Research on different types of corona variants at the Genetic Analysis Laboratory in Chennai.
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
Research publications are widely used as a measure of scientific and technological progress. Analysing trends in research also helps guide policy. A brief comparative study of the most researched topics in the Web of Science, a scholarly publication database, over the last 20 years and the last five years highlights the research focus of scientists in different countries.
The chart-topper
‘Coronavirus’ was the most published research topic in the world in the last five years and in the last two decades. The sheer volume of papers on this subject shows the capacity of the global scientific community to produce relevant scientific knowledge that will help people respond quickly to a crisis.
‘Coronavirus’ was the most researched topic in India in the last five years and among the top five research topics in the last two decades. It was the most published research topic in the U.S. over the last five years and in the last two decades. But it was conspicuously absent from China’s top research topics. This is surprising for two reasons: the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first reported from this country in late 2019; and China, which has emerged as a global scientific superpower in the last two decades, has been contributing an increasing share of the world’s papers on several research topics.
Chart 1 | The chart ranks the five topics under which the highest number of papers were published (2019- 2023) in select nations.
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Some of the other topics that are widely researched are deep learning, and clean and green energy topics such as photocatalysis, supercapacitors, and oxygen reduction reactions. Deep learning refers to a class of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms characterised by the use of multiple ‘layers’, where each layer transforms and/or manipulates the input data in specific ways. Engineers have built facial recognition on phones, speech recognition in digital assistants, and recommendation engines on streaming services using deep learning.
The focus on AI-related research worldwide corresponds to the increasing importance of AI technologies in various sectors. Chinese researchers have produced more than twice as many papers on the topic of AI as have researchers in the U.S., and more than 45% of the world’s research output on this subject in the last five years. India’s share remains low even if the topic features among the country’s top five.
Photocatalysis refers to the acceleration of chemical reactions using light. Scientists are studying it to make new materials and generate clean energy; a particularly important contemporary focus area is green hydrogen. Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that trap and hold energy as electrostatic charge. In contrast, conventional batteries store chemical energy. Supercapacitors are super-powered batteries that can store much more energy and also release it faster. Their applications include electric vehicles, where fast charging is required, and the renewable energy sector. The oxygen reduction reaction is an important process in electrochemistry with a starring role in next-generation energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Research on these topics is evidently driven by researchers in China.
Comparing the U.S. and China
Overall, China has focused significantly on high-impact technological fields and on the development of new materials. In contrast, the U.S. appears to be facilitating a more diverse approach, addressing health and social well-being through research on topics such as parenting, the human immuno-deficiency virus, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, gut microbiota, and programmed cell death (PD-1). Research on PD-1 has the potential to revolutionise how we treat cancer and other diseases by understanding, and then manipulating, the immune system’s response. The U.S. National Institute of Health provides more funding for life science and health research than all other civilian research funding agencies of the country. U.S. researchers are also devoting attention to astronomy and astrophysics, presumably because they enjoy greater access to the data produced by NASA missions.
Chart 2 | The chart ranks the five topics under which the highest number of papers were published (2004- 2023) in select nations.
India’s nano focus
The single largest fraction of India’s research output is focused on nanotechnology. In particular, nanofluids have applications in heat transfer; silver nanoparticles have applications in antimicrobial and anticancer therapy; and zinc oxide nanoparticles are essential semiconductor materials with applications in electronics, optoelectronics, ceramics, and cosmetics.
The large volume of papers about nanotechnology can be attributed at least in part to the success of the Nano Mission that the Indian government launched in 2007 with the aim of making the country a top research destination on this topic. Other research focus areas are deep learning, photocatalysis, and coronavirus.
India’s significant focus on nanotechnology is a sign of a concentrated allocation of resources in areas that may not directly address the immediate needs in health or climate change — at least not yet. Policymakers may examine the agenda-setting process in Indian research or, alternatively, guide nanotechnology towards solutions more closely related to India’s Sustainable Development Goals and energy-transition targets.
Suryesh Kumar Namdeo is a Senior Research Analyst, Avinash Kumar is a Project Scientist, and Moumita Koley is a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Source: Web of Science
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