Publications & Documents

This report presents new insights on trends in business R&D performance and funding, drawing on the micro-aggregated R&D and tax relief statistics collected for 21 OECD countries as part of the OECD microBeRD project. Micro-aggregated statistics provide an important input for policy analysis, highlighting important variations in business R&D performance and funding across industries and different types of firms that are hard to uncover based on aggregate R&D and tax relief statistics. They shed light on country and industry specific trends in the concentration of R&D activity, business R&D dynamics, the structure of R&D performance among different types of firms and the way that they fund their R&D activities. Such evidence can be relevant in assessing the contribution of different types of firms (e.g. young firms, foreign-controlled affiliates) and individuals (e.g. female R&D staff, doctorate holders) to research and development in the business sector and designing business R&D support policies.

Society’s dependence on space infrastructure is at a critical juncture. Public and private actors worldwide are planning to launch tens of thousands of satellites into Earth’s orbit in the next five years. This will greatly expand and enrich the use of space resources, but it will also result in more crowded orbits and greater risk of damage from satellite collision and space debris. As satellite launches continue to multiply and concerns grow, the long-term sustainability of space-based infrastructure on orbit and beyond is set to emerge as an increasingly important space policy issue of the 21st century. This publication takes stock of the growing socio-economic dependence of our modern societies on space assets, and the general threats to space-based infrastructure from debris in particular. Notably, it provides fresh insights into the value of space-based infrastructure and the potential costs generated by space debris, drawing on new academic research developed especially for the OECD project on the economics of space sustainability.

L'Agenda 2030 pour le développement durable est un ensemble d'objectifs et de cibles qui visent à transformer notre monde dans le sens de la durabilité. Alors qu'il reste moins d'une décennie pour atteindre ces objectifs, la zone OCDE dans son ensemble n'a atteint ou n'est sur le point d'atteindre qu'un quart des objectifs. Cette synthèse explore les principales conclusions de notre rapport Un chemin court et sinueux jusqu’à 2030 : Mesurer la distance à parcourir pour atteindre les cibles des ODD qui examine la lenteur des progrès réalisés par les pays de l'OCDE pour atteindre de nombreuses cibles des ODD et souligne la nécessité d'actions politiques fortes pour réaliser l'ensemble de l'Agenda 2030. Favoriser l'inclusion, inverser la baisse à long terme de la confiance des citoyens dans les institutions et répondre aux pressions environnementales croissantes sont quelques-uns des domaines clés sur lesquels les pays de l'OCDE doivent se concentrer pour progresser davantage.

Les responsabilités en matière d’intégrité et de sécurité de la recherche sont réparties entre de multiples acteurs de l’écosystème scientifique international. Parmi eux figurent les administrations nationales, les organismes de financement de la recherche, les établissements de recherche, les universités, les associations académiques et les organisations intergouvernementales. Le présent rapport décrit les initiatives et mesures prises par ces différents acteurs pour préserver la sécurité nationale et économique tout en protégeant la liberté de questionnement, en favorisant la coopération scientifique internationale et en œuvrant en faveur de l’ouverture et de la non-discrimination. Il présente des exemples de mesures prises pour éviter l’ingérence étrangère, gérer les risques et favoriser la confiance dans la science à l’avenir, et il formule des recommandations afin d’aider les pays à se doter de politiques efficaces pour renforcer la sécurité et, plus largement, l’intégrité de la recherche.

This working paper contains guidance, of a voluntary and indicative nature, on the implementation of business R&D surveys, consistent with the standards and proposals contained in the OECD Frascati Manual. The document is oriented towards experts in charge of designing and implementing official R&D surveys, but may be also valuable to academics and researchers with a similar practical orientation. It aims to promote widespread testing and implementation in view of a potential future revision of the Frascati Manual or release of complementary annexes.

This paper discusses how countries’ vision for science, technology and innovation (STI) priorities has evolved through COVID-19. The analysis was conducted on a sample of 171 STI strategy documents from 11 countries that were released between 2013 and 2021. Depending on the context, these documents seek to build consensus, manage actors, communicate or signal directions for policy, or achieve internal organisational motives. Most of the documents that have emerged since the COVID-19 crisis focus on a dominant ambitious societal goal and specific technologies to implement that goal. For example, environmental sustainability is a shared goal across different countries’ STI strategies, but its specific meaning differs. Most countries’ STI strategies also identify digitalisation as an important tool to achieve other socio-economic goals. Inclusivity is prominent in agendas reflecting country-specific circumstance. Improving resilience is a shared priority and increased in prominence with the COVID-19 experience.

Co-creation – the joint production of innovation between combinations of industry, research, government and civil society – was widely used to respond to the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper describes 30 COVID-19 co-creation initiatives from 21 countries and three international cases. The template focuses on initiatives’ core characteristics, including information on key co-creation partners and their contributions, key outcomes as well as the initiatives’ size. The comparative evidence gathered through interviews with case study initiative leaders also describes what co-creation instruments were used, how networks leading to the collaboration were built, what type of cross-disciplinary co-operation took place, and what role governments played in the process and the procedures adopted to deal with the COVID-19 'exceptionality', including the urgency of producing implementable solutions. The information gathered provides a basis for analyses on co-creation initiatives during COVID-19 and for drawing potential policy implications.

Co-creation – the joint production of innovation between combinations of industry, research, government and civil society – was widely used to respond to COVID-19 challenges. This paper analyses 30 international co-creation initiatives that were implemented to address COVID-19 challenges. Evidence on these initiatives was gathered based on structured interviews with initiative leaders. Existing co-creation networks enabled the rapid emergence of new initiatives to address urgent needs, while digital technologies enabled establishing new – and, where necessary, socially distanced – collaborations. Aside from funding initiatives, governments engaged actively in co-creation by granting access to their networks, advising on initiative goals and offering support to improve quick delivery. The role of civil society was important as well, and the socially impactful nature of research and innovation was a motivating factor for engagement. Harnessing a similarly strong motivation is an important driver of effective future co-creation endeavours also to address the challenges of the green transition.

This study assesses the implementation of the recommendations from the OECD Innovation Policy Review of Norway 2017 along four major themes: (1) Developing research communities of outstanding quality; (2) Enhancing competitiveness and innovation capacity; (3) Tackling major social challenges; and (4) Improving the governance of the science, technology and innovation system. The results of this assessment are then used to identify new opportunities for reforms in the Norwegian Long-term plan for Research and Higher Education 2023-2032. While focused on Norway, the report also provides lessons on key issues, such as the sustainable transition of advanced economies, that can be useful in other national contexts.