The pathway of development: science and technology of NIEs and selected Asian emerging economies

Many emerging countries in Asia demonstrate a strong pattern of growth and potential of diffusion in science and technology that is dynamic and self-propagating. To elucidate the evolution in science and technology and the institutional dynamics that drive the self-propagating behavior, this paper examines the divergent models pursued by selected Asian economies in regard to science and technological catch-up. An analysis of papers and patents production for each nation was conducted to examine the indigenous science and technology capabilities. This study focuses on six major economies, namely China, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. In addition, Japan, a country with advanced development of science and technology, is included for comparison. The findings provided insight and understanding of evolving science and technological waves and the dynamic potentials in science and technology. We demonstrate the pursued catching-up models that drive the self-propagating behavior and industrialization, thus providing a more complete understanding of the innovation systems than those examined in previous studies.     

Indicators and the relations between science and technology

The relationship between science and technology is an important issue, as science-based technologies play a key role in modern economies. The exploration of the science-technology interface can be effectively supported by quantitative indicators, in particular patents of scientific institutions, publications of industrial enterprises, and scientific references in patent search reports. The most promising approach is the parallel observation of patents and publications in order to analyse the dynamics of the interaction of science and technology and the professional move of academic and industrial researchers between institutions.     

From irreversibility to participation: towards a participatory foresight for the governance of collective environmental risks

This paper presents a reflection on the introduction of methods and tools of "participative foresight" for scientific and technology policy as well as environmental policy fields. Future studies have recently made a comeback under the label of foresight. Future technology studies no longer claim to forecast the future, but are presented as a strategic tool for improving interaction between key actors and for anticipatory policy making. They can be defined as a "process by which one comes to a fuller understanding of the forces shaping the long term future which should be taken into account in policy formulation, planning and decision-making" [Foresight in Federal Government Policymaking, Futures Res. Quart. (1985) 29]. We discuss applications of this approach for perspectives on environmental policy and sustainable development. Foresight opens up the possibility of negotiating a new and more fruitful relationship or 'social contract' between science and technology, on the one hand, and society on the other. The focus has moved from merely scientific and industrial insights to social demand, thus emphasizing the importance of both the production and "supply" of innovation, and the "demand" as signaled in the views of citizens.     

Computer science and technology in India: A critical assessment

Information technology, which has as its base the integration of computing and communication, is bringing about far-reaching changes in the economies and life-styles of the advanced industrialized countries. In India, the preoccupation so far has been in the development of computer technology to manufacture stand-alone computers. Even to accomplish this the industrial capability is very fragmented. The mastery of information technology in all its ramifications requires building up indigenous capabilities in a variety of sub-technologies. In this context, this paper analyses in some detail the current strengths and weaknesses in computer science and technology in India and the efforts that need to be made to build up a viable base in information technology to promote economic growth and modernize industrial practices.     

A structured approach to explore technological competencies through R&D portfolio of photovoltaic companies by patent statistics

When the technological development of an enterprise is path dependent, core technological competencies will develop. In addition, core technological competencies promote technological development. Consequently, enterprises should always examine the advantages of their core technological competencies. Under dynamic competition, enterprises should monitor their own performance as well as their competitors at all times and consequently adjust their technological strategies. This study used two patent indices, Patent Share and Revealed Technological Advantage, to measure the internal core technological competencies of manufacturers. It also integrated four other indices namely: (1) Technology Attractiveness (Relative Growth Rate), (2) growth potential of technologies (Relative Development of Technology Growth Rate), (3) Relative Patent Position, and (4) Revealed Patent Advantages. These were used to analyze the external strengths and weaknesses of the research and development (R&D) portfolios of companies. These two analytical methods can effectively identify the internal core technological competencies and the external advantages of R&D portfolios of leading companies in the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. This study also discussed the relationship between R&D portfolios and core technological competencies of leading solar photovoltaic companies and compared those with two core technological competencies with those that have a single core technological competence. The study results show that the R&D portfolios of companies engaged in a single, specific technology field have advantages. This study helps improve the quality of technological planning and decision-making of manufacturers, proposes a method of using core technological competencies to analyze the advantages of R&D portfolios, and helps solar PV manufacturers monitor their own core technological competencies as well as their competitors and partner companies.     

