Investment In Basic Research Research Articles

Research on the Rapid Development of China's Industrial Economy and Its Enlightenment to Vietnam

In recent years, facing profound adjustments in the global economy, China has clearly formulated and implemented strategies for the development of its industrial economy. These strategies include strengthening infrastructure, enhancing workforce quality, and expanding both domestic and international markets, effectively spurring rapid growth in the industrial sector. Despite significant achievements, China's industrial sector still faces challenges such as environmental pollution, limited innovative capacity in key technological areas, insufficient investment in basic research, and inadequate development of international markets. Drawing from China's experiences, it is suggested that Vietnam adopt similar strategies to modernize and internationalize its own industrial economy. This approach could accelerate Vietnam's industrial progress and boost its global competitiveness. However, Vietnam should adapt these strategies to its own unique context, emphasizing innovation-driven growth, high-value industries, and digital infrastructure development. By balancing state-driven industrial growth with private sector innovation, Vietnam can establish a resilient and competitive industrial base for long-term success.

Research Progress and Application Prospects of Solid-State Hydrogen Storage Technology.

Solid-state hydrogen storage technology has emerged as a disruptive solution to the "last mile" challenge in large-scale hydrogen energy applications, garnering significant global research attention. This paper systematically reviews the Chinese research progress in solid-state hydrogen storage material systems, thermodynamic mechanisms, and system integration. It also quantitatively assesses the market potential of solid-state hydrogen storage across four major application scenarios: on-board hydrogen storage, hydrogen refueling stations, backup power supplies, and power grid peak shaving. Furthermore, it analyzes the bottlenecks and challenges in industrialization related to key materials, testing standards, and innovation platforms. While acknowledging that the cost and performance of solid-state hydrogen storage are not yet fully competitive, the paper highlights its unique advantages of high safety, energy density, and potentially lower costs, showing promise in new energy vehicles and distributed energy fields. Breakthroughs in new hydrogen storage materials like magnesium-based and vanadium-based materials, coupled with improved standards, specifications, and innovation mechanisms, are expected to propel solid-state hydrogen storage into a mainstream technology within 10-15 years, with a market scale exceeding USD 14.3 billion. To accelerate the leapfrog development of China's solid-state hydrogen storage industry, increased investment in basic research, focused efforts on key core technologies, and streamlining the industry chain from materials to systems are recommended. This includes addressing challenges in passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and hydrogen refueling stations, and building a collaborative innovation ecosystem involving government, industry, academia, research, finance, and intermediary entities to support the achievement of carbon peak and neutrality goals and foster a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient modern energy system.

From local to global: A theory of public basic research in a globalized world

We analyze public basic research in a multi-country, multi-industry environment with international trade. Basic research generates ideas, which firms take up in applied research to develop new varieties. A country’s specialization in international trade thus determines which ideas can be commercialized domestically. We demonstrate that the equilibrium is consistent with key empirical patterns. We then show that national investments may cause inefficiencies along three dimensions: (1) There is typically too little total investment in basic research. (2) Basic research is too heavily concentrated in industrialized countries. (3) Basic research may not be sufficiently directed to support innovation in complex, high-tech industries. These inefficiencies can rationalize international coordination of basic research investments or support policies such as the Bayh–Dole Act.

Pandemic Preparedness

Pandemics will continue to threaten public health and even mankind; what we have learned from past events has been published manyfold, e.g., by WHO. Pathogens with pandemic potential have been identified and, as the “post-pandemic period is the pre-pandemic period”, organizations and structures with the appropriate financial and human resources to prepare for pandemics are needed within a framework of global collaboration. Past successes in pandemic preparedness came from decades of multidisciplinary research collaboration and support for basic sciences; thus, to translate innovation into usable products, long-term investments in basic research are essential. The “One Health Approach” acknowledges that humans, animals and the environment form an interconnected framework for emerging “new” pathogens that may in the future cross the species barrier. The 2010 Nagoya protocol (UNTC) should be fully implemented. Once all of the above points have been considered and implemented, “ad hoc” vaccine production capacities and the logistics for distribution and vaccination need to be readily available. Sufficient funding is crucial not only before, but also early on during a pandemic to guarantee that sufficient amounts of life-saving products are available for all populations. Regulatory responses allowing rapid evaluation of new vaccines without compromising product safety form another cornerstone for successfully fighting pandemics. Pre-pandemic preparedness efforts must be sustained, even if other urgent public health matters need to be addressed today.

