Category Archives: ST&I policy

Mining research trends with anomaly detection models: the case of social computing research

Research Examples, Research Type, ST&I indicators, ST&I policy, Strategic planning

We proposed in this study to use anomaly detection models to discover research trends. The application was illustrated by applying a rule-based anomaly detector (WSARE), which was typically used for biosurveillance purpose, in the research trend analysis in social computing research. Based on articles collected from SCI-EXPANDED and CPCI-S databases during 2000 to 2013, we found that the number of social computing studies went up significantly in the past decade, with computer science and engineering among the top important subjects. Followed by China, USA was the largest contributor for studies in this field. According to anomaly detected by the WSARE, social computing research gradually shifted from its traditional fields such as computer science and engineering, to the fields of medical and health, and communication, etc. There was an emerging of various new subjects in recent years, including sentimental analysis, crowdsourcing and e-health. We applied an interdisciplinary network evolution analysis to track changes in interdisciplinary collaboration, and found that most subject categories closely collaborate with subjects of computer science and engineering. Our study revealed that, anomaly detection models had high potentials in mining hidden research trends and may provided useful tools in the study of forecasting in other fields.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-015-1559-9

Author(s): Qing Cheng, Xin Lu, Zhong Liu, Jincai Huang
Organization(s): National University of Defense Technology
Source: Scientometrics
Year: 2015

Social science contributions compared in synthetic biology and nanotechnology

Citation analysis, Research Examples, Research Type, ST&I policy,

With growing attention to societal issues and implications of synthetic biology, we investigate sources of social science publication knowledge in synthetic biology and probe what might be learned by comparison with earlier rounds of social science research in nanotechnology. “Social science” research is broadly defined to include publications in conventional social science as well as humanities, law, ethics, business, and policy fields. We examine the knowledge clusters underpinning social science publications in nanotechnology and synthetic biology using a methodology based on the analysis of cited references. Our analysis finds that social science research in synthetic biology already has traction and direction, rooted in an ethical, legal, and social implications framework. However, compared with nanotechnology, social science research in synthetic biology could further explore opportunities and openings for engagement, anticipatory, and downstream application perspectives that will help to build a wider platform for insights into current and future societal impacts.

For full-text see:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23299460.2014.1002123#.VPTit5Y5B1s

Author(s): Philip Shapira, Jan Youtie, and Yin Li
Organization(s): University of Manchester and Georgia Institute of Technology
Source: Journal of Responsible Innovation
Year: 2015

Why do technology firms publish scientific papers? The strategic use of science by small and midsize enterprises in nanotechnology

Research Examples, ST&I policy, Strategic planning

In the emerging technology domain of nanotechnology, a significant portion of small and midsize enterprises contribute to the scientific literature by publishing their research and development results. However, while considerable attention has been paid to patenting by small and midsize technology firms, the underlying business motivations for such firms to publish scientific papers are not well understood. This paper investigates the scientific publishing patterns of smaller firms engaged in nanotechnology and the factors that underlie this phenomenon. Based on an analysis of 85 US small and midsize enterprises with a minimum of four nanotechnology patents or publications, we test three hypotheses about corporate publishing: reputational gains, absorptive capacity, and strategic spillovers. We find that the small and midsize firms in our sample are more likely to publish when their work is associated with public science and when it involves a greater technological focus, but having a university collaborator is not a significant factor. The results from this study of nanotechnology enterprises suggest that small and midsize technology firms selectively manage and disclose their research based on internal developmental and capacity drivers.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10961-014-9391-6

Author(s): Yin Li, Jan Youtie and Philip Shapira
Organization(s): Georgia Institute of Technology, MIoIR-University of Manchester
Source: The Journal of Technology Transfer
Year: 2015

Epistemic integration of the European Research Area: The shifting geography of the knowledge base of Finnish research, 1995–2010