Tracing knowledge diffusion

Knowledge diffusion is the adaptation of knowledge in a broad range of scientific and engineering research and development. Tracing knowledge diffusion between science and technology is a challenging issue due to the complexity of identifying emerging patterns in a diverse range of possible processes. In this article, we describe an approach that combines complex network theory, network visualization, and patent citation analysis in order to improve the means for the study of knowledge diffusion. In particular, we analyze patent citations in the field of tissue engineering. We emphasize that this is the beginning of a longer-term endeavor that aims to develop and deploy effective, progressive, and explanatory visualization techniques for us to capture the dynamics of the evolution of patent citation networks. The work has practical implications on resource allocation, strategic planning, and science policy. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Economies of scale in science & technology agencies

This study is the first to provide estimates of the economies of scale in science and technology agencies. As such, it sheds new light on issues of interest to policy-makers. The study identifies that there are strong economies of scale to be captured in organisations with budgets less than $200 million. The least efficient agency in the study requires 136 times more input per unit of output than the most efficient one. The study was unable to identify diseconomies of scale up to the range of $3 billion. The policy implications for countries which are small in science in particular, are discussed.     

Transformative innovation policy or how to escape peripheral policy paradox in European research peripheral countries

The research peripheral countries (RPCs) are faced with the need to provide transformative change for long term sustainable development with scarce research and development resources which rests upon strengthening science base and the transformative innovation policy focused on societal and environmental challenges. The European Commission's proposal of a new recovery instrument – the Next Generation EU, incorporating the Recovery and Resilience Facility as a key instrument - is focused on green, sustainable, and digital economies, paving the way for a shift from the standard science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy towards transformative innovation policies which foster innovation focused on systematic change and sustainable socio-technical systems.This research seeks to understand the ways in which STI policy can contribute to the economic resilience and sustainable development of research peripheral countries and how STI policies can respond to new innovation policy paradigms, avoiding Europeanisation of STI policies and, ultimately, a peripheral policy paradox. Overcoming of the periphery paradox in STI policies requires unorthodox policy solutions to avoid inefficient replication of policy measures from advanced countries which pertain to science – industry cooperation to foster high tech industries and frontier research.This research proposes a new STI policy approach, based on interactions and interdependencies between standard STI policies for fostering scientific research and science-industry cooperation through transformative innovation policies. This policy allows for an experimental approach to policy-making, finding a way to best suit the national socio-economic context for the gradual replacement of the established socio-technical regime towards sustainable transitions. The fourth component of the new STI policy approach is the concept of the mission-oriented policy, which draws on frontier knowledge and large investments. Both new policy paradigms are discussed in order to highlight the pros and cons of their application in RPCs with regards to research capacities, socio-economic regimes/landscapes, and societal challenges.     

Biotechnology and the lawmakers

The author reviews the origins of the public policy debate concerning recombinant DNA technology and Congressional consideration of legislation to regulate recombinant DNA research. He notes especially his successful attempts to urge delay in passing legislation until there was complete evaluation of data — studies that ultimately resulted in noting that potential hazards were not as great as originally conceived. The author comments that strict regulation of recombinant DNA research, as proposed by some legislators, would have inhibited many of the great benefits that society is now receiving from this research. The author then raises a number of questions concerning government regulation and funding priorities on scientific and technological innovation, as well as government practices regarding basic and applied research in industrial and academic laboratories. A major concern of his is the government's ability to assess and manage risk. The author reviews one legislative proposal, which would have established risk analysis demonstration projects, and outlines a number of legislative initiatives that could impact the biotechnology industry and university-based research. He concludes by discussing opportunities for industrial applications of this technology and possible roles for Congress.     

