measuring r&d: challenges faced by developing countries
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Measuring R&D: Challenges Faced by Developing Countries. NATIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (STI) INDICATORS Tehran, Iran November 2010. Outline. The problem The process Contents of the Technical Guide . R&D statistics in developing countries (1). - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Measuring R&D: Challenges Faced by Developing Countries
NATIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (STI) INDICATORSTehran, Iran
November 2010
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Outline
The problem The process Contents of the Technical Guide
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R&D statistics in developing countries (1)
Recognition, meeting targets, evidence-based S&T policy, but:
• lack of interest at the level of policy makers (low policy-relevance?)
• S&T is still not properly represented in economic/social public policies. lack of resources devoted to statistics in S&T
• lack of technical knowledge for the production of cross-nationally comparable R&D statistics
• weak statistical institutions • difficulties in applying Frascati Manual (FM) concepts
and methods
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R&D statistics in developing countries (2)
Particular characteristics of R&D activities to be taken into account:
• R&D performers function within the specific context of a national, cultural, political, financial and economic system
• different structures in terms of government, innovation system, higher education system, statistical system
• particular ‘culture of information’• Users of R&D stat: Gov, analysts. + international donor agencies
S&T indicators • adapted to particular policy needs• provide answers to actual policy questions
However, international comparability is foremost
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The process (1)
Experience acquired through the UIS work, in particular through direct contact with S&T statisticians in numerous workshops and other meetings around the developing world.
Advisory Meeting to the UIS S&T Statistics Programme held in Montreal, Canada, December 2007.
Papers commissioned by UIS to Jacques Gaillard (IRD, Paris), Michael Kahn et al (HSRC, South Africa), and Gustavo Arber et al (RICYT, Argentina).
Proposal for an annex to the Frascati Manual on measuring R&D in developing countries was presented at the OECD 2008 and 2009 NESTI meeting.
Expert Meeting on Measuring R&D in Developing Countries in Windhoek, Namibia, 14 to 16 September 2009
Consultant has drafted the following two documents
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The process (2)
Technical Guide on Measuring R&D: Challenges for Developing Countries released in Oct 2010
Proposed Annex to the Frascati Manual submitted to OECD 2010 NESTI meeting
Objectives are to provide:• guidance to developing countries on how to adapt the FM
standards• recommendations for specific situations that fall outside FM
framework• suggestions on how to strengthen S&T statistical system in
developing countries Stay within boundaries of FM Some of the measurement challenges may be considered
for a future revision of the FM
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Products
NEW Annex
proposed
http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/S&T/TechPaper5_EN.pdf
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Contents of the Technical Guide
1. Introduction
2. The nature of R&D activity in developing countries
3. R&D expenditure
4. Internal and international mobility of the R&D workforce
5. Specific fields of R&D activity
6. Foreign and internationally controlled entities
7. Strengthening R&D statistical systems
8. Thinking ahead
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Thank you!
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http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/S&T/TechPaper5_EN.pdf
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Chapter 2: The nature of R&D activity in developing countries
The growing importance of R&D • More ‘R’ than ‘D’ in developing countries.• Strong presence of the government and
higher education sectors in the performance of R&D. Lower emphasis on R&D in business sector.
• Occasional R&D / Informal R&D• Special types of R&D
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Chapter 2: The nature of R&D activity in developing countries cont…
Heterogeneity and concentration • Developing countries are a heterogeneous group:
» Group A: countries with consolidated R&D systems and developed S&T statistics systems no major difficulties in applying Frascati Manual concepts.
» Group B: countries with consolidated R&D systems and less developed S&T statistics systems need specific guidance on how to establish and consolidate sound R&D statistics systems.
» Group C: countries with incipient R&D systems need specific guidelines on how to start creating a regular R&D statistical collection.
• High degree of concentration (in group of countries, in particular institutions, in major projects, etc) lead to volatility and inconsistencies in statistics.
