Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development (CSTED) > Science and Technology Policy Program

The Science and Technology Policy Program, a Washington-based research unit of SRI International, is structured to provide decision-makers with interdisciplinary research and analysis concerning major national and international scientific and technological (S&T) issues. Commissioned studies, frequently based on the generation and analysis of primary source data, are designed to provide both future policy options and objective assessments of past efforts. The program uses a multi-dimensional research approach, integrating the analysis of S&T policy formation, R&D infrastructure, and resources - using quantitative measures of personnel, expenditures, and scientific research outputs - together with evaluation by technical experts in the fields under consideration.

Research Areas

The National Science Foundation has been a source of major support for objective analytic assessments of science activities in countries and regions throughout the world. Other sponsors have included the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Commerce, the Office of Naval Research, and the Department of State. Examples of Science and Technology Policy Program work include:

• Worldwide S&T assessments and analyses of national S&T policies, programs, and capabilities, both in the public and private sectors. Analyses have been completed on Brazil, France, India, Japan, South Korea, Latin America, Taiwan, Germany, Australia, and others. These analyses often include examination of the role of science and technology in national foreign policy.

• Assessments of international, bilateral cooperative S&T programs between the United States and Brazil, Israel, Italy, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the former Soviet Union.

• Analyses and comparisons of national R&D expenditures and research systems in France, India, Japan, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Italy, and the former Soviet Union.

• Science and engineering personnel studies, examining such issues as the impact of foreign science and engineering students in the United States, the international mobility of U.S. and foreign scientists and engineers (particularly those in emerging scientific specialties), and participation of U.S. and foreign personnel in large-scale research facilities in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

• Reports on worldwide S&T information dissemination, including an assessment of potential methods for improving access to government-generated information about international S&T developments and a feasibility study which considered an electronic bulletin board as a means of improving national and international communication on topics of scientific importance.

• Applying computer modeling of scientific-literature databases to S&T policy assessments of, for example, the analysis of research activity in developing countries; NSF cooperative science programs in Italy and India; the identification of strong research activity in German science; the identification of European centers of materials research activity; the examination of scientific mobility in biotechnology, especially between universities and industry; the generation of profiles describing private and governmental organizations' research portfolios; and the development of indicators related to S&T/economic development linkages.