“The US National Science Foundation has declared China the world’s largest producer of scientific articles.”
According to the data compiled by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), for the first time, China has surpassed the United States in producing the largest number of scientific publications.
The agency released its report on January 18, documenting the growing competition of the United States from China and other developing countries, which are increasing their investment in science and technology.
Nonetheless, the report states that the United States remains a scientific energy-house, pumps high profile research, attracts international students and translates science into a valuable intellectual property.
A geophysicist Maria Zuber in Cambridge’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology says, “America remains a global leader in science and technology, but the world is changing”.
Zuber, who heads the National Science Board, says that while maintaining the NSF and presenting the report, other countries have increased their production. The relative portion of global science activity is decreasing in the United States. “We can’t be asleep on the wheel.”
In relation to the vast amount of publications, the transit scenario is already clear: China has published more than 426,000 studies in 2016. It compares with about 409,000 in the United States. India left Japan behind, and the rest of the developing world continued its trend.
The United States is considered as a global leader in the scientific field but nowadays other countries are also putting efforts in the field of global Science. According to the report, the United States was ranked third, below Sweden and Switzerland; the European Union came in fourth and China fifth.
The report states that the United States still produces the most doctoral graduates in science and technology, and remains the primary destination for international students in search of advanced students, although its share of such students fell from 25% in 2000 to 19% in 2014.
The United States produces doctoral, graduate students of Science and technology and spends a huge amount on education. The United States spends the most on research and development (R&D)—around US$500 billion in 2015, or 26% of the global total.
China came in second, at roughly $400 billion. In recent years, China has increased its R&D spending.
For the first time, the NSF added a section of technology transfer and innovation in its statistical analysis. T report suggests that the United States continues to lead the world when it comes to things like patents, revenue from intellectual property and venture capital funding for innovative technologies.
