Nanotechnology Publications and Patents: A Review of Social Science Studies and Search Strategies

This paper provides a comprehensive review of more than 120 social science studies in nanoscience and technology, all of which analyze publication and patent data. We conduct a comparative analysis of bibliometric search strategies that these studies use to harvest publication and patent data related to nanoscience and technology. We implement these strategies on 2006 publication data and find that Mogoutov and Kahane (2007), with their evolutionary lexical query search strategy, extract the highest number of records from the Web of Science. The strategies of Glanzel et al. (2003), Noyons et al. (2003), Porter et al. (2008) and Mogoutov and Kahane (2007) produce very similar ranking tables of the top ten nanotechnology subject areas and the top ten most prolific countries and institutions.nanotechnology, research and development, productivity, publications, patents, bibliometric analysis, search strategy

Nanotechnology research in Turkey: A university-driven achievement

We deal with nanotechnology research activities in Turkey. Based on publication data retrieved from ISI Web of SSCI database, the main actors and the main characteristics of nanotechnology research in Turkey are identified. Following a brief introduction to nanoscience and nanotechnology research, it goes on with a discussion on nanotechnology related science and technology policy efforts in developing countries and particularly in Turkey. Then using bibliometric methods and social network analysis techniques, this paper aims to understand the main actors of the nanoscale research in Turkey and how they collaborate across institutes and disciplines. The research indicates that there has been an exponential growth in the number of research articles published by Turkish nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST) scholars for the last ten years. However, the analysis of the main characteristics of nanotechnology research carried out at Turkish universities indicates some drawbacks and barriers to the future development of nanotechnology research in Turkey. These barriers are (i) a high concentration of nanoscale research at certain universities; (ii) low level of interdisciplinarity; (iii) a large number of universities which are not well connected to other universities in the field, and finally (iv) low level of international collaborations. Finally, science and technology policy implications of this research are discussed in the conclusion.Emerging technologies nanotechnology, nanoscience, scientific publications, SSCI, bibliometric data, social network analysis, collaborations, interdisciplinarity, science and technology policies, emerging economies, Turkey.

How to Combine Research Guarantor and Collaboration Patterns to Measure Scientific Performance of Countries in Scientific Fields: Nanoscience and Nanotechnology as a Case Study

This paper presents a comparative benchmarking of scientometric indicators to characterize the patterns of publication and research performance at the country level, in a specific field (nanoscience and nanotechnology) during the period 2003–2013. The aim was to assess how decisive collaboration may be in attaining a sound level of scientific performance, and how important leadership is for publication. To this end, we used a new methodological approach that contributes to the debate about scientific autonomy or dependency of countries in their scientific performance, and which may serve as an aid in decision-making with regard to research management. The results reveal that in terms of output, USA and China are the main producers; and due to the huge increase in their publications, Iran, India, and Australia can be considered emerging countries. The results highlight USA, Ireland, and Singapore as the countries with the highest levels of normalized citation impact, scientific excellence, and good management of leadership, all of which suggest strong scientific development and scientific autonomy. Also worth mentioning is the high visibility and scientific consolidation of China and Australia, despite the meager growth of their output. Moreover, the performance results indicate that in most cases the countries whose pattern of publication is more international tend to have greater visibility. Yet, a high degree of leadership does not always translate as a high performance level; the contrary is often true. Due to the limitations of the sample and characteristics of the field, we propose that future studies evaluate the generation of new knowledge in this field and refine the approach presented here, so as to better measure scientific performance.Projects I + D + I, State Programme of Research, Development and Innovation oriented to the Challenges of the Society: NANOMETRICS (Ref. CSO2014-57770-R) supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain.Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Nanotechnology: public engagement with health, environment and social issues

