Research boom in developing world

Science funding in developing countries grew three times more rapidly than in developed countries between 2002 and 2007, says a linkurl:report;http://www.uis.unesco.org/ev.php?ID=7793_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC released last week (October 6) from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics in Montreal, Canada. But a country-by-country analysis shows that not all developing regions consider supporting research a priority. Image: CIA World Factbook "I am delighted with the increase in funding," said linkurl:Mohame

Written byKatherine Bagley

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Image: CIA World Factbook

"I am delighted with the increase in funding," said linkurl:Mohamed H.A. Hassan,;http://www.interacademycouncil.net/?id=10084 executive director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, an international organization that promotes science-based sustainable development. However, he said, "we have a long way to go in our efforts to build both capacity and excellence in science in developing countries." Developing countries more than doubled their annual spending on research and development between 2002 and 2007, from $135 billion to $274 billion. That spending accounted for 24% of the world's total R&D budget in 2007, an increase of 7% from 2002. They also increased their global share of researchers, from 30.3% (1.8 million) to 38.4% (2.7 million). While the figures are promising, warned Martin Schaaper, one of the authors of the UNESCO report, they do not represent equal improvement in funding in all developing countries. China heavily influenced the statistics, accounting for 39% of all R&D spending and 53% of researchers in the developing world. Of the 149 developing countries surveyed for the report, China also had the largest percentage, 1.5% in 2007, of gross domestic product (GDP) allocated to R&D. Based on the UN's definition of "developing" and "developed," only four other countries -- Korea, Singapore, Tunisia, and Brazil -- dedicated more than 1.0% of their GDP to R&D. Taiwan also allocated more than 1.0%, said Schaaper, but because the UN does not recognize the economy of Taiwan, it was not included in the statistical analysis. Also, several countries recognized by the World Bank but not the UN as "developing" allocated approximately 1.0% or more of their GDP to R&D, including Montenegro, the Russian Federation, Belarus, and South Africa. On average, African countries budgeted 0.4% of their GDP to R&D. In comparison, developed countries averaged 2.3% in 2007. "We weren't surprised by the increase in funding," said Schaaper. "Developing countries have realized that supporting R&D is a main component of economic growth and we have seen several recent science policy reforms as a result." But it is still not enough, he said, considering approximately 80% of the world's population lives in these regions. Hassan also noted that even though there has been a slight increase in research reported in peer-reviewed publications from scientists in developing countries, the additional R&D funding has not produced influential science. "The money could be more effectively targeted" to promote excellence in education and higher quality research, he said. The Institute of Statistics' survey on science and technology is conducted every two years. Full details of the institute's results can be found on its linkurl:website.;http://www.uis.unesco.org/ev.php?ID=2867_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
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