sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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2. Scientific capacities and technology transfer
The scientific output of Latin America and the Caribbean, measured by the number of scientific
publications, doubled between 1987 and <strong>20</strong>06, and accounted for 4.9% of the world’s total in <strong>20</strong>08
(UNESCO, <strong>20</strong>10b). Nonetheless, a review of the distribution of knowledge by field reveals a relative
specialization in agricultural sciences. The R&D sector contributes less to technological <strong>development</strong> and
innovations with industrial application, which is reflected in the small number of patents granted
compared to developed countries. This is explained by a combination of factors, including lower
efficiency and an orientation towards adapting and importing technology.
Scientific capacities are unequally distributed across the region, and the large scientific facilities
are mainly in Argentina, Brazil and Chile (UNESCO, <strong>20</strong>10a). According to data from the UNESCO
Institute for Statistics, 17 human resources dedicated to R&D in the region in <strong>20</strong>07 amounted to
252,000 researchers and technologists. There is a general shortage of newly trained personnel, while
insufficient resources in the R&D sector means little demand for scientists and technicians, thereby
making it impossible to promote scientific work. The geographic distribution of human resources reveals
the heterogeneity of the region and a concentration in the wealthier countries. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and
Mexico account for 90% of this highly skilled population (especially researchers and technologists).
Some small countries, such as Cuba, do, however, have a large number of researchers and technologists in
relation to their population (RICYT, <strong>20</strong>08) (see also chapter III).
In the specific area of environmental sustainability, technological <strong>development</strong> strategies have
prioritized the introduction of state-of-the-art technologies, such as the new biotechnologies and
nanotechnologies. Environmental agencies in most of the region’s countries have given preference to the
introduction of de-contamination technologies for the treatment of urban, industrial and mining waste,
while leaving new technologies for other economic sectors.
Little is being done with technology that alters the natural structure of ecosystems for the purpose
of agricultural <strong>development</strong>, which has had a high environmental cost in the region. The structure of R&D
expenditure in agriculture, financed mostly by the public sector, reveals a concentration on technology
and, to a lesser extent, on <strong>sustainable</strong> land use and the control and protection of the environment. On this
latter point, R&D targets issues such as the identification and analysis of sources of pollution, its
dispersion in the environment, effects on mankind and species, and the <strong>development</strong> of pollutionmeasurement
facilities.
Transnational corporations are one of the key players in the creation, <strong>development</strong> and
deployment of advanced technologies (see chapter III), so potentially they have an important role in
reducing the technology gap, since their research and <strong>development</strong> capacities are crucial in hightechnology
activities and in the provision of knowledge packages. Nonetheless, this does not always lead
to the dissemination of innovation, which remains concentrated in the beneficiary countries and sectors.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, transnational corporations are concentrated in sectors of lowtechnology
content, and the individual countries display a low technology-absorption capacity.
These aspects highlight the fact that technological changes in Latin America’s productive
structure have been limited and inadequate to the challenges posed by a more open productive structure
integrated into international trade (see chapter I). This situation could become more complex in an
international setting in which technologies and production modalities are constantly changing, as a
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See [online] http://www.uis.unesco.org [date of reference: 15 June <strong>20</strong>11].