OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2021: Times of Crisis and Opportunity.

In Immediate Responses To The Covid-19 Crisis, Science And Innovation Are Playing Essential Roles In Providing A Better Scientific Understanding Of The Virus, As Well As In The Development Of Vaccines, Treatments And Diagnostics. Both The Public And Private Sectors Have Poured Billions Of Dollars Into These Efforts, Accompanied By Unprecedented Levels Of Global Cooperation. Foreword Acknowledgements Table of contents Acronyms and abbreviations Executive summary The STI systems’ response to COVID-19 has been decisive, rapid and significant Looking forward, STI policies should be recalibrated to tackle the long-term challenges of sustainability, inclusivity and resiliency 1 COVID-19: A pivot point for science, technology and innovation? Introduction STI responses to the COVID-19 crisis and impacts on STI systems Public research organisations and researchers’ responses and impacts Research activities that respond to COVID-19 Rapid deployment of research on solutions to COVID-19 Provision of scientific advice to policy makers and the public Open access to journal articles has reached unprecedented levels Impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the public research sector Limited access to research infrastructures and tools during lockdown The “COVID-isation” of research Decline in income from research and tuition fees Effect of lockdown measures on researchers and successful adoption of digital substitutes Negative impacts on young and female researchers Mobilising business innovation Business innovation activities in response to COVID-19 Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on business research and innovation Innovative companies were hit by lockdowns Innovation performance persisted and recovered Asymmetric impacts of the COVID-19 crisis across sectors Business creation during the first wave of COVID-19 Venture-capital funding for innovative entrepreneurship Mobilising STI policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic STI policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic Fast-tracking of research initiatives Accelerating innovation to respond to COVID-19 Support for STI systems to withstand the pandemic shock Key uncertainties, critical pivot points, and their implications for STI systems and policy choices The uncertain evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic Key uncertainties and critical pivot points presented by COVID-19 Societal preferences and values The issues at stake and their implications for STI Tracking developments on public perceptions of the roles of STI and governments Pace and direction of digitalisation The issues at stake and their implications for STI Tracking developments on the uptake of digital technologies Scale and distribution of socio-economic impacts The issues at stake and their implications for STI Tracking developments on the scale and distribution of socio-economic impacts related to COVID-19 International relations and the global order The issues at stake and their implications for STI Tracking developments on international relations and the global order The future orientation of STI policies Government support for STI Directionality of STI policies Conclusions Outline of the book References Notes 2 Mobilising public research funding and infrastructures in times of crisis Introduction Resources unlocked for research on COVID-19 Research areas supported by new research funding initiatives Challenges in managing emergency research funding projects Priority-setting Fast-tracking research proposals Uncertainties on the long-term impacts of emergency research funding Quality and impact of the science produced Long-term impact on research domains Impact on the science-funding system Effective mobilisation of research infrastructures Fast-track access Data-sharing Co-ordination New COVID-19 dedicated research In conclusion, RIs have demonstrated considerable flexibility during the crisis The challenge of scientific dissemination in times of crisis Lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis References Notes 3 Challenges and new demands on the academic research workforce Introduction The quest for research excellence Precarity of research careers Strengthening the links between academia and other sectors Digital transformation and data intensive science Science to address societal challenges A new approach to scientific research training, evaluation and careers References Notes 4 Government support for business research and innovation in a world in crisis Introduction Support for business research and innovation today The importance of public support for innovation Government support for innovation before the COVID-19 crisis Other recent trends influencing current innovation support systems Improving the policy mix for support to business innovation Understanding how support instruments work Implementation matters A shift towards greater directionality of business support for innovation Support for business innovation in times of crisis: The COVID-19 shock Lessons from previous crises This time is different Business innovation support as part of the government response The medium to long-term outlook for business innovation support Possible scenarios and implications Conclusions References Notes 5 Resolving global challenges and crises through international collaboration Introduction Stepping up collaboration to fight COVID-19 Collaboration has been a hallmark of STI responses to the pandemic crisis Public-private partnerships are at the heart of COVID-19 countermeasures STI co-operation supporting timely and globally equitable solutions to COVID-19 The essential roles of global R&D preparedness Beyond COVID-19, international STI collaboration is needed to meet global challenges Global public goods and global challenges Towards a new paradigm for international collaboration on STI International STI co-operation is fragmented International financing of GPGs: the case of blended finance in STI Geopolitical developments and their impact on international STI co-operation The role of international organisations Outlook for international STI collaboration References Notes 6 Why accelerate the development and deployment of robots? Introduction The promise of robotics Robots as a strategic technology Emerging robot capabilities Robots and jobs Current and emerging uses of robots in healthcare Robots in the laboratory Robots in patient screening and initial care Robot surgeons Robotic exoskeletons Robots in the supply chain Autonomous hospital-delivery robots Robot disinfectors Micro-robots for drug delivery Robots supporting mental health Robots in elderly care and nursing homes Robots and public policy Interdisciplinarity in robotics research Robotics research needs public-private partnerships Support for technology transfer Moonshots for robotics in society Diffusion of robots in healthcare Education and training Regulation Conclusion References Notes 7 Accelerating innovation to meet global challenges: The role of engineering biology Introduction The promise of biofoundries The biofoundry as a public-private partnership Potential applications Vaccines Diagnostics and medical devices Other trends in bio-based products The shift from biofuels to higher-value bio-based products New materials: Spider silks Adipic acid as a petrochemical equivalent Green chemistry Long-term data storage Emerging issues and policy implications Pre-competitive public infrastructure Business risks in the value chain Policy co-ordination Public acceptance Digital security: An emerging threat for policy makers Future outlook References Notes 8 Governance of science, technology and innovation for crisis and recovery Introduction Scientific advice in times of crisis How are countries meeting these challenges? Digital technologies and data for government decision-making Horizontal co-ordination to help fight COVID-19 Co-ordinating STI policy with other policy fields Co-ordinating COVID-19 research initiatives Co-ordinating efforts to communicate about funding opportunities Governments leading collective action: Mission-oriented innovation policies A range of tailor-made systemic policies for different missions The mission-orientation imperative The main MOIP models Technology governance Responsible research and innovation Participatory technology assessment Future outlook Revisiting policy goals Revisiting policy theories and frameworks Revisiting policy practices Revisiting government capabilities References Notes