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30/01/2004
1. The OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy met at
Ministerial level on 29 30 January 2004. Mr. Peter McGauran, Minister for
Science of Australia, chaired the meeting, with Ms. Claudie
Haigneré, Minister for Research and New Technologies of
France, and Mr. Jaime Parada Ãvila, Director General of the
National Commission of Science and Technology (CONACyT) of Mexico, as
Vice-Chairs.
2. The meeting was preceded by a High-level Forum on "Key
Challenges for Science and Innovation Policy", in which prominent
representatives of research institutions and business participated. The
Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) and the Trade Union
Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD also held consultations with
Ministers.
3. Ministers highlighted the benefits that society can derive from
advances in science and technology. They reaffirmed that knowledge creation
and diffusion are increasingly important drivers of innovation, sustainable
economic growth and social well-being. They emphasised the importance of
ensuring the long term sustainability of the research enterprise and the
need to involve civil society and business more effectively in the
governance of public research.
4. In their discussions, Ministers devoted much attention to three
issues that are high on the science and innovation policy agendas of OECD
countries: 1) promotion of stronger relationships between science and
innovation systems, including the changing role of intellectual property
rights in stimulating knowledge creation and diffusion; 2) ensuring
sustained development of human resources in science and technology; and 3)
global-scale issues that call for enhanced international co operation in
science and technology.
5. Ministers encouraged the OECD to strengthen its work on science,
technology and innovation, and underscored its relevance to the broader
OECD agenda.
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Ministers
concluded that:
- Changing
innovation processes and the evolution of the relative contribution
made by the private and public sectors have emphasised the need for
strong industry-science linkages. A well-functioning interface
between the innovation and science systems is more necessary than
ever to reap the economic and social benefits from public and
private investments in research, ensure the vitality and quality of
the science system, and improve public understanding and acceptance
of science and technology and the importance of innovation.
- Patent regimes
play an increasingly complex role in encouraging innovation,
diffusing scientific and technical knowledge, and enhancing market
entry and firm creation. As such, they should be subject to closer
scrutiny by science, technology and innovation policy makers.
- Increasing
participation and maintaining quality standards in tertiary
education in science and technology are imperative to meet growing
demand for workers with scientific and technological knowledge and
skills. Complementary efforts are needed to improve mobility and the
attractiveness of research careers in the public and private
sectors.
- Improving the
accountability of science and technology policy should usefully be
addressed through more systematic evaluation exercises. Additional
effort is needed to identify and disseminate good practices in this
area.
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- Co-ordinated
efforts at national and international levels are needed to broaden
access to data from publicly funded research and contribute to the
advancement of scientific research and innovation. To this effect,
Ministers adopted a Declaration entrusting the OECD to work towards
commonly agreed Principles and Guidelines on Access to Research Data
from Public Funding.
- Greater international
co-operation in science and technology is vital to meet a broad
range of global challenges related to economic growth, better
health, sustainable development, and enhanced safety and security,
as well as for implementing large science projects in a growing
range of disciplines. In this regard, Ministers adopted a
Declaration aiming at strengthening international S&T
co-operation for sustainable development. They endorsed efforts to
establish a framework for a Global Biological Resource Centre Network
and gave their support to promote
scientific co-operation in the
fields of high-energy physics and neuroinformatics.
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Connecting science to innovation
6. As distinctions between fundamental and
problem-oriented research have blurred, and demands to make public research
more responsive to the needs of business and civil society have mounted,
there is a greater need for increased and more efficient linkages between
science and innovation. Such linkages serve to both facilitate industry's
uptake and commercialisation of public-sector research results and to
ensure that research performed in the public sector is attuned to social
and economic problems. Science-innovation linkages can take many forms,
from contract and collaborative research and personnel transfers to
technology licences and creation of spin-off firms. In this regard,
Ministers welcomed the conclusions of recent OECD reports on Governance
of Public Research, Benchmarking Industry-Science Relationships, and
Turning Science into Business. They stressed the importance of
ensuring efficient and transparent mechanisms for steering and funding
public research institutions, of increasing use of public-private
partnerships to promote science-based innovation, of improving mobility of
research personnel, and of creating a business environment in which both
established and start-up firms demand new scientific and technological
advances.
