srs data and the scisip initiative national science foundation division of science resources...

SRS Data and the SciSIP Initiative

National Science Foundation

Division of Science Resources Statistics

Lynda T. CarlsonDivision Director

SBE Advisory CommitteeNovember 8, 2007

National Science FoundationDivision of Science Resources Statistics (SRS)

www.nsf.gov/statistics

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National Science FoundationDivision of Science Resources Statistics

With SciSIP funding SRS has underway significant improvement/Expansion Activities to

enhance the comparability, scope and availability of data on the Science and Engineering

enterprise.

Why?

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Industry R&D Context: Then and Now

1950s

• Government largest source of R&D $$$

• Business largest basic research performer

• Manufacturing• Large companies dominate R&D $

$$• Domestic focus• Focus on in-firm S&T resources

(central research labs)

2000s

• Business largest source of R&D $$$

• Academia largest basic research performer

• Services• Large companies not as dominant

• Global focus• Increased leveraging of S&T

resources outside the firm


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Academic R&D: Then and Now

1970s

• Government largest source of R&D $$$; state government and institution own funds ~10% each

• Research at the bench• Single discipline focus

• Life sciences ~50%; physical sciences ~11%; social sciences ~8%

• Individual PI research• Individual labs• Basic research and publications

2000s

• Government still largest source; relative decline in state government; large growth in institution own funds (cost sharing)

• Computer & IT assisted research• Increase in multi- and

interdisciplinary research• Life sciences ~60%;

physical sciences ~8%; social sciences ~4%

• Increase in collaborative research• Growth in centers• Interest in commercialization

(Bayh-Dole Act; patents; IP; technology transfer)


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S&E Higher Education: Then and Now

1970s

• Disciplinary focus

• U.S. a world leader in higher education

• Students predominantly white and majority male

• Predominantly U.S. citizen students and postdocs

• Public and Private non-profit campus based degree programs

2000s

• Greater interdisciplinary focus

• Growth in higher education abroad

• Greater racial/ethnic diversity and higher proportion of female students

• Increase in foreign students and foreign postdocs

• Growth of for-profit institutions and online programs


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S&E Workforce: Then and Now

2000s

• Workers in S&E occupations larger proportion of total workforce

• Those with S&E degrees and skills work in a wide variety of S&E and non-S&E occupations

• Great increase in collaborative and multi-disciplinary work

• Increase in proportion of foreign-born/minority/female workers

• Greater competition from other countries in attracting S&E talent

• S&E workers making frequent moves across sectors, jobs, economies


1960s

• Workers in S&E occupations a small proportion of total workforce

• Individuals with S&E degrees and skills primarily work in S&E occupations

• Individuals primarily work within a single discipline

• S&E workforce predominantly U.S.-born/white/male

• U.S. a leader in attracting S&E talent from all over the world

• Mobility of S&E workers (across sectors, jobs, economies) is limited

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SRS Improvement/Expansion Activities and SciSIP

• Some activities accelerated or expanded to support SciSIP:- Redesigning the Industry R&D Survey- Working with the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to develop an R&D satellite account - Working to improve information about those in postdoctorate

positions- Exploring approaches to gathering information on innovation- Redesigning the Academic Research and Development Survey

- Adding a Field of Degree question to the American Community Survey- Exploring issues and approaches for surveys of the federal sector R&D- Exploring ways of collecting information about the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of S&E jobs

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SRS Improvement/Expansion Activities and SciSIP (cont’d)

- Establishing ongoing Experts Panels in major topical areas: Industry, Human Resources and Academic R&D- Exploring the feasibility of linking SRS data with other data sets to increase the relevance of SRS data for SciSIP issues- Exploring the feasibility of collecting SciSIP relevant information from non-profit institutions- Improving the usability, coverage and data quality of the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates.- Holding many workshops with data users on specific S&E issues related to SRS data

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SRS International Data Improvement Efforts

• Working with OECD/NESTI on the development of new S&T indicators to better reflect the global knowledge economy

• Working with U.S. PTO, OECD, European and Japanese Patent Offices and the World International Patent Office to build a high-value patents database

• Working with OECD, UNESCO/UIS, and the EU/Eurostat to improve the quality of internationally comparable education, workforce and mobility data as well as continually improving R&D data

• Participating in OECD/Chinese project to map the Innovation System of China

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