Asia: Rising Stars of Science and Engineering

Posted on January 22, 2007  Comments (5)

Great report – The Atlas of Ideas: How Asian innovation can benefit us all by Charles Leadbeater and James Wilsdon:

Each country will develop differently. In South Korea strong government support has created a world-class information infrastructure.

China is mobilising massive resources for innovation through ambitious long-term plans, funded by rapid economic growth. Beijing’s university district produces as many engineers as all of western Europe. China is developing world-class universities and attracting multinational innovation centres.

India’s elite, trained at the Indian Institutes of Technology, are second to none. New institutions like the National Science and Engineering Foundation could energise a disjointed innovation system. Yet India’s innovation elite may face a rural backlash. Its infrastructure is in poor repair and cities like Bengalooru are congested. Even the much-vaunted IITs do not, unlike their US counterparts, animate innovation clusters.
Percentage of world share of scientific publications

Year China France Germany Japan Korea UK US EU-15
1995 2.05 6.09 7.62 8.65 0.79 8.88 33.54 34.36
1998 2.90 6.48 8.82 9.42 1.41 9.08 31.63 36.85
2001 4.30 6.33 8.68 9.52 2.01 8.90 31.01 36.55
2004 6.52 5.84 8.14 8.84 2.70 8.33 30.48 35.18

Excellent reading, the report is full of useful information I have not been able to obsorb yet.
Related: Diplomacy and Science ResearchThe World’s Best Research UniversitiesEngineering the Future EconomyWorldwide Science and Engineering Doctoral Degree DataUSA Under-counting Engineering GraduatesIncreasing American Fellowship Support for Scientists and Engineers

South East Asian economies herald a new dawn of technological innovation:

Flowing through the airports of Asia’s innovation hotspots are research scientists, corporate innovation managers and serial entrepreneurs, flooding back from the US and carrying with them Western management methods, money, contacts and ambition. They are attracted by a potent cocktail — fast-growing markets, plentiful state funding for research and middle-class lifestyles in increasingly cosmopolitan cities.

5 Responses to “Asia: Rising Stars of Science and Engineering”

  1. CuriousCat: Ranking Univiersities Worldwide
    April 3rd, 2007 @ 8:58 am

    […] And the various rankings should be a able to track shifts in the most influential institutions and relative country strength over time. How quickly those rankings track changes will vary depending on the measures used. I would imagine most will lag the “real” changes […]

  2. Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Singapore Research Fellowship
    November 10th, 2007 @ 12:23 pm

    Singapore National Research Foundation Research Fellowship offers complete freedom and a 3-year research grant of up to US$1.5million, with possible extension for another 3 years for talented scientists and researchers at or under the age of 35 years…

  3. CuriousCat: Enginering Education in India
    June 5th, 2008 @ 8:23 am

    “On the other hand, tier-I and tier-II colleges, namely the IITs, IISc and the NITs produce , less than 1% of engineering graduates, 20% M.Techs and 40% PhD in India”

  4. CuriousCat: Tapping America’s Potential
    July 18th, 2008 @ 6:23 am

    “America’s ability to innovate begins with the talent, knowledge and creative thinking of its workforce, and businesses and government must continue to work together to strengthen science and technology education…”

  5. Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Cuts for British Science
    December 17th, 2009 @ 7:28 pm

    […] However, they are more reluctant to actually spend money than to talk about the wonders of science. Several countries in Asia are not just talking, they continue to invest, large amounts of money. The USA seems to be willing […]

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