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January 25, 2022 – China overtakes the United States in world scientific leadership in several key areas, according to a new report by the National Science Council.
The board, led by the National Science Foundation, is preparing a report for the president and Congress for even years, outlining where the United States is globally in scientific progress.
This year’s State of Science and Engineering in the United States highlighted some areas in which China has taken the lead, including the number of articles published and patents awarded.
According to the report, six countries produce more than 50% of the world’s peer-reviewed scientific and engineering publications: China (23%), the United States (16%), India (5%), Germany (4%), the United Kingdom (4%) and Japan. (3%).
From 2000 to 2020, high-income countries, such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, issued publications more slowly (3% increase in production) than middle-income countries such as China, Russia and Brazil (with an average increase in production of 11%).
China also leads the middle-income countries in the number of patents, ahead of high-income countries. China’s share of international patents jumped from 16% in 2010 to 49% in 2020. The US share has fallen from 15% to 10% in that time; Japan fell from 35% to 15%; and the share of European Union countries fell from 12% to 8%.
The report also found that the United States lags behind China in its global contribution to the growth of research and development as a whole.
“It would be the height of arrogance to think that [the United States] would lead in everything. So I think the most important thing is for the United States to decide where it can’t be number two, “said Julia Phillips, a doctor of applied physics who chairs the board committee that oversees the report.science.
That’s what Phillips, who is also the interior secretary of the US National Academy of Engineering, said science that its top priority will be to lead in basic research, but the government has not had impressive experience in this in recent decades. She doubts, for example, that Congress will pass legislation that promotes a much larger National Science Foundation over the next five years, or a 2022 appropriations bill that will give the foundation a big cash infusion.
In terms of potential strategies, “maintaining pathways for foreign talent and providing educational opportunities for international students are crucial to maintaining STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] workforce “, the authors conclude in the report
Foreign talent
The board’s report states that international students with temporary visas account for more than half of doctoral degrees in economics, computer science, engineering, mathematics and statistics.
By 2018, China was close to catching up with the United States in the number of doctorates awarded in science and engineering.
Meanwhile, differences continue to exist in Kindergarten-12you STEM education, together with the representation of students in different regions and by demographic and social and economic categories. This is happening against the background of large gaps in the opportunities for higher education in general.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these gaps, with some minority groups reporting higher levels of lack of access to online learning technologies. In addition, enrollment fell sharply during the pandemic for public colleges, which have a large percentage of minority groups. Improving access to high-quality online education will also help address these inequalities, the report said.
Government funding is crucial if the United States wants to win positions, the authors say.
Despite increased federal funding for research and development, the total share of government-funded research and development fell from 31% in 2010 to approximately 21% in 2019, according to the report.
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