market value of the intellectual property they generate and manage with public money (U.S.
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From page 33... ...
of a nation's work force; by the size, wealth, and technological sophistication of its domestic market; and, increasingly, by the ability of firms within its borders to access markets and technology abroad.8 Different types of R&D make different contributions to economic development. For example, basic research contributes to technological advance and economic growth both directly (through the generation and transfer of commercializable knowledge or technology)
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From page 34... ...
Applied research and development generate specific proprietary product or process technologies and innovations. This represents their most obvious and substantial contribution to economic development.
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From page 35... ...
notes, "the most effective way to remain plugged in to the scientific network is to be a participant in the research process." IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN PARTICIPATION IN U.S. R&D In earlier decades, the United States occupied a position of global technological and industrial superiority.
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From page 36... ...
Hence, there was little concern about the relatively limited efforts of foreign entities to gain increased access to these publicly funded R&D activities. While the United States remains a leader in the generation of new knowledge and technology, its position today is better characterized as first among equals; the gap that once separated the United States from potential competitors has closed.
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From page 37... ...
aboratory techniques or analytical methods used in basic research, particularly in physics, often find their way either directly, or indirectly via other disciplines, into industrial processes and process controls largely unrelated either to their original use or to the concepts and results of the research for which they were originally devised." 2. Expanding on Nelson's (1992)
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From page 38... ...
In the development of chemicals and drugs, knowledge gained through basic research frequently results directly in industrially useful technology, including intellectual property. In transport and mechanical technologies, however, the link between basic science and technology is relatively weak (Pavitt, 1991)
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