Nanometrology in Emerging Economies: The Case of Mexico

Nanotechnology is a global phenomenon already impacting, in some way, the scientific, technological, economic and social development, and the culture, of emerging economies, like Mexico’s. As any new technology, on one hand it has the potential to be one of the main sources of productivity growth for these economies, but on the other it can also be the origin of drawbacks if no appropriate actions are taken about. The effects of such impact depend on how the country prepares itself concerning the aforementioned aspects of development. Metrology constitutes a discipline which is transversal to all of these aspects. It has to move forward in order to face the challenges derived from nanotechnology, in proportion to the particular status of the country. Metrology has to be seen as an essential part of nanotechnologies. Any activity within science and technology must be accompanied by reliable measurements. The current paper describes issues and challenges in metrology to be faced in Mexico concerning this technology.     

Using detailed maps of science to identify potential collaborations

Research on the effects of collaboration in scientific research has been increasing in recent years. A variety of studies have been done at the institution and country level, many with an eye toward policy implications. However, the question of how to identify the most fruitful targets for future collaboration in high-performing areas of science has not been addressed. This paper presents a method for identifying targets for future collaboration between two institutions. The utility of the method is shown in two different applications: identifying specific potential collaborations at the author level between two institutions, and generating an index that can be used for strategic planning purposes. Identification of these potential collaborations is based on finding authors that belong to the same small paper-level community (or cluster of papers), using a map of science and technology containing nearly 1 million papers organized into 117,435 communities. The map used here is also unique in that it is the first map to combine the ISI Proceedings database with the Science and Social Science Indexes at the paper level.     

Minimization of open orders: application of a re-distribution coordination policy

This work considers an NP-Hard scheduling problem that is fundamental to the production planning of flexible machines, to cutting pattern industries and also to the design of VLSI circuits. A new asynchronous collective search model is proposed, exploring the search space in a manner that concentrates effort onto those areas of higher perceived potential. This is done with the use of a coordination policy which enables the processes with greatest performance to act as ‘attractors’ to those processes trapped in areas of worse perceived potential. Numerical results are obtained for problems of realistic industrial size, and those results are compared to previously published optimal solutions. This comparison demonstrates the effectiveness of the method, as in 276 problems out of a set of 280 we are able to match previously reported optimal results.     

产品的隐式交互界面研究

以iPod界面的进化历程为启示,分析了内隐交互出现的内因——后工业时代的再内化,并结合结合日常生活中的各种事物,论述了隐式交互的社会意义和价值,探讨了隐式交互的执行要素,内隐交互需要有科技的支持,并遵循以人为本的原则,提出了内隐交互适用的范围。还论述了简约设计和合适的设计为内隐交互的设计策略。     

The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Federal support for science and technology,or hidden industrial policy?

The case of the National Nanotechnology Initiative highlights elements of industrial policy carried out by the U.S. government not only by setting rules and providing infrastructure, but also by strategically selecting technology of the next generation and arranging large-scale public investment. The federal government justified the Initiative by calling for the scientific need for industrial competitiveness, an explicit integration of science and technology policy and industrial policy. Moreover, we find evidence that this program, now funding almost $1.8 billion and extending to thirteen federal agencies, was initiated and drafted by a small handful number of policy makers in Washington. At the same time, despite its intention to strengthen the industrial competitiveness, the bulk of the federal government fund continues to channel into universities and government labs and little into the private sector. Whether this goal will be achieved without more direct government focus on commercialization remains uncertain.     