7. Ministers shared the view that, in funding R&D activities or
incentive programmes, fundamental, long-term research should remain a
priority. This will help ensure that universities and public laboratories
can continue to explore knowledge frontiers on a broad front, remain
reliable sources of objective scientific expertise and perform their
critical role in training future researchers and skilled workers. Ministers
agreed that government incentives for business R&D must evolve to
better account for greater outsourcing of R&D among firms, the growing
funding opportunities offered by modern financial markets and the role of
non-profit organisations in financing research.
8. Ministers recognised the need to improve the quality of research
and enhance its economic and social benefits while ensuring a degree of
stability and autonomy for public research institutions. They agreed that
the balance between competitively awarded project funding and institutional
block grants might need to be reconsidered. They also agreed that wide
access to knowledge from publicly funded research should be ensured and
that ethical guidelines are necessary to prevent or resolve conflicts of
interest among researchers involved in collaboration with industry.
9. Growing emphasis on industry-science linkages has resulted in new
types of programmes and created new objectives for existing ones. Ways of
evaluating the performance of public research organisations and the
efficiency of public support to business R&D must therefore be revised.
Ministers highlighted the importance of evaluation and noted a need for
good practices regarding methodologies and institutional mechanisms for
evaluation that reflect changing policy priorities and instruments.
Adapting IPR regimes
10. Patenting has accelerated rapidly in the past
decade, with the number of patent applications filed in Europe, Japan and
the United States increasing by 40% between 1992 and 2002, from 600 000 to
850 000 per year. The effects of such patenting on incentives to innovate,
on the diffusion of scientific and technical knowledge and on competition
remain unclear and vary across industry sectors and technological fields.
In this regard, Ministers welcomed the OECD report on "Patents and
Innovation: Trends and Policy Challenges", and encouraged continuation
of OECD work in this area.
11. Although not widespread, cases of restricted access to patented
inventions and delays in conducting or publishing research, indicate that
governments must remain vigilant in ensuring that patenting does not
unnecessarily hinder access to knowledge, reduce incentives to disseminate
knowledge, or impede follow-on innovation. Ministers recognised the growing
importance of patent licences and other market-based transactions in
fostering knowledge diffusion and agreed that policy should encourage their
development. Ministers further shared the view that IPR regimes need to
protect researchers' access to fundamental inventions, such as through
exemptions for research use of patented inventions.
12. The more important patents become to economic growth and
performance, the more necessary it will be to ensure the quality of patents
awarded while minimising their overall costs to society. Ministers welcomed
the steps that a number of countries have already taken in that direction,
and agreed that good practices in this area should be emulated. In this
context, they encouraged the development of efforts to forge closer
co-operation among major patent offices towards a more coherent global
patent system.
Building a highly skilled and mobile scientific workforce for the
future
13. Against the background of growing demand for human resources in
science and technology, Ministers expressed concern that the recent decline
in the number of science and engineering graduates could hamper the
long-term growth prospects of OECD countries. The challenge of meeting
demand for S&T talent is made all the more difficult by waning interest
in science among youth, the gender gap among S&T graduates (notably at
the doctorate level), the rapid ageing of the workforce in the public
research sector, regulatory barriers and market disincentives to research
careers, and the globalisation of higher education and research systems.
14. Ministers called for greater efforts to ensure an adequate supply
of scientific and technological skills by: strengthening policies to
enhance awareness and public understanding of science, especially among
youth; improving the quality of scientific teaching and encouraging
individual creativity; expanding the participation of women and
under-represented groups; and broadening opportunities and support for
students to pursue S&T studies. In this respect, Ministers recognised
that tertiary education institutions should have the necessary autonomy and
incentives to adapt curricula to changing skill demands, including for
interdisciplinary knowledge and managerial/entrepreneurial skills, and to
develop partnerships with industry to meet these goals.
15. Ministers further emphasised the need to pursue reforms in the
human resource management policies of public research organisations to
improve their responsiveness to changes in research priorities and funding,
to help renew the research workforce, and to encourage mobility between the
public and private research sectors. They further stressed the need for
removing obstacles on the demand side that limit the contribution of
S&T personnel to innovation in industry, in particular in SMEs.
