Scientific research at universities in emerging economies

Abstract

The objective of the project is to study research-intensive universities in the emerging economies have been developing in recent years. This theme is considered central for the S&T development, including industrial innovation, which justifies such a study in the countries that are trying to intensify those activities, in order to expand their international competitiveness. University research is a relevant aspect of that effort, as it serves as the knowledge basis for other innovation activities, with important impacts, including that on productivity, on the economic outlook of a country. The project will use data from international scientific publications systems like Web of Science/ThomsonReuters to identify the main research universities in emerging economies, including Brazil, and also for some industrialized and recent industrialized economies, as references. Other characteristic of those universities will also be collected from their websites and other sources. The collected data will try to cover at least the most recent decade, depending on availability, to make possible the identification of current trends. The countries to be researched include Brazil, Russia, China, Índia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, Indonesia, and also US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa. From the data collected, and from other characteristics of the universities, the main trends will be identified, such as the research areas that have been expanding faster, by university and/or country. As part of the project, the data collected will be used to group the universities by their main characteristics, in particular those related to scientific productivity, and see how these groups have been evolving in recent years, and to see if, within countries, the development can be related to policies directed higher education.