Special Issue on The Global Research Village. Science Technology Industry Review N°4

Abstract

Developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) contribute to the evolution of the scence system by supporting ongoing changes and introducing new ones to the working practices of scientists. ICT-based infrastructure underlies and significantly influences all aspects of science, from the capacity of scientists to access data and information, through the potential for global collaboration, to the ability to communicate and diffuse the results of research. This issue of the STI Review examines the development of ICT infrastructure in the OECD area, reveals how this powerful tool supports the work of scientists and highlights the role of government in realising the potential of ICT for science. It is based on the Global Research Village II Conference, held in Sintra, Portugal, on 17-18 September 1998 and organised jointly by the Portuguese Ministry for Science and Technology and the OECD.