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The fall of the innovation empire and its possible rise through open science.

Authors :
Gold ER
Source :
Research policy [Res Policy] 2021 Jun; Vol. 50 (5), pp. 104226.
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

There is growing concern that the innovation system's ability to create wealth and attain social benefit is declining in effectiveness. This article explores the reasons for this decline and suggests a structure, the open science partnership, as one mechanism through which to slow down or reverse this decline. The article examines the empirical literature of the last century to document the decline. This literature suggests that the cost of research and innovation is increasing exponentially, that researcher productivity is declining, and, third, that these two phenomena have led to an overall flat or declining level of innovation productivity. The article then turns to three explanations for the decline - the growing complexity of science, a mismatch of incentives, and a balkanization of knowledge. Finally, the article explores the role that open science partnerships - public-private partnerships based on open access publications, open data and materials, and the avoidance of restrictive forms of intellectual property - can play in increasing the efficiency of the innovation system.<br />Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.<br /> (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0048-7333
Volume :
50
Issue :
5
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Research policy
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
34083844
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104226