This EPA STRIVE research fellowship report presents a literature review and fieldwork data for a project that investigated how the topic of nanotechnology can be engaged with by both experts on the topic and nonexperts. The first objective was to map out what can be said about knowledge of nanotechnology in contemporary Ireland. All perspectives on nanotechnology were taken on board, analysed and synthesised, including deviations from the accepted truths about nanotechnology. While perspectives on environmental and health implications were of particular interest, they were not the primary focus in discussions, unless raised by participants and commentators. Methods used for this study included an awareness survey and media and document analyses. The second objective was to pilot a series of nanotechnology communication events, which would provide the basis of a future communications/ consultation strategy for policy-makers. The types of activities used in these events included focus groups, a ‘citizens’ jury’, online forums and an installation in the Science Gallery in Dublin. The contributions from these activities also added to the first objective of addressing nanotechnology knowledge. The third and final objective was to report to the EPA, in order to aid future environmental research associated with public communication and wider science communication and technology assessment policy by the Irish government. The following was concluded from this project: • Scientists were the most prominent voices in public discourse about nanotechnology, but mostly in the context of commercial exploitation and innovation. • Environment and health risks and benefits were tied to social and ethical considerations very closely and participants in public engagement activities were at least as concerned about governance and equity issues (in terms of how nanotechnology is controlled) as they were about the environmental and health implication • Scientists were the most prominent voices in public discourse about nanotechnology, but mostly in the context of commercial exploitation and innovation. • Environment and health risks and benefits were tied to social and ethical considerations very closely and participants in public engagement activities were at least as concerned about governance and equity issues (in terms of how nanotechnology is controlled) as they were about the environmental and health implication • Where nanotechnology was described in the media, it tended to be either framed in commercial terms, or in basic, scientific, didactic terms for education and outreach, for example, ‘nanotechnology is …’ Both representations reduce the chances for nanotechnology risks, of any kind, to be discussed, and are at odds with policy measures of nanotechnology public engagement in other countries. • Dialogicality (expressing multiple voices and views on a topic) was weak in many official nanotechnology texts, new media approaches provided more opportunities for dialogue. • The concept of nanotechnology as an ‘entity’ was important – for young participants in particular. • Levels of attendance at public engagement events were low for the open-invitation focus group and the citizens’ jury pilot especially. The following recommendations are made: • Establish a Convergence Technologies Forum; • Ensure that dialogue initiatives are included for future nanotechnology; • Use all communication channels, including new Web 2.0 media; • Learn from the public engagement mistakes of other emerging technology debates, such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs); • Link to global networks already involved in nanotechnology and emerging technology public engagement; • Include social sustainability as a criterion in future EPA- and exchequer-funded research and technology assessment. Even though there is little media or public interest, Nano-Innovation discourses are growing. In any future campaign for nanotechnology, media exposure and public relations require considerable investment. In other countries, dialogue is considered as important as promoting the technology itself. This report offers a ‘menu’ of dialogue models for policy-makers to address the many objectives of nanotechnology strategy, from less dialogic information transfer to public-led dialogue and the public imagining of a future with nanotechnology. If only some of the predictions are accurate, nanotechnology will have many social implications. Much work is necessary to ensure nanotechnology public engagement is taken seriously in Ireland if the technology is an economic priority, or indeed if it has some bearing on progress in health, environment and technology. This report confirms what is found in international studies of science and society – public engagement needs to be about what can be accepted, not what can be sold. This report recommends that, for a more inclusive approach to nanotechnology knowledge – and to avoid another ‘GM scenario’ – dialogue must form the basis of the communication strategy with embedded ‘triple bottom line’ values, that is, where society and environment are given the same level of importance currently granted to the economy

Nanotechnology research in Turkey: A university-driven achievement

We deal with nanotechnology research activities in Turkey. Based on publication data retrieved from ISI Web of SSCI database, the main actors and the main characteristics of nanotechnology research in Turkey are identified. Following a brief introduction to nanoscience and nanotechnology research, it goes on with a discussion on nanotechnology related science and technology policy efforts in developing countries and particularly in Turkey. Then using bibliometric methods and social network analysis techniques, this paper aims to understand the main actors of the nanoscale research in Turkey and how they collaborate across institutes and disciplines. The research indicates that there has been an exponential growth in the number of research articles published by Turkish nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST) scholars for the last ten years. However, the analysis of the main characteristics of nanotechnology research carried out at Turkish universities indicates some drawbacks and barriers to the future development of nanotechnology research in Turkey. These barriers are (i) a high concentration of nanoscale research at certain universities; (ii) low level of interdisciplinarity; (iii) a large number of universities which are not well connected to other universities in the field, and finally (iv) low level of international collaborations. Finally, science and technology policy implications of this research are discussed in the conclusion