Incentives for business R&D in small firms and educational training
partnerships are among the measures that can stimulate business demand for
S&T graduates and enhance their capacity to innovate, as well as
provide young graduates with the right skills to work as researchers in
industry.
International co-operation in science and technology
16. Increased international co-operation in science and technology is
important for meeting a broad range of global challenges, for benefiting
from globalisation and for implementing large-scale research projects.
Ministers commended OECD activities in this area and asked the OECD to
continue this work. Ministers then examined a number of international
S&T issues.
Access to research data
17. Ministers recognised that fostering broader, open access to and
wide use of research data will enhance the quality and productivity of
science systems worldwide. They therefore adopted a Declaration on Access
to Research Data from Public Funding, asking the OECD to take further steps
towards proposing Principles and Guidelines on Access to Research Data from
Public Funding, taking into account possible restrictions related to
security, property rights and privacy (Annex 1).
Sustainable development
18. Beyond the role they recognised for biotechnology in meeting
sustainability objectives, Ministers stressed the importance of
international co-operation in science and technology to sustainable
development, notably by transferring knowledge and technology among member
countries and to less-developed ones. They reaffirmed their commitment to
achieving the objectives adopted by the World Summit on Sustainable
Development, held in Johannesburg on 4 September 2002, and welcomed the
conclusions of the 2003 G8 Summit in Evian regarding Science and Technology
for Sustainable Development. Ministers endorsed the Declaration on
International Science and Technology Co-operation for Sustainable
Development (Annex 2).
Biotechnology
19. Ministers agreed that biotechnology is a significant driver of
sustainable growth and development and that a solid infrastructure is
required to assure such growth. Ministers therefore agreed to endorse
efforts to establish a framework for a Global Biological Resource Centre
Network (GBRCN) by 2006. They endorsed OECD papers setting out guidance for
certification and quality criteria for biological resource centres and for
the operation of biological resource centres. Ministers called on the OECD
to strengthen its contribution to work on biotechnology, focusing on
enabling innovation in health biotechnology and on the contribution that
industrial biotechnology can make to a more bio-based economy. In that
context, they endorsed the OECD report Biotechnology for Sustainable Growth
and Development and its conclusions, which Ministers agreed should be
brought to the attention of those ministers reviewing the OECD health
project in May 2004.
Global Science Forum
20. Ministers welcomed the achievements of the OECD Global Science
Forum, whose creation they endorsed at their previous meeting in 1999. The
Forum has been a useful venue for consultations among senior science policy
officials and programme managers, and a valuable mechanism for bringing together
government officials with representatives of scientific communities.
Ministers devoted particular attention to two outcomes of the Forum's work,
as described below. Noting the positive results of the evaluation
exercise that took place at the end of 2003, Ministers supported the
renewal of the Global Science Forum's mandate, urging it to explore new
opportunities for actions in areas of great scientific and social
relevance.
High-energy physics
21. Ministers acknowledged the
importance of ensuring access to large-scale research infrastructure and
the importance of the long-term vitality of high-energy physics. They noted
the worldwide consensus of the scientific community, which has chosen an
electron-positron linear collider as the next accelerator-based facility to
complement and expand on the discoveries that are likely to emerge from the
Large Hadron Collider currently being built at CERN. They agreed that the
planning and implementation of such a large, multi-year project should be
carried out on a global basis, and should involve consultations among not
just scientists, but also representatives of science funding agencies from
interested countries. Accordingly, Ministers endorsed the statement
prepared by the OECD Global Science Forum Consultative Group on High-Energy
Physics (Annex 3).
Neuroinformatics
22. Ministers agreed that the study of the human brain will be one of
the most difficult and rewarding scientific challenges of the 21st century.
They noted that brain research generates vast quantities of highly diverse
data, and that the international scientific community is facing the
challenge of managing, analysing and sharing these data in a way that
optimises the scientific benefits, avoids duplication of effort, and takes
maximum advantage of the ongoing revolution in information and
communication technologies. They welcomed the emergence of the new field of
neuroinformatics, which has been the subject of an international
consultation among scientists and science policy makers under the aegis of
the OECD Global Science Forum. They agreed that interested countries should
join together to create optimal conditions for the expansion and
international co-ordination of this new field, as described in the annexed
document (Annex 4).
