GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT - Leading Research Economies and the New Geography of Knowledge

7/28/2019 GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT - Leading Research Economies and the New Geography of Knowledge

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JONATHAN ADAMS

COMMITTEE ON INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION

GLOBAL UNIVERSITY SUMMIT 2012, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT

LEADING RESEARCH ECONOMIES ANDTHE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF KNOWLEDGE

APRIL 2012

REUTERS/JOHN KOLESIDIS

DEVELOPING TALENT TO DRIVE INNOVATION


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There is no question that economic competitiveness

depends on innovative processes and products

developed by talented people working in knowledge-based organizations.

The Higher Education sector has a unique and

critical role to play because it is the source o skilled

and knowledge-competent people. Graduates and

doctoral researchers contribute to the development

o the knowledge capital within their institutions.

That enables those institutions to generate cutting-

edge papers and reports, create start-up companies

and collaborate with local and global commercial

partners. But the graduates also leave those

institutions and spread out across the economy

bringing with them both knowledge and the ability to

use knowledge to the huge benet o their employers.

Countries that invest in their research base are

not only committing to the direct development o

knowledge and innovation. They are also supporting

the knowledge-rich environment in which people are

trained and develop their talents. Laboratories and

institutions with great research records also producepeople who have been soaked in that environment

and have experienced the culture and discipline o

identiying the most important inormation and then

putting it to the best use. Whether this is in molecular

biology, innovative materials, new design concepts

or breakthrough economic theory, it all impacts on

wealth creation and the quality o lie.

For these reasons the level o investment, the

numbers o trained researchers and the output and

impact o the research base are key perormance

indicators o value to governments, research and

higher education agencies and all research-oriented

institutions and companies. This report summarizesa key set o such indicators or a group o major

research economies that collectively account or

about 60% o global research publications in journals

indexed in Thomson Reuters Web of KnowledgeSM.

GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORTLEADING RESEARCH ECONOMIES ANDTHE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF KNOWLEDGE

THE FOLLOWING ANALYSES USE CONSISTENT COLORS TO DESIGNATE THESE COUNTRIES:

OECD data on Gross expenditure on R&D (GERD)conrm

that Japan, the US and Germany are investing relatively more

o GDP in their research base. Chinas GERD has increased

dramatically in absolute terms and is also growing as a share

o an expanding GDP. This represents a huge additional

investment in global research.

Within Europe, Germanys GERD is substantially greater than

any other country. France has broadly maintained its research

spend but in the UK the level o investment shows signs o

decline and the UK remains behind the general EU target on

expenditure.

Research spend in Asia will be the major change actor in thenext decade.

More researchers as well as greater expenditure are

characteristic o the research economies in Japan and the

USA. EU countries have around 8 researchers per thousand

people in the labor orce but the USA is at 9 and Japan at 10.

Chinas labor orce remains relatively unskilled, but in absolute

numbers it has as many researchers OECDs relatively more

skilled category o workers as Western Europe.

Ph.D. training in China is still expanding. It is evident that the

balance o highly skilled, R&D-competent workers in Asia willgrow very signicantly over the next decade. This is unlikely to

be counterbalanced by established economies.


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THE FOLLOWING ANALYSES USE CONSISTENT COLORS TO DESIGNATE THESE COUNTRIES:

Research papers (journal articles and reviews) are the primary

route to disseminating new knowledge in most science

disciplines. The US share o world papers has been declining

or some time. This was initially due to research growth in

Europe but is now much more refective o growth by Asia and

in particular China.

Chinas output has risen so rapidly that it has more than

doubled its share o world papers in the last decade. This

unprecedented trajectory shows little sign o fattening.

In Europe, the UK and Germany remain well ahead o France

but all three see their world share declining.

Research impact is essential for identifying output that

is worth exploiting. We can index impact by comparing the

average number o citations per paper to the relevant world

average or year and subject area.

The USA was the world leader but research quality in Europe

has improved over the last decade and the UK is on average

now producing higher-impact papers.

In Asia, China has improved its average perormance. Data

conrm that it is producing many excellent papers. Much

o its output explosion is more modest in quality, however,

which means that its average impact remains well behind the

world average.

A Research Footprint uses a deconstructed picture o

citation impact to compare each country by major discipline

area both with the others in the analysis and with a worldaverage (1.0).

The USA has somewhat the highest citation impact in physical

sciences and engineering but the UK has a clear advantage

in the lie sciences. Germany and France are close behind the

USA in engineering and ahead in biology.

China is clearly stronger in engineering and weaker in

molecular biology. That refects its historical research

investment but it is now diversiying its research base into

the lie sciences. It will become equally competitive in these

key areas.

The changing geography o knowledge requires us to review

our assumptions. But the data on investment, workorce,

outputs and impact point less to a weakening o old

economies and more to unprecedented change in new

research economies. What we see in China is written more

nely but equally clearly or other Asia-Pacic countries, the

Middle East, North Arica and Latin America.

Brazil is creating a Latin-regional ocus; Egypt is a key hub between the Middle East and Arica; China is diversiying a collaborative network

around the Pacic basin. Future global research will require a shit in mindset towards balanced partnerships in which the old alliances will

not always lead.

New economies bring new ideas about problem denition and problem solving as well as innovative outcomes. Universities can lead the

way in establishing knowledge partnerships, showing governments where national interest could be directed. Knowledge will be gained not

only through intelligence and literature reviews but much more via hands-on engagement.


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ISBN 1-904431-31-3

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Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters

ABOUT THOMSON REUTERS

Thomson Reuters is the worlds leading source o intelligent inormation or businesses

and proessionals. Our Research Analytics solutions rom the IP & Science business allow

administrators to track, measure, analyze and compare research at their institution and

others around the world. Based on the objective, reliable data in Web o Science, these

oerings provide insight into trends and perormance, giving leaders concrete evidence

to dene strategic direction.

For more inormation, go to researchanalytics.thomsonreuters.com/impact/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Adams is Director, Research Evaluation. He was a ounding Director o

Evidence Ltd, the UK specialist on research perormance analysis and interpretation

and was ormerly a member o the science policy sta o the UK Advisory Board or the

Research Councils.

FOR MORE GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORTS VISIT:

researchanalytics.thomsonreuters.com/grr

GLOBAL RESEARCH REPORT - Leading Research Economies and the New Geography of Knowledge

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