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Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Science funding & policy
In recent years the news media have been awash in stories about
increasingly close ties between college campuses and
multimillion-dollar corporations. Our nation's universities, the
story goes, reap enormous windfalls patenting products of
scientific research that have been primarily funded by taxpayers.
Meanwhile, hoping for new streams of revenue from their
innovations, the same universities are allowing their research--and
their very principles--to become compromised by quests for profit.
But is that really the case? Is money really hopelessly corrupting
science?
With "Science for Sale," acclaimed journalist Daniel S. Greenberg
reveals that campus capitalism is more complicated--and less
profitable--than media reports would suggest. While universities
seek out corporate funding, news stories rarely note that those
industry dollars are dwarfed by government support and other funds.
Also, while many universities have set up technology transfer
offices to pursue profits through patents, many of those offices
have been financial busts. Meanwhile, science is showing signs of
providing its own solutions, as highly publicized misdeeds in
pursuit of profits have provoked promising countermeasures within
the field.
But just because the threat is overhyped, Greenberg argues, doesn't
mean that there's no danger. From research that has shifted
overseas so corporations can avoid regulations to conflicts of
interest in scientific publishing, the temptations of money will
always be a threat, and they can only be countered through the
vigilance of scientists, the press, and the public.
Based on extensive, candid interviews with scientists and
administrators, "Science for Sale "will beindispensable to anyone
who cares about the future of scientific research.
Blockchain has the potential to revolutionize how people and
organizations, who may not know or trust each other, share
information and carry out transactions online. Nearly every
institution on the planet wants to be a leader in blockchain
technology as well as a home to significant platforms,
applications, and companies. There is a need for a glocal policy to
meet and support these goals as blockchain technology must embrace
glocal values and ideals in its legal and regulatory frameworks.
Glocal Policy and Strategies for Blockchain: Building Ecosystems
and Sustainability discusses the features and advantages of
blockchain technology, the innovative applications of blockchain
technology, and the potent and limited aspects of blockchain
technology. Covering topics such as digital change, international
policy, and cyber security governance, this reference work is ideal
for industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars,
practitioners, instructors, and students.
On 28 April 2021, the Indonesian government, under President Joko
Widodo, dissolved the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher
Education (Kemenristek-Dikti). Since then, the management of higher
education has been taken over by the Ministry of Education and
Culture, while research and innovation are now the responsibility
of the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan
Inovasi Nasional, or BRIN). Based on Presidential Regulation
(Perpres) Nos. 33 and 78 of 2021, various research institutes, such
as LIPI, BATAN, LAPAN and BPPT, and research agencies in some
ministries have been or will be merged into BRIN, making it a
"super-government agency" with an "overarching" role. With a Rp26
trillion budget allocated by the government for research per year
and with a large number of researchers, BRIN is expected to boost
national research and innovation, and help the country catch up
with countries such as Singapore and South Korea.
Alarmists argue that the United States urgently needs more and
better-trained scientists to compete with the rest of the world.
Their critics counter that, far from facing a shortage, we are
producing a glut of young scientists with poor employment
prospects. Both camps have issued reports in recent years that
predict the looming decline of American science. Drawing on their
extensive analysis of national data sets, Yu Xie and Alexandra
Killewald have welcome news to share: American science is in good
health. Is American Science in Decline? does reveal areas of
concern, namely scientists' low earnings, the increasing
competition they face from Asia, and the declining number of
doctorates who secure academic positions. But the authors argue
that the values inherent in American culture make the country
highly conducive to science for the foreseeable future. They do not
see globalization as a threat but rather a potential benefit, since
it promotes efficiency in science through knowledge-sharing. In an
age when other countries are catching up, American science will
inevitably become less dominant, even though it is not in decline
relative to its own past. As technology continues to change the
American economy, better-educated workers with a range of skills
will be in demand. So as a matter of policy, the authors urge that
science education not be detached from general education.
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