NCI Director Says Basic Research among Top Priorities.

Expanding investment in basic research is a top priority for the NCI as it works to achieve the goals of the recently released National Cancer Plan, said the agency's director, Monica Bertagnolli, MD. Tackling issues around data science, clinical trials, and health disparities also calls for substantial, ongoing investment to make meaningful, long-term progress against cancer.

Commercialization of academic patents in Chinese universities: Antecedents and spatial spillovers

The commercialization of academic patents is a basic means for universities to promote economic growth and upgrade the industrial innovation of enterprises. However, among developing countries, the commercialization rate of university patents is generally low. This study utilizes data from 65 universities which are directly under the Ministry of Education of China to analyze the influencing factors and mechanisms of academic patent commercialization. The findings show that the proportion of associate professors, the size of service staff transforming research and development achievement, and the proportion of basic research funding in universities are positively correlated with the commercialization rate of university patents. In addition, these factors indirectly affect the commercialization of university patents by affecting neighboring universities; that is, there are spatial spillover effects in the commercialization of university patents between neighboring universities. These empirical results indicate that universities can promote the commercialization of university patents by optimizing the structure of faculty, developing the R&D achievement transformation service staff team, and strengthening investment in basic research.

Restoring Australia’s long-term innovation requires investment in basic research

It is well established that basic research underpins long-term innovation outputs such as transformative drugs and medical devices. However, Australia may be hobbling its long-term innovation capabilities by decreasing investment in basic research. Although there has been recent growth in our local venture capital and biopharmaceutical business sectors (that typically fund applied research and experimental development), both are comparatively undersized. Initiatives are needed to ensure long-term commitment to basic research at globally competitive levels and to ensure that long-term innovation capabilities are supported.

Basic research investment, innovation capability improvement, and economic growth efficiency.

This study explores the relationship between the proportion of basic research investment in R&D expenditure and regional economic growth efficiency and its influence path. A panel of data from 31 China's provincial was analysed by the fixed-effects model over 2009 to 2019. Empirical results highlight that: (1) the increase in the proportion of basic research investment has a significant promoting effect on regional economic growth efficiency, but it presents an "inverted U-shaped" impact path. Meanwhile, the threshold effect model test results reveal that basic research investment plays a more significant role in promotion when the per capita income level exceeds a certain threshold. (2) The test results of the mediating effect model indicate that the improvement of the level of human capital is the intermediate channel through which the investment in basic research affects regional economic growth efficiency, while the mediating effect of the increase of knowledge storage on the process of the investment in basic research affecting regional economic growth efficiency is not supported by data. Potential policy measures are discussed.

Information asymmetry, risk aversion and R&D subsidies: effect-size heterogeneity and policy conundrums

ABSTRACT Drawing on the theory of contracts and Schumpeterian models of innovation, we demonstrate that information asymmetry and risk aversion are conducive to effect-size heterogeneity and sub-optimal allocation of R&D subsidies. Utilising an unbalanced panel of 43,650 British firms from 1998 to 2012 and an entropy balancing methodology, we find that R&D subsidies are less likely to generate additionality effects when: (a) firms are larger, older, or more R&D-intensive; and (b) investment in basic research or during crisis episodes is considered. We also report that over 85% of the subsidies are allocated to large, old and R&D-intensive firms that do not deliver additional R&D investment. Our findings reveal a policy conundrum: the case for R&D subsidies is stronger during economic downturns, when R&D investment is in basic research and when firm age, size and R&D intensity reflect success in converting R&D investment into innovative product lines; but the subsidy is less likely to increase business R&D under these conditions.