Research Examples, ST&I policy

The integration of national research systems is one of the central objectives of European research policies. Yet the epistemic objectives of this project have been poorly defined, and scant attention has been paid to whether political, social and financial integration of the European Research Area (ERA) is accompanied by epistemic integration. We discuss the conceptual framework and methodological practices to monitor research integration, and conclude that most of them, such as research collaboration, are only partial indicators of it. To augment existing approaches with an analysis of epistemic integration, we analyse the geographical sources of knowledge of Finnish research in the period 1995–2010. We show a broad shift towards a European knowledge base, demonstrating epistemic integration into the ERA, and that Finnish researchers are, paradoxically, sourcing knowledge from an increasingly distributed system of European knowledge hubs. As policy implications, we recommend clarifying the ERA’s epistemic objectives and redefining its strategy of ‘reducing fragmentation’.

Author(s): Hannes Toivanen and Arho Suominen
Organization(s): VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Source: Science and Public Policy
Year: 2014

http://spp.oxfordjournals.org

Full-text  http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hannes_Toivanen/publication/268771798_Epistemic_integration_of_the_European_Research_Area_The_shifting_geography_of_the_knowledge_base_of_Finnish_research_19952010/links/55d4694e08aec1b042a02ce6.pdf

The global intellectual property landscape of induced pluripotent stem cell technologies

Data Type, Patents, Research Examples, Research profiling, ST&I indicators, ST&I policy

Will freedom to research and innovate be restricted as the induced pluripotent stem cell field advances toward the clinic, or are concerns premature within a rapidly changing ecosystem?

Intellectual property (IP) rights lie at the core of the commercialization process, serving as a powerful incentive to harness the potential of technologies for therapeutic applications. However, when filed inappropriately—with broad or premature claims, for example—or when mismanaged, patents can obstruct vital precompetitive collaborations, dampen investor interest and threaten clinical translation and patient access. Moreover, uncertainties, including those around the validity of claims or the priority of ownership rights, can depress progress.

Although the total number of stem cell patent filings has declined since 2008, patents for iPSC technologies continue to increase8. Analysis of the blistering pace of scientific progress in this area indicates that the growth is unlikely to abate. Widespread concern has been voiced that the emerging ecosystem is becoming burdened by prohibitive and cumulative licensing fees that could restrict scientists’ freedom to research and patients’ equitable access to resulting medical benefits. Although these concerns may be allayed through innovation and industry growth cycles, the upstream production and downstream differentiation of iPSCs into desired cell lineages for application requires numerous interrelated, complex technologies. This distinguishes cellular patents from the evolution of other highly patented industries such as small-molecule drugs and electronics. No single company currently controls the IP for all techniques, methods and reagents required for the production of iPSCs. A global race is underway to establish the most suitable and efficient methods for each of these component technologies.

Author(s): MacKenna Roberts, Ivan B Wall, Ian Bingham, Dominic Icely, Brock Reeve, Kim Bure, Anna French and David A Brindley
Organization(s): Oxford–University College London Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation, University of Oxford
Source: Nature Biotechnology
Year: 2014

http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v32/n8/full/nbt.2975.html

Scientometric trends and knowledge maps of global health systems research

Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type, ST&I policy

In the last few decades, health systems research (HSR) has garnered much attention with a rapid  increase in the related literature. This study aims to review and evaluate the global progress in HSR and assess the current quantitative trends.

Based on data from the Web of Science database, scientometric methods and knowledge visualization techniques were applied to evaluate global scientific production and develop trends of HSR from 1900 to 2012.

HSR has increased rapidly over the past 20 years. Currently, there are 28,787 research articles published in 3,674 journals that are listed in 140 Web of Science subject categories. The research in this field has mainly focused on public, environmental and occupational health (6,178, 21.46%), health care sciences and services (5,840, 20.29%), and general and internal medicine (3,783, 13.14%). The top 10 journals had published 2,969 (10.31%) articles and received 5,229 local citations and 40,271 global citations. The top 20 authors together contributed 628 papers, which accounted for a 2.18% share in the cumulative worldwide publications. The most productive author was McKee, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with 48 articles. In addition, USA and American institutions ranked  the first in health system research productivity, with high citation times, followed by the UK and Canada.