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Chapter 3. R&D expenditure
Use of secondary data from national budget• New sources of funds emerging (NGOs, Foreign entities, BE) • Discrepancy between voted and allocated budget • Budgetary commitments are not followed up• Mixing of budgetary records and annual reports from performing
units• Definition of S&T / R&D budgets • Identifying R&D components in the national budget
State-owned enterprises, university-owned companies and national scientific academies
Public vs. Private universities Fiscal year vs. calendar year Information systems in government and higher education inadequate
for statistics
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Chapter 4: Internal and international mobility of the R&D workforce
Underestimation of researchers Unpaid research Informal research Research outside of the normal work setting with
external funding Multiple part time positions not taken into account
or undercounted Master’s research
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Counting researchers
Overestimation of researchers Counting the contract instead of the real effort Multiple full-time research positions
Special cases FTE calculation >1 and FTE>HC R&D in times of crisis Visiting researchers Brain circulation
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Counting researchers
Recommendations Peer interviews of researchers Include a module on barriers Use secondary sources
• Publication databases, both national and international• STMIS and other databases of researchers• Databases and registers of clinical trials• Databases and registers of the main foreign donors
involved in funding R&D in the countries• University accreditation databases
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Chapter 5: Specific fields of R&D activity
Traditional knowledge Clinical trials Industrial activities Research in social sciences and humanities Software development and system engineering
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Traditional knowledge (TK)
Traditional knowledge: A cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by peoples with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment.
These sophisticated sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part and parcel of a cultural complex that encompasses language, naming and classification systems, resource use practices, ritual, spirituality and worldview.
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Traditional knowledge cont..
Dichotomy between traditional and scientific knowledge systems
substantive grounds – because of differences in the subject matter and characteristics of traditional and scientific knowledge
methodological and epistemological grounds – because the two forms of knowledge employ different methods to investigate reality
contextual grounds – because traditional knowledge is more deeply rooted in its environment
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Traditional knowledge cont..
Links between traditional and scientific knowledge systems
Scientific approach to TK (in ethno-botany, ethno-pedology, ethno-forestry, ethno-veterinary medicine, ethno-ecology, etc).
The application of scientific methods to TK, converting it into a source of scientific information. (in biodiversity science or nature conservation; traditional health and pharmacopeia).
Interaction between scientists and communities in participatory technology development
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Traditional knowledge cont..
Measurement issues and recommendations Establish the boundaries for TK (what qualify as
R&D) Included: activities establishing an interface
between traditional knowledge and R&D Excluded: storage and communication of TK in
traditional ways Some fields of activities in TK are trans-
disciplinary (e.g. ethno-botany), making them extremely difficult to map into the current classification’s structure.
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Clinical trials
Clinical trials (Can) involve a significant amount of R&D Need to be conducted on a wide population Growth area for developing countries
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Clinical trials cont..
Measurement of clinical trials Registers of clinical trials available, e.g. WHO but also
national Funding often from abroad Performance various possibilities
• a local branch of the foreign main sponsor• universities and university hospitals• individual researchers• local medical clinics• locally registered PNPs• international PNPs
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Clinical trials cont..
Measurement issues and recommendations Occupation category of local staff
• Medical doctors and other professionals with at least ISCED 5A degrees should be considered as researchers
• Nurses and other staff with qualifications below ISCED 5A should be accounted for as technicians
FTE calculation is important (often part-time) Attribution of sector of performance must be done
with care to avoid double counting
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Industrial activities
Reverse engineering: understanding the structure and functioning of an object (in order to make a new device or program creates a similar object in a different way), copying it, or improving it.
Recommendation: If reverse engineering is carried out in the framework of an R&D project to develop a new (and different) product, it should be considered as R&D.
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Research in the social sciences and humanities (SSH)
Research in SSH often under-reported, especially in business sector
More in Higher education and Government sectors Reasons for more focus on SSH:
• Growing importance of service sector and transition to KE• Technology transfer and community development depends on
understanding human agency• Development research, research on sustainable development and
climate change mitigation Recommendations:
• Should measure R&D in SSH across all sectors.• Development research and other social change projects:
R&D only in development and testing phase.• Research on religion: part of humanities and should be in
R&D surveys
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Chapter 6: Foreign and internationally controlled entities
Foreign antennas Foreign company’s R&D labs International organizations operating in the
country Foreign universities based and conducting
R&D in campuses set up in the country
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The foreign institutions sector
Recommendation Create a “foreign institutions” (FI) sector as a separate
sector of performance Funding flowing from this sector to other sectors should be
considered from “Abroad” as stated in the main body of the Frascati Manual
What is included?• Foreign antennas • International organizations• Foreign company’s R&D labs (remains in the business sector)• Foreign universities (remains in the HE sector)
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The foreign institutions sector
The principal sector sub-classification Business enterprises Government Higher Education Private non-profit International organizations
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Chapter 7: Strategies for setting up S&T statistics systems in developing countries
Will be discussed in the next presentation.
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Chapter 8: Thinking ahead: Other products – beyond R&D
Redefine the concepts of scientific and technological education and training at broadly the third level (STET), Scientific and technological services (STS) and S&T activities (STA)
Better integrate education statistics with R&D statistics
Hands on guidance Metadata Model questionnaire