Innovation Policy in the Knowledge-Based Economy

Abstract

In 1987, the National Science Foundation sponsored a workshop entitledAn Agenda for Science Policy Research.That event was a hallmark in science and technology planning. The participants evaluated the existing knowledge base for science and technology policy planning They also set forth an agenda of questions that need to be addressed and the policy implications of the answers to those questions for the policy community Topics discussed included the social importance of basic research; the value of the linear model (ala Vannevar Bush) for policy planning in the current science and technology environment; and a host of competitive issues, such as collaborative research relationships, that were expected to be related to the ever present competitive pressures from global markets. Subsequently, scholars investigated many of the recommended issues, and their research influenced legislative initiatives (e.g., the 1993 amendment to the National Cooperative Research Act) during the following decade.