Enhanced safety and security
23. At their working lunch Ministers discussed how science and
technology could contribute to improving safety and security, including
areas such as cybersecurity, transport security, environment security,
crisis management and infectious disease prevention. Addressing those
safety and security issues will require a global approach involving
multiple stakeholders. Among the many issues addressed was the role
of biometrics in achieving safety and security goals. Implementation of biometrics
will require significant research and development. Issues of personal
privacy and data protection will also need to be addressed. Ministers
agreed that generating new biometrics devices would present significant
challenges over the next decade.
Service economy
24. Ministers welcomed the launching of the work on the service
economy which had been proposed at the 2003 Council Meeting at Ministerial
level (MCM). This study will analyse the role of science, technology and
innovation in the service sector for enhancing overall economic
performance.
Areas for further OECD work
25. Building on the valuable work of the CSTP and its subsidiary
bodies - Working Party on Innovation and Technology Policy, Working Party
of National Experts on S&T Indicators, Working Party on Biotechnology,
Global Science Forum, ad hoc Group on Steering and Funding of Research
Institutions - Ministers invited the OECD to further develop its activities
in the following areas, subject to the availability of resources:
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Science-innovation
interface
- Strengthening
the evaluation of public research organisations, support programmes,
and overall science and technology policy: Identifying
and sharing good practice approaches to the development of improved
methodologies for the assessment of economic and societal impacts.
- Furthering the
analysis of science systems and industry-science relationships: Assessing the
impact of changing funding mechanisms on the management and
performance of research institutions, and the role of public-private
partnerships in increasing the effectiveness of science and
technology policy.
- Examining the
role of IPR systems in fostering innovation, knowledge diffusion and
competition: Investigating the ability of technology markets
to disseminate patented inventions and identifying effective policy
measures for promoting them, notably as regards SMEs; Examining
national policies regarding exemptions for research use of patented
inventions and assessing their effect on the conduct of scientific
research; Reviewing the effect of various forms of intellectual
property protection for software on access to software-related
knowledge and follow-on innovation; Developing good licensing
practices for biotechnology patents.
- Identifying best
practices in S&T policies to respond to the challenges and
opportunities of increased globalisation.
Human resources in science and technology
- Fostering a
diverse and mobile workforce for science and technology: Assessing
trends in supply and demand for science and technology graduates,
including PhDs, and identifying successful policy measures for
increasing participation, in particular of women, in scientific and
technological education and careers; Analysing recent changes in the
international mobility of students and personnel in science and
technology fields, and their implications for policy.
- Improving data
on the development and mobility of human resources in science and
technology: Using existing data sources and developing new
statistical approaches, especially on mobility; Collecting and
exchanging information on the career paths of holders of doctorates.
- Reinforcing the
capability, including the use of OECD's interdisciplinary strength,
to make science and technology more appealing and attractive from
the early stages of education.
Biotechnology
- Strengthening
its contribution to work on biotechnology as a driver
for sustainable growth, focusing on establishing a framework for a
Global Biological Resource Centre Network, on enabling innovation in
health biotechnology and on contributions from industrial
biotechnology to a more bio-based economy.
International co-operation in science and technology
- Strengthening the role of
international collaboration in S&T for sustainable development,
growth and prosperity through continued discussion of high-priority
science and technology policy issues that require international
co-operation.
- Following up on the
recommendations for future work as indicated in the annexes to this
document.
- Further
analysing the role that S&T can play in the
enhancement of safety and security.
