In the world of sports, teams study films of their competition and scouts attend games to get as much information as possible. Knowing how the other team trains, what their goals are, and how they perform can be a key to victory against them on the field. In any area of competition, a realistic assessment of a situation can provide the basis for successful strategy.

The United States faces increasing competition in the global marketplace in areas of research and development (R&D), innovation, and investment in technology. The explosion of access to the internet and the expansion of scientific and engineering research outside the United States have increased access to information for people and countries alike. Multinational corporations are globally locating facilities for R&D purposes in addition to traditional manufacturing and sales functions because of the available talent in the workforce, the large potential for market growth, and the high-performance spirit of opportunity in these regions. No matter what innovation policies the United States adopts, the competition for global leadership in science and technology (S&T) will only intensify. Our globally connected and rapidly changing world has resulted in a more diverse mixture of markets, talents, competitors, and contributors for the next generations of scientific discoveries, destructive technologies, and innovation environments.

S & T Strategies of Six Countries: Implications for the United States analyzes the strategies and innovation environments of Japan, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Singapore. These countries vary in their historical and cultural contexts, in the resources on which they can depend, and in their specific S&T objectives. Thus, each country has unique priorities for investment. However, they share the common goal of strengthening their innovation environment. To varying degrees, the strategies of all the countries in this study have significant implications for U.S. national security. All six nations have concluded that their economic competitiveness is a core national security issue and seek to improve and secure their economic well-being through S&T innovation. This book provides a snapshot of these countries’ plans for successful S&T strategies, which they have employed and are currently employing, so that they may provide insight into the United States’ role in today’s competitive environment and contribute to an assessment of U.S. security within that environment.

The recommendations in S & T Strategies of Six Countries support the central call to action in Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5 for America to compete for jobs in the evolving global economy. The possession of quality jobs is the foundation of a high-quality life for the nation’s citizenry. Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited assesses changes in America’s competitive posture in the five years that have elapsed since the seminal report Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future was published.

The National Research Council has produced a number of reports on the subject of global innovation and competitiveness. These books and others lend perspective and contribute to discussion and decision-making.

	S&T Strategies of Six Countries: Implications for the United States An increase in global access to goods and knowledge is transforming world-class science and technology (S&T) by bringing it within the capability of an unprecedented number of global parties who must compete for resources, markets, and talent. In…
	Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5 In the face of so many daunting near-term challenges, U.S. government and industry are letting the crucial strategic issues of U.S. competitiveness slip below the surface. Five years ago, the National Academies prepared Rising Above the Gathering…
	The Dragon and the Elephant: Understanding the Development of Innovation Capacity in China and India: Summary of a Conference The return of the once-dormant economies of China and India to dynamism and growth is one of the most remarkable stories in recent history. The two countries are home to nearly 40 percent of the world’s population, but until recently neither had played an…
	Assessing the Impacts of Changes in the Information Technology R&D Ecosystem: Retaining Leadership in an Increasingly Global Environment The U.S. information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) ecosystem was the envy of the world in 1995. However, this position of leadership is not a birthright, and it is now under pressure. In recent years, the rapid globalization of markets,…
	Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks: Global Best Practice: Report of a Symposium Many nations are currently adopting a variety of directed strategies to launch and support research parks, often with significant financial commitments and policy support. By better understanding how research parks of other nations operate, we can seek to…
	Innovation in Global Industries: U.S. Firms Competing in a New World (Collected Studies) The debate over offshoring of production, transfer of technological capabilities, and potential loss of U.S. competitiveness is a long-running one. Prevailing thinking is that the world is flatthat is, innovative capacity is spreading uniformly; as new…
	Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future In a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S….