A new phase of the Cancer Moonshot to end cancer as we know it.

Improved screening, novel therapies and a focus on health equity can reduce cancer mortality by 50% in the next 25 years, but these must be underpinned by an investment in basic, translational and clinical research, along with open data.

Agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation as an indicator of Russia’s readiness for an innovation breakthrough

Agriculture is a critical sector for the economy of any state, because it is the lifeblood of many other industries. The article provides an indicative analysis of the of the Russian economy readiness to enter the growth phase of the sixth technological order. The research is based on the postulate of the theory of long waves by N.D. Kondratyev, according to which the monitoring of innovation in the agricultural sector allows obtaining indicators of the phase of the economic cycle. The paper provides an assessment of the innovative development of world agriculture for compliance with global technological trends. The main indicators of innovation and economic growth in dynamics over the past few years are considered. The investment process specificity in country’s agri[1]cultural production due to geographical, logistic and economic factors, that leads to a high capital intensity of innovations in the industry, has been revealed. The main problem in the investment attractiveness of the industry is the low demand among farmers for research and development results due to their high cost, which forms the extensive nature of investments in the industry and their low profitability. Low efficiency of research and development financing in the industry is due to investments in basic research that is not demanded by the market. The reason for this phenomenon is explained by ageing of intellectual capital in the industry and the lack of institutional tools for its activation: low wages, lack of clear tools for managing innovation in the industry. Possible solutions to problems of the agriculture innovative development and increasing the agricultural sector attractiveness for investors are given.

Demonstrating the Value of Government Investment in Science: Developing a Data Framework to Improve Science Policy

During last year’s Senate debate on the Endless Frontiers Act, a bill that would authorize substantial funding increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), some lawmakers raised questions concerning the value of federal investments in scientific research. This article suggests that a new framework for studying and understanding the value and impact of federal research investments can help pro-science policymakers defend against such attacks and make more informed policy decisions regarding such research investments. The data, analytical tools, and research products supported by this framework are important to demonstrate the value of basic research investments, particularly in nonhealth-related fields, where the process by which major scientific discoveries occur and their impacts are often underappreciated and not well understood by the public and policymakers.

Experiences of Diversified Investment in Basic Research

Basic research is the source of the whole scientific system. How to improve the efficiency of diversified investment in basic research is of special significance to the development of basic research in China. Therefore, this paper combines China's basic research investment dilemma, draws on the excellent experience of the United States, Japan and other advanced countries, further develops the fund-raising channels for basic research, guides social capital to fund basic research in the form of donations or the establishment of foundations, etc., and promotes the high-quality development of basic research in China.

Structure of unmodified and pyroglutamylated amyloid beta peptides in lipid membranes

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes brain atrophy, neuronal and synaptic loss, cognitive decline, and death. Worldwide, over 30 million people suffer from AD. Despite extensive basic and clinical research and multibillion investments in pharmaceutical efforts, no disease-modifying drugs are available for AD. One of the roadblocks in AD drug development is the incomplete understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. A major histopathological trait of AD is extracellular deposition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide in brain parenchyma and vasculature, but the most toxic species are the intracellular oligomeric forms of Aβ.

Liver specific, systemic and genetic contributors to alcohol-related liver disease progression.