支撑我国食物保障的农业科技发展战略研究

本文在阐明食物保障概念并区分食粮和饲料粮的基础上,对我国耕地和非耕地资源未来农产品供给能力做了估计,提出我国食物保障耕地是瓶颈,良地应优先保障食粮,饲料可统筹耕地、草原和海洋资源。必须研究耕地资源扩展、改良与替代的科学技术、现有耕地资源可持续高效利用的科学技术,以及非生物逆境应对的科学技术,并做相应研究计划的顶层设计。科技创新要落实在食物生产的可持续发展,因而强调重大农业科技创新与常规产业技术改进互动的科技发展战略。解答食物保障所需的科技难题需要高瞻远瞩的设计、组织、监管和推动,涉及国家科技发展的体制和机制必须改革。本文从支撑国家重大农业科技发展角度提出了农业科技体制机制改革的战略设想与重点政策建议,包括设立国家农业可持续发展研究与监管中心,国家农业和科技主管部门在农业科技创新领域中的职责和协调,农业科技创新的顶层设计,科技创新要落实到食物生产的发展等。     

直升机数字化装配工艺设计与三维AO构建

飞机装配工艺设计过程及工艺数据的组织管理是当前飞机数字化制造技术研究中的一个关键问题．在基于模型定义技术的基础上,提出了直升机数字化装配工艺设计与三维装配指令（assembly order, AO）构建的方法．通过对DPE软件进行客户化定制和脚本开发,优化了数字化装配工艺设计过程,实现了AO文本的自动输出,缩短了装配指令的编写周期;通过对DPE与3DVIA Composer软件的集成开发,实现了三维AO的构建,从而为装配现场可视化奠定了基础,较好地解决了传统装配指令对装配现场指导不生动、不直观等问题．     

Tactical production planning in a hybrid Make-to-Stock–Make-to-Order environment under supply,process and demand uncertainties: a robust optimisation model

In this paper, we consider a hybrid ‘Make-to-Stock–Make-to-Order’ environment to develop a novel optimisation model for medium-term production planning of a typical multi-product firm based on the competencies of the robust optimisation methodology. Three types of uncertainties: suppliers, processes and customers, are incorporated into the model to construct a robust practical model in an uncertain business environment. The modelling procedure is started with applying deterministic linear programming to develop a new multi-objective approach for the combination of multi-product multi-period production planning and aggregate production planning problems. Then, the proposed deterministic model is transformed into a robust optimisation framework and the solution procedure is designed according to the Lp-Metric methodology. Next, using the IBM ILOG CPLEX optimisation software, the proposed model is evaluated by applying the data collected from an industrial case study. Final results illustrate the applicability of the proposed model.     

Tracing knowledge flows in innovation systems

This paper gives an overview of quantitative approaches used to study the science/technology linkage. Our discussion is informed by a number of theoretical approaches that have emerged over the past few years in the area of innovation studies emphasizing the exchange of actors in innovation system and a shift in the division of labour between publicly funded basic research and industrial development of technology. We review the more quantitative literature on efforts made to study such linkage phenomena, to which theorizing in the science policy area has attributed great importance. We then introduce a typology of three approaches to study the science/technology linkage - patent citation, industrial science, and university patenting. For each approach, we shall discuss merits and possible disadvantages. In another step we illustrate them using results from studies of the Finnish innovation system. Finally, we list key limitations of the informetric methods and point to possible hybrid approaches that could remedy some of them. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Matrices of science and technology interactions and patterns of structured growth: implications for development

Scientific and other non-patent references (NPRs) in patents are important tools to analyze interactions between science and technology. This paper organizes a database with 514,894 USPTO patents granted globally in 1974, 1982, 1990, 1998 and 2006. There are 165,762 patents with at least one reference to science and engineering (S&E) literature, from a total of 1,375,503 references. Through a lexical analysis, 71.1% of this S&E literature is classified by S&E fields. These data serve as the basis for the elaboration of global and national 3-dimensional matrices (technological domains, S&E fields and number of references). Three indicators are proposed to analyze these matrices, allowing us to identify patterns of structured growth that differentiate developed and non-developed countries. This differentiation informs suggestions for public policies for development, emphasizing the need for an articulation between the industrial and technological dimension and scientific side. The intertwinement of these two dimensions is a key component of developmental policies for the twenty-first century.