HSR is an interdisciplinary area. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries  showed they are the leading nations in HSR. Meanwhile, American and Canadian institutions and the World Health Organization play a dominant role in the production, collaboration, and citation of high quality articles. Moreover, health policy and analysis research, health systems and sub-systems research, healthcare and services research, health, epidemiology and economics of communicable and non-communicable diseases, primary care research, health economics and health costs, and pharmacy of hospital have been identified as the mainstream topics in HSR fields. These findings will provide evidence of the current status and trends in HSR all over the world, as well as clues to the  impact of this popular topic; thus, helping scientific researchers and policy makers understand the panorama of HSR and predict the dynamic directions of research.

Author(s): Qiang Yao, Kai Chen, Lan Yao, Peng-hui Lyu, Tian-an Yang, Fei Luo, Shan-quan Chen, Lu-yang He and Zhi-yong Liu
Organization(s): Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Source: Health Research Policy and Systems
Year: 2014

http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/pdf/1478-4505-12-26.pdf

The Contribution of Information Science through Intellectual Property to Innovation in the Brazilian Health Sector

Research Examples, Research Type, ST&I indicators, ST&I policy, Strategic planning

In response to the challenges of the 21st century, emerging countries have played an increasingly leading role in the global economy, and public health has been a notable feature of the government agendas in these countries. According to the IMF, Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest potential to stand out in this context. The quantity of research and development into technologies for drugs and medications is important for supporting innovation in the health sector. Information science can therefore help considerably in the analysis of patents, indicating trends, revealing opportunities for investors, and assisting the decision-taking process by private sector managers and government agents. This study is based on the extraction of valuable information contained in the hidden Web through technology foresight of products deemed strategic by the Brazilian Ministry of Heath, which are the target of public policies and investments by the state for domestic production.

Author(s): Adelaide Maria de Souza Antunes, Suzanne de Oliveira Rodrigues Schumacher, Flavia Maria Lins Mendes, Luc Quoniam, and Jorge Lima de Magalhães
Organization(s): National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI),
Brazil & Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
(UFRJ), Aix-Marseille Université
Source: Rethinking the conceptual base for new practical applications in information value and quality (IGI Book series Advances in Information Quality and Management)
Year: 2014

http://vpinstitute.org/the-contribution-of-information-science-through-intellectual-property-to-innovation-in-the-brazilian-health-sector/

Interdisciplinarity and research on local issues: evidence from a developing country

Citation analysis, Interdisciplinarity, Research Examples, Research Type, ST&I policy

This paper examines the role of interdisciplinarity on research pertaining to local issues. Using Colombian publications from 1991 until 2011 in the Web of Science, we investigate the relationship between the degree of interdisciplinarity and the local orientation of the articles. Continue reading Interdisciplinarity and research on local issues: evidence from a developing country →

Measuring the development of a common scientific lexicon in nanotechnology

Research Examples, ST&I policy,

Over the last two decades, nanotechnology has not only grown considerably but also evolved in its use of scientific terminology. This paper examines the growth in nano-prefixed terms in a corpus of nanotechnology scholarly publications over a 21-year time period. Continue reading Measuring the development of a common scientific lexicon in nanotechnology →

The Role of the National Science Foundation in the Origin and Evolution of Additive Manufacturing in the United States

Research evaluation, Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type, ST&I indicators, ST&I policy,

Additive manufacturing (AM) is growing rapidly as a field of research, as well as an emerging technology with the potential to revolutionize manufacturing. Firms in the United States are a dominant player in the field, selling over 70% of the professional grade
machines to date. This is a fitting time to look at the evolution of the field with a critical eye toward determining the roles of various institutions—public funders, private entrepreneurs and inventors, universities, and others—in its development. Continue reading The Role of the National Science Foundation in the Origin and Evolution of Additive Manufacturing in the United States →