Transcript IST-MeGT Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy

IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
The Economic Benefits of Publicly
Funded
Basic Research
A critical review
Ammon J. Salter & Ben R. Martin
Students:
Isabel Matalonga
Paulo Cameira
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
Main questions this article puts on
The
specific nature of basic research and the need of being
publicly funded
 Difficulties to measure the relationship between publicly funded
basic research and economic benefit and productivity
How important is the public funding of basic research as a way to
sustain technological development
This critical review identifies six types of contributions that
publicly funded research makes to economic growth
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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Conceptual approach
Basic Research is considered as
«curiosity-oriented» research.
Literature uses other terms such as :
 «Strategic research».
 «Academic research».
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IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
Definitions and Scope
Basic
Research is experimental or
theoretical work undertaken primarily
to acquire new knowledge of the
underlying foundation of phenomena
and observable facts, without any
particular application or use in view.
(Frascati Manual)
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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Definitions and Scope
The study focuses on the economic
benefits from basic research rather
than the social, environmental or
cultural benefits.
There is a fuzzy boundary between
the economic and non-economic
benefits.
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
Main methodological approaches
adopted
Econometric studies
Surveys
Case Studies
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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3.
The main types of benefit from
publicly funded basic research
Increasing the stock of useful
knowledge.
Training skilled graduates.
Creating new scientific
instrumentation and methodologies.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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4.
5.
6.
The main types of benefit from
publicly funded basic research (cont.)
Forming networks and stimulating
social interaction.
Increasing the capacity for scientific
and tecnological problem-solving
Creating new firms.
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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1.
Conclusions
As regards the specific case of basic
research, one can try to estimate the
rate of return, but only on the basis
of very questionable assumptions.
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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2.
Conclusions
Traditional justification for the
public funding of basic research is
based on the argument that science
is a public good.
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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3.
Conclusions
The tacit knowledge and skills
generated by basic research are
especially important in newly
emerging and fast-moving areas of
science and technology.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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4.
Conclusions
A fourth type of benefit stems from
the fact that participation in basic
research is essential if one is to
obtain acess to national and
international networks of experts
and information.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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5.
Conclusions
Fifthly, basic research may be
especially good at developing the
ability to tackle and and solve
complex problems.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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6.
Conclusions
Lastly, basic research may lead to
the creation of “spin-off”
companies, where academics
transfer their skills, tacit
knowledge, problem-solving
abilities and so on, directly into a
commercial environment.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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Conclusions : policy implications
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Basic research is crucial for the
strategic position of industrialised
nations in the world economy.
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Is difficult to arrive at simple policy
prescriptions.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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Conclusions : policy implications
One reason relates to the
interactions between basic research
and innovation, and in the relative
importance of different forms of
economic benefit with scientific
field, technology and industrial
sector.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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Conclusions : policy implications
Secondly, there is the dependance
of new products and processes on a
range of technologies, and the
dependance of new technologies on
a large number of scientific fields.
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Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
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Conclusions : policy implications
A third reason concerns the
importance of “spillovers”,
including both geographical effects
and the interactions between one
form of activity and another.
IST- MeGT
Science, Tecchnology and Innovation Policy
Conclusions : policy implications
In s h o r t :
There is a great heterogeneity in the
relationship between research and
innovation.
No simple model of the nature of the
economic benefits from basic research is
possible.
There can be no simple unified policy for
basic research.
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