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ANNEX 1
DECLARATION ON ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA FROM PUBLIC FUNDING
adopted on 30 January 2004 in Paris
The governments (1) of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada,
China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian
Federation, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Recognising
that an optimum international exchange of data, information and knowledge
contributes decisively to the advancement of scientific research and
innovation;
Recognising that open access to, and unrestricted use of, data promotes
scientific progress and facilitates the training of researchers;
Recognising that open access will maximise the value derived from public
investments in data collection efforts;
Recognising that the substantial increase in computing capacity enables
vast quantities of digital research data from public funding to be put to
use for multiple research purposes by many research institutes of the
global science system, thereby substantially increasing the scope and scale
of research;
Recognising the substantial benefits that science, the economy and society
at large could gain from the opportunities that expanded use of digital
data resources have to offer, and recognising the risk that undue
restrictions on access to and use of research data from public funding
could diminish the quality and efficiency of scientific research and
innovation;
Recognising that optimum availability of research data from public funding
for developing countries will enhance their participation in the global
science system, thereby contributing to their social and economic
development;
Recognising that the disclosure of research data from public funding may be
constrained by domestic law on national security, the protection of privacy
of citizens and the protection of intellectual property rights and trade
secrets that may require additional safeguards;
Recognising that on some of the aspects of the accessibility of research
data from public funding, additional measures have been taken or will be
introduced in OECD countries and that disparities in national regulations
could hamper the optimum use of publicly funded data on the national and
international scales;
Considering the beneficial impact of the establishment of OECD Guidelines
on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data (1980,
1985 and 1998) and the OECD Guidelines for the Security of Information
Systems and Networks (1992, 1997 and 2002) on international policies for
access to digital data;
DECLARE THEIR COMMITMENT TO:
Work towards the establishment of access regimes for digital research data
from public funding in accordance with the following objectives and
principles:
Openness: balancing the interests of open access to data
to increase the quality and efficiency of research and innovation with the
need for restriction of access in some instances to protect social,
scientific and economic interests.
Transparency: making information on data-producing
organisations, documentation on the data they produce and specifications of
conditions attached to the use of these data, available and accessible
internationally.
Legal conformity: paying due attention, in the design of
access regimes for digital research data, to national legal requirements
concerning national security, privacy and trade secrets.
Formal responsibility: promoting explicit, formal
institutional rules on the responsibilities of the various parties involved
in data-related activities pertaining to authorship, producer credits,
ownership, usage restrictions, financial arrangements, ethical rules,
licensing terms, and liability.
Professionalism: building institutional rules for the
management of digital research data based on the relevant professional
standards and values embodied in the codes of conduct of the scientific
communities involved.
Protection of intellectual property: describing ways to
obtain open access under the different legal regimes of copyright or other
intellectual property law applicable to databases as well as trade secrets.
Interoperability: paying due attention to the relevant
international standard requirements for use in multiple ways, in
co-operation with other international organisations.
Quality and security: describing good practices for
methods, techniques and instruments employed in the collection,
dissemination and accessible archiving of data to enable quality control by
peer review and other means of safeguarding authenticity, originality,
integrity, security and establishing liability.
Efficiency: promoting further cost effectiveness within
the global science system by describing good practices in data management
and specialised support services.
Accountability: evaluating the performance of data access
regimes to maximise the support for open access among the scientific
community and society at large.
Seek transparency in regulations and policies related to information,
computer and communications services affecting international flows of data
for research, and reducing unnecessary barriers to the international exchange
of these data;
Take the necessary steps to strengthen existing instruments and - where
appropriate - create within the framework of international and national
law, new mechanisms and practices supporting international collaboration in
access to digital research data;
Support OECD initiatives to promote the development and harmonisation of
approaches by governments adhering to this Declaration aimed at maximising
the accessibility of digital research data;
Consider the possible implications for other countries, including
developing countries and economies in transition, when dealing with issues
of access to digital research data.
INVITE THE OECD:
To develop a set of OECD guidelines based on commonly agreed
principles to facilitate optimal cost-effective access to digital research
data from public funding, to be endorsed by the OECD Council at a later
stage.
