In many research sectors, the United States is losing its leadership role as a top developer and innovator in lieu of rising successes in other countries and regions. It is critical to continuously perform an analysis of the global science landscape to identify specific countries, including "newcomers" in certain science and technology fields, which represent opportunities for the United States to remain engaged with the cusp of scientific development and innovation to ensure that no fruitful opportunities are lost in development areas ranging from medicine to industry to communication.
This interdisciplinary proposed workshop seeks to develop novel approaches and methodologies to identify innovation partnerships and collaboration opportunities with international partners that are mutually beneficial and contribute to national science, technology, and economic development goals. Among the goals of the proposed workshop are discussions of novel and proven methodologies for such an analysis, and sources of available data. This workshop is expected to yield state-of-the-science reports that will be instrumental to our knowledge of comparative innovation engagement strategies, comprising efforts from senior scholars in academia, practitioners in industry, and decision makers in government.
It is imperative to actively seek opportunities to partner with other countries that have complementary innovation capabilities and facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology. As the pace of innovation continues to grow, so too does our need to identify potential working partners well before their proficiency is internationally established and recognized. A predictive model that identifies "up-and coming" players for various fields of scientific innovation, based on a set of measurable and defensible indicators, will allow the US to better leverage current research relationships and forge new ones. This knowledge will grant the US better access to and knowledge of various emerging technologies, ensure domestic competitiveness with international markets, advance the opportunities for science diplomacy beyond the US's traditional allies, and support our national security interests.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
