High-temperature superconductivity research: an indicator of national science-and-technologypolicy responsiveness

High-temperature superconductivity has been used as a probe for evaluating science and technology policy-making in various countries. Differences in response time and behavior have been detected among the three main actors: The US, Japan, and EEC. While the US had by far the highest response rate, national research laboratories and the universities with extensive government grants responded significantly slower than did corporate research laboratories and universities with less government support. The study suggests that dependency on large governement contracts dampen the ability to make quick decisions and change policy direction mid-stream. In Europe, the response process has been slow and indicates a need to re-evaluate science policy to increase responsiveness to major events.