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(1) Including the European Community
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ANNEX 2
DECLARATION ON INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CO-OPERATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
adopted on 30 January 2004 in Paris
The governments (1) of Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg,
Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian
Federation, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Recognising
that sustainable development involves human progress towards a more
prosperous and equitable future within the context of environmental
conservation and even development with respect to access to resources,
energy, markets, health and education;
Recognising that sustainable development brings into sharper focus the
growing socio-economic interdependence of developed countries with
developing countries and economies in transition;
Recognising that the process of globalisation has given rise to new
patterns of networking that are changing the way in which knowledge is
created, diffused and applied, and that comprehensive responses, especially
innovative policies and technologies, are required to bridge global
inequalities including in knowledge and information;
Recognising that global science and technology networks and platforms
bringing together relevant social and professional communities facilitate
the expansion of concerted international collaboration to more effectively
address the challenges of sustainable development;
Recognising that in order to optimise the contributions of science and
technology to sustainable development, it is necessary to enhance the use
of existing national and international instruments and facilitating
mechanisms, and promote mutually beneficial collaboration between
governments, civil society, business and industry;
Recognising that in order to increase confidence in the application of
science and technology for sustainable development, citizens need
reassurances about effective risk management, appropriate regulatory
environments and observance of ethical considerations by science and
technology practitioners;
Recognising the importance of international scientific and technological
co-operation as a means for human resource development and institutional
capacity building to strengthen problem-solving competencies in developing
countries and economies in transition;
Recognising the competence of the OECD Committee for Scientific and
Technological Policy in facilitating international scientific and
technological co-operation and enhancing exchange of information on science
and technology policy practices, and the distinctive role played by the
Global Science Forum in addressing complex scientific issues as well as,
more generally, the major contribution that the OECD is making in
addressing sustainable development issues, and the scope that exists for
providing developing countries and economies in transition with best
practice frameworks in the development and implementation of science and
technology policies for sustainable development;
REAFFIRM the objectives set forth in the Johannesburg
Declaration on Sustainable Development, as adopted by the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) on 4 September 2002; and the concrete
actions and measures set out in the Plan of Implementation of the WSSD
emphasising the critical role of science and technology as key instruments
to address the challenges in sustainable development, including the
specific areas of water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity.
DECLARE THAT:
They reaffirm their commitment expressed at the WSSD to the promotion of
sustainable development through the application of science and technology
by strengthening national innovation policies and programmes, and by
enhancing existing global collaborative networks.
They will take the necessary steps, within the framework of international
agreements as well as their respective laws and practices, to strengthen
existing national and regional research and development funding programmes
and instruments to support international collaboration in science and
technology for sustainable development, in particular in respect of:
a) Citizen education and public
awareness regarding safety and ethical concerns relating to the application
and the utility of science and technology for sustainable development.
b) Strengthening innovation and knowledge-generation capacities of
developing countries and economies in transition to entrench science and
technology for sustainable development.
They
will support initiatives undertaken by the CSTP, its subsidiary bodies and
more generally the OECD, notably those of the International Energy Agency
(IEA), to promote international science and technology collaboration for
sustainable development. These initiatives will form part of a plan of
activities to be mapped and monitored. Some of these activities may
include:
a) Supporting the exchange of information about effective methods to
promote sustainable development through science and technology, with the
aim of achieving the objectives of this Declaration.
b) Introducing initiatives that are complementary to but do not
duplicate WSSD follow-up activities, which promote research for sustainable
development and support dedicated research partnership initiatives
including developing countries and economies in transition. Such
initiatives may include:
i) The development of new or enhanced international research
co-operation initiatives that address the scientific dimensions of issues
of global concern in the area of sustainable development on the basis of an
evaluation of current international co-operation programmes.
ii) The identification of new science and technology policy choices
for sustainable development as well as benchmarking good practice
activities in support of the creation of framework conditions for
developing countries and economies in transition.
iii) Supporting activities on the development of a bio-based economy,
the possible establishment of a framework for a network of Biological
Resource Centres and the role of biotechnology in fighting infectious
diseases, especially emerging, neglected diseases.
c) Fostering a dialogue within all
relevant fora of the OECD, including the IEA, on the critical interface
between science and technology and sustainable development, and the
necessity for a broad collaborative effort, including with non-member
economies.
They
agree to review progress made in furtherance of the objectives of this
Declaration within a period of three years, and to examine the need for new
strategic options to ensure the most effective harnessing of science and
technology for sustainable development in the appropriate OECD fora.
FURTHER DECLARE THAT THE OECD SHOULD:
Further articulate specific issues raised within the Plan of Implementation
of the WSSD and by relevant OECD and CSTP policy recommendations on science
and technology for sustainable development, such as the outcome of the OECD
Seoul Conference on International Science and Technology Co-operation:
Towards Sustainable Development, held in November 2000 and, after
collection and distribution of case studies of member countries and CSTP
observers, provide practical assistance and advice to them on the
formulation and implementation of policies which would harness science and
technology as instruments for sustainable development.
