There is much that individual countries can do to change the course of events so that the benefits of science and technology flow more equitably to all members of the human family. The outcomes that should be sought are the strengthening of S&T capacity everywhere and the stemming of the growing divide between the industrialized and developing nations. A stronger S&T capacity in the developing nations - for research and practice alike - is not a luxury but an absolute necessity if they are to participate as full partners in the world's fast-forming knowledge-based economy.
The stunning example of South Korea in recent decades shows what can be accomplished by a nation devoted to building up its S&T capacity. But the prescriptions that worked in the past will not necessarily be those that work in the future. In addition, each country's circumstances are different, so that the areas they need to focus on and the issues they have to address will vary.
However, as a result of its extended inquiries the Study Panel has been able to make numerous recommendations that should have wide applicability. Some are oft-repeated items where, regrettably, actions and achievements have not matched the rhetoric. Others are relatively novel and deserve broad distribution and serious consideration. For the reader's convenience, these topics have been grouped into five clusters, respectively addressed in each of the five succeeding chapters:
Many of the recommendations have applicability to both developing and industrialized nations. For example, those pertaining to an insistence on merit reviews, the direction of young talent toward science and technology, involvement of the science and technology communities in public issues, interaction of scientists and technologists with the productive sectors, clarification of the relationship between the public and private domains and protection of public-goods research, and support for universities' research functions are universally applicable measures that can benefit the industrialized and developing nations alike.
Because capacity building in science and technology is likely to be demanding and far-reaching - and, ultimately, tailored to each country's particular situation - it will require the involvement of all pertinent social actors for its implementation. This is especially needed in pursuing a comprehensive approach: one that recognizes the recommendations as an integrated package - a whole that is considerably more than the sum of its parts.
These social actors include:
A program of action for global capacity building in science and technology would not necessarily be seen by most of these actors as topmost on their agendas, much less as beckoning them to work together to pursue it. The community of scientists - national, regional, and international - must therefore take the lead in reaching out to other actors, especially the media and decisionmakers, in order to forge a coalition that reflects a clear appreciation of each of the five clusters of recommendations and their 'greater than the whole' interconnectedness.
