US shows signs of losing R&D dominance
While Europe is preoccupied with catching up with the US in terms of research and development (R&D), the US is developing its own insecurities about its position on the global R&D stage. Today, we stand at a pivotal moment,' said US Senator and Democratic Leader Tom Daschle at a recent US science forum. 'For all our past successes, there are disturbing signs that America's dominant position in the scientific world is being shaken.' Mr Daschle cited a recent study that highlighted how the US' rate of scientific discovery is lagging behind that of European countries. The number of scientific papers published by US researchers declined last year, and has remained low for several years. 'In contrast, every country in Europe has increased its rate of discovery. In the last two decades of the 20th century, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom doubled their production of doctorates in science and engineering. Japan doubled its production of science and engineering doctorates in just one of those decades. If this stagnation is allowed to continue, it will have profound implications for every aspect of American society. If we are to remain the land of the future, we must reaffirm the partnership that created America's dominant position within the world of science,' said Mr Daschle. The number of Nobel Prizes awarded to US researchers has also decreased. While the coveted awards went almost automatically to the US in the 1960s, the work of researchers from the UK, Japan, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland is increasingly being recognised by the Nobel Committee. The loss of US domination is believed by many to be the result of rising standards of living in other parts of the world, particularly Asia. 'It's all because of the swayings of globalisation,' Jack Fritz from the US National Academy of Engineering is quoted as saying in the German magazine, Der Spiegel. While other countries are striving to increase international mobility, and are making the most of what globalisation has to offer in this respect, US science is dogged by strict visa regulations which are preventing foreign researchers from working in the US. Applications to US universities from foreign students have fallen by one quarter since 2001, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). A change of mood since the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York has also influenced US research policy in another way. President George Bush's four year budget proposals would see increased R&D budgets for only three agencies over the next five years, according to the director of the AAAS R&D budget and policy programme, Kei Koizumi: the Department of Defence, NASA and the Department of Homeland Security. 'The projected cuts to most non-defence R&D programmes would leave key programmes with budgets well below recent historical levels,' said Dr Koizumi. Europe's policy makers may be reassured to some extent by the self-questioning in the US, but they cannot afford to be complacent. Another of the EU's global competitors, Japan, has been a major R&D player for some time, and already spends over three per cent of its GDP on research. And already, its neighbours in Asia are catching up fast.
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