Co-operate with relevant regional and international organisations as well
as civil society, industry and business, as they work to promote
sustainable development through science and technology.
Periodically review the main developments and issues in the fields of
sustainable development and science and technology with respect to the
objectives of this Declaration.
INVITE:
Other countries to take this Declaration into account.
Relevant international organisations to take this Declaration into
consideration as they develop or revise international instruments to
harness the contributions of science and technology to sustainable
development.
Industry, business and civil society to take the objectives of this
Declaration into account and to work with governments to further them by
implementing programmes for optimising the contribution of science and
technology to sustainable development.
Concerned countries and relevant stakeholders to convene, in collaboration
with the OECD if possible, an appropriate event such as a dedicated
conference of specialists on the issues raised by this Declaration to
further enhance the consensus of the WSSD on the application of science and
technology for sustainable development.
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(1)
Including the European Community
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ANNEX
3
International Co-operation on Large
Accelerator-based Projects in High-energy Physics
Ministers expressed their appreciation for the work of
the OECD Global Science Forum Consultative Group on High-Energy Physics.
They welcomed the report from the Group and commended the clarity and
worldwide consensus they found among the high-energy physics community in
developing the roadmap for future large accelerator-based facilities.
In particular, the Ministers noted several
important points that were articulated in the report:
- A
roadmap that identifies four interdependent priorities for global
high-energy physics (HEP) facilities: i) the exploitation of current
frontier facilities until contribution of these machines is surpassed;
ii) completion and full exploitation of the Large Hadron Collider at
CERN; iii) preparing for the development of a next-generation
electron-positron collider; and iv) the continued support for
appropriate R&D into novel accelerator designs.
- The
need to have large, next-generation facilities funded, designed,
built, and operated as global-scale collaborations with contribution
from all countries that wish to participate.
- The
need for strong international R&D collaboration and studies of the
organisational, legal, financial, and administrative issues required
to realise the next major accelerator facility on the Consultative
Group's roadmap, a next-generation electron-positron collider with a
significant period of concurrent running with the LHC.
- The
need to continue to educate, attract and train young people in the
fields of high-energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology in the face
of the increasingly competitive environment where all areas of
science, industry and commerce are seeking to capture the imagination
of the most creative minds.
Ministers agreed that, given the
complexity and long lead times for decision making of major
international projects, it is important that consultations continue
within the scientific communities and, when it becomes appropriate,
within interested governmental communities in order to maximise the
advantages offered by global collaboration.
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ANNEX 4
International Co-operation in Neuroinformatics
Ministers expressed their appreciation for the work of the OECD Global
Science Forum Neuroinformatics Working Group. They commended the Working
Group on their June 2002 report and on the development of three action
recommendations. They agreed that the study of the human brain is one of
the most important and difficult scientific challenges of the 21st century.
Advances in the understanding of the brain will lead to breakthroughs in
the prevention and cure of devastating diseases, and to improvements in the
quality of life for millions of people. They will also provide substantial
economical gains for society in terms of improved health, and new
developments in pharmaceutical approaches and information technologies.
Neuroscientists have developed sophisticated methods to investigate the
brain in very fine detail. Their measurements and computations produce
enormous amounts of data whose extraordinary complexity and diversity
reflect that of the brain itself. The challenge of managing these vast
amounts of data is now being addressed via the new field of neuroinformatics
that has emerged at the interface between neuroscience and information
science.
The Neuroinformatics Working Group recommends that the management and
exploitation of data about the brain can be best achieved through a
co-ordinated, multidisciplinary, international effort. It has recommended
the establishment of a new global mechanism, the "International
Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility" (INCF), creation of an
associated funding scheme, the "Programme in International Neuroinformatics",
and the establishment of national nodes and research programmes in
neuroinformatics. The goal of the INCF would be the construction,
maintenance, standardisation, sharing and updating of neuroinformatics
databases systems and modelling tools via the co-ordination and
synchronisation of national nodes. In addition, the INCF would promote
research projects in neuroinformatics through a new international funding
scheme.
The establishment of the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating
Facility requires international consultations among interested governments.
Ministers endorsed these efforts and expressed hopes for their successful
conclusion, taking into account the needs, requirements and procedures of
participating countries.
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