A Study of Iranian Scientific Productions on Patenting and its Comparison with those of Scientifically Advanced Countries

This scientometric research was conducted through correlation-analysis, and intended to assess the correlation between publications and patents both in developed countries and in Iran. The present study was performed using scientometric methodology and used USPTO for patent data and Scopus for publication data from 2015 to 2019. This study applied both parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses. Moreover, the Spearman Correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between variables and types of variables. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS1 software. The relationship between these two variables was significant in each of the years under study. Different types of scientific documents, such as books, articles, and conference papers, were assessed. The Pearson Correlation analysis between these types of documents showed significance at 0.01 level in  the articles with the correlation coefficient of 0.858, books with the correlation coefficient of 0.867, and conference papers with the correlation coefficient of 0.874, which was related to the extent of patenting. The subject areas related to social sciences and humanities, engineering and technical sciences, medical sciences, and biological sciences with the correlation coefficients of 0.866, 0.861, 0.843, and 0.834, respectively, at 0.01 level, revealed a significant relationship between the studied countries’ scientific output in these subject areas and the extent of patenting. The results of the present research showed that there was a positive relationship between the studied countries’ scientific output and their level of patenting. The countries that enjoy high levels of scientific output have more inventions. However, the results for Iran indicated that the growth in scientific output has had an insignificant effect on the country’s invention rate

Towards a Global Ethics: The Debate on Nanotechnology in the European Union and China

The primary aim of the thesis is to assess whether ethical governance of Science and Technology is feasible as a global approach, using the example of nanotechnology. The thesis firstly compares ethical issues identified by stakeholders in China and the EU relating to the rapid introduction of a potentially transformative technology, namely nanotechnology. Part One of this thesis explores how the ‘narratives’ of nanotechnology differ in each region, particularly given their different bioethics contexts, and examines how specific concerns translate into policymaking. In questioning whether Eastern and Western approaches to nanotechnology governance can be aligned, one can observe that Europe is increasingly cooperating and competing with China. Such new interdependences between global actors require new global approaches to S&T policy, including ethical governance. Part Two of this thesis explores the concept of ‘global ethics’ and discusses the feasibility of a global approach. Given criticism of both universalism and relativism, it is often argued that a universal approach that takes sufficient account of local context cannot be developed. On the assumption that global ethics are achieved by global actors, this thesis looks at global agency. The thesis connects discourse ethics and participatory Technology Assessment (pTA), arguing that a version of Habermasian discourse ethics can provide a theoretical framework for dialogue between West and East. Discourse ethics has developed around Habermas’s argument that social order depends on our capacity to recognize, through rational discourse, the intersubjective validity of different views. Habermas asks the basic question of global ethics, of how different views (particularly of social order) can be universally recognized and agreed, perhaps within an 'ideal community' of communication, one that may be global. The thesis adds to Habermas’s discourse model, utilising virtue ethics as well as the work of, for example, Taylor, Beck, Korsgaard and others on identity formation. It is argued that the significant factor in global ethics is the formation of the agent’s moral identity, the formation of which requires one to go beyond one’s context, to achieve an intercultural personhood. Habermas (as do Taylor, Beck and others) suggests identity as a dual concept, reflecting an interdependence of society and one’s inner self. This would mean that one can understand the cultural biases inherent in any act of communication, while acting autonomously of such bias. If such a model of dual identity/agency can be applied to the intercultural dialogue on the governance of nanotechnology between East and West, it could potentially provide a new tool or model within pTA