Fostering the development of human resources for science and technology

The education, training and deployment of human capital in science and technology remain critical to scientific discovery and the advancement of knowledge. In modern times, invest- ment in scientific human capital has been a cornerstone of the economic development policies of OECD countries as well as for emerging economies seeking to climb the development ladder. Ensuring an adequate scientific workforce, however, is not dependent solely on demographic numbers or investment in early education but it is closely linked to how the science and education system of a country is structured, how research priorities are set and how and what research is funded. Togeth- er these developments are creating new challenges for govern- ments, higher education institutions and business. In order to provide a platform for discussion the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) together with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) jointly organised a Conference on Fostering the Development of Human Resources for Science and Technologythat was held in Rome, Italy on 5-6 June 2003. This event brought together relevant stake- holders from government, higher education institutions, business and civil society to discuss the challenges and solutions to building a scientific workforce as well as to identi- fy areas for further investigation. This book presents the collection of papers prepared for the Conference and is organised in four parts. The first one presents the main issues as emerging from the background documents prepared by the OECD and the introductory addresses of the Conference hosts and organisers. The discus- sion guide has been prepared by the OECD to focus and provide input for the discussion during the Conference, but in itself it stands as a useful guide through the main themes of contemporary debate on human resources for S&T. The background report has been written by the OECD and explores the recent trends, challenges and policy responses related to human resources in the science system of OECD countries. The information contained in this document is built also upon the activity of the OECD Ad Hoc Group on Steering and Funding of Research Institutions and draws on OECD data. The second part of the proceedings examines evidence of mismatches in the demand and supply of researchers and scientists in OECD countries and explores whether the causes are cyclical or structural The third part aims to identify the recent and on-going changes in the demand for R&D personnel - in both the public and business sectors - and the implications for research train- ing systems. The fourth part presents lessons from recent policies to enhance the quality and quantity of S&T personnel.