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) impacts millions of patients worldwide each year and the numbers are increasing. Disease stages range from steatosis via steatohepatitis and fibrosis to cirrhosis, severe alcohol-associated hepatitis and liver cancer. ALD is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage of progression with no effective therapies. A major research goal is to improve diagnosis, prognosis and also treatments for early ALD. This however needs prioritization of this disease for financial investment in basic and clinical research to more deeply investigate mechanisms and identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets for early detection and intervention. Topics of interest are communication of the liver with other organs of the body, especially the gut microbiome, the individual genetic constitution, systemic and liver innate inflammation, including bacterial infections, as well as fate and number of hepatic stellate cells and the composition of the extracellular matrix in the liver. Additionally, mechanical forces and damaging stresses towards the sophisticated vessel system of the liver, including the especially equipped sinusoidal endothelium and the biliary tract, work together to mediate hepatocytic import and export of nutritional and toxic substances, adapting to chronic liver disease by morphological and functional changes. All the aforementioned parameters contribute to the outcome of alcohol use disorder and the risk to develop advanced disease stages including cirrhosis, severe alcoholic hepatitis and liver cancer. In the present collection, we summarize current knowledge on these alcohol-related liver disease parameters, excluding the aspect of inflammation, which is presented in the accompanying review article by Lotersztajn and colleagues.

How does basic research improve innovation performance in the world’s major pharmaceutical firms?

ABSTRACT Employing a panel (1995–2015) of large R&D spending pharmaceutical firms, we investigate how internal basic research increases a firm’s innovative performance. We disentangle two mechanisms through which internal basic research affects technology development: (1) as strengthening of the firm’s absorptive capacity to build on externally conducted science, and (2) as a direct source of the firm’s innovation. We find that the positive relationship between internal basic research and innovation performance is significantly mediated by these two mechanisms, with the absorptive capacity mechanism relatively more important. The mediation relationships are more pronounced in recent years, with basic research as a direct source of innovation increasing in importance. This pattern is associated with a decline of corporate investments in basic research over time, and suggests that firms have adopted a more judicious and targeted approach to basic research aimed at getting more leverage out of a smaller commitment to basic research.

Science, Innovation, and Society in the Age of Pandemics: Reflections From the Inaugural Sir Alasdair Breckenridge Lecture.

Science, Innovation, and Society in the Age of Pandemics: Reflections From the Inaugural Sir Alasdair Breckenridge Lecture.

Policy Lessons From Medical Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis

This article discusses the medical/therapeutical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their political economy context. First, the very quick development of several vaccines highlights the richness of the basic knowledge waiting for therapeutical exploitation. Such knowledge has largely originated in public or non-profit institutions. Second, symmetrically, there is longer-term evidence that the private sector (essentially big pharma) has decreased its investment in basic research in general and has long been uninterested in vaccines in particular. Only when flooded with an enormous amount of public money did it become eager to undertake applied research, production scale-up and testing. Third, the political economy of the underlying public-private relationship reveals a profound dysfunctionality with the public being unable to determine the rates and direction of innovation, but at the same time confined to the role of payer of first and last resort, with dire consequences for both advanced, and more so developing countries. Fourth, on normative grounds, measures like ad hoc patent waivers are certainly welcome, but this will not address the fundamental challenge, involving a deep reform of the intellectual property rights regimes and their international protection.

What is needed to mainstream artificial intelligence in health care?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a mainstream technology in many industries, but not yet in health care. Although basic research and commercial investment are burgeoning across various clinical disciplines, AI remains relatively non-existent in most healthcare organisations. This is despite hundreds of AI applications having passed proof-of-concept phase, and scores receiving regulatory approval overseas. AI has considerable potential to optimise multiple care processes, maximise workforce capacity, reduce waste and costs, and improve patient outcomes. The current obstacles to wider AI adoption in health care and the pre-requisites for its successful development, evaluation and implementation need to be defined.

MACROECONOMIC RATIONALES FOR PUBLIC INVESTMENTS IN SCIENCE

What is the economic rationale for investing in science? Based on an open economy model of creative destruction, we characterize four key factors of optimal investment in basic research: the stage of economic development, the strength of the manufacturing base, the degree of openness, and the share of foreign‐owned firms. For each of these factors, we analyze its bearings on optimal basic research investment. We then show that the predicted effects are consistent with patterns observed in the data and discuss how the factor‐based approach might inform basic research policies. (JEL H41, O30, O32, O33, O38)