The OECD has recently published the 2010/11 edition of its bi-annual publiction of indicators of research and development activity in member countries and some selected non-member countries.   The indicators range over spending in higher education and in business R&D,  numbers of researchers, patents secured, and other relevant indicators, some 150 in all. For many of the indicators time series are available back to 1990.

It is interesting to note some significant changes in members' spend over time.   With respect to business R&D for example, the biggest spenders in 2008 were Finland, Sweden, Japan and South Korea, each spending over 2.5% of GDP on business R&D.  In some countries, notably Denmark, and Finland, the proportion has doubled over the period since 1990.  The UK, on the other hand, which 20 years earlier was in the top five, is now outside the top 10, its spend having fallen from over 1.4% to 1.1% since 1990.   For OECD members as a whole, the proportion of GDP spent on business R%D is 1.6% in 2008, a slight increase over the period.

There is now sgnificant research which examines the (usually positive) relationship between investment in R&D and its impact in terms of GDP and technical innovation.   Commentators are now suggesting there is the emergence of a changing relationship between technical innovation and social and societal innovation, arguing that the two are much more closely intertwined than hitherto. Whilst a technological focus on innovation remains dominant, and many countries continue to develop processes improving the linkeage between investment in R&D and innovation,  there is increasing acknowledgement that most innovation is essentially social, and often involves change at societal level.

So it is vital, for example, that before the technologies for combating climate change are adopted,  there is social and societal innovation which accepts behavioural change if the tecnological innovatins are to achieve their full impact.  Again,  innovation in individual and community expectations and behaviours implied as a consequence of substantial programmes of deficit reduction in many countries and the re-definition of the respective roles of the state and communities depends on social innovation, taking advantage of the application of technical innovations to deliver more efficient public services, and foster new ways of building community awareness and community action.

PASCAL is increasingly connected to these debates,  and will continue to bring together research and ideas from different disciplines.  Social innovation has at its centre the importance of place,  of social capital and of learning.  The focus of regional governmental agencies in facilitating linkeages between these is a key concern crucial to sustainable change.