A new report released by the OECD this month examines the governance of public research policies in 35 OECD member countries from 2005 to 2017. According to the data, there is an increased use of funding for projects, as well as performance contracts and evaluations, for Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Public Research Institutes (PRI).

In 32% of the countries, only one ministry is responsible for determining research and innovation agendas, while 18% of countries have separate ministries for research and innovation. Agencies, defined as “public entities in charge of policy implementation regarding public research, or research and innovation councils, i.e. public institutions outside ministries with the mandate to support the governance of public research,” set policy priorities in 32% of OECD nations. Most countries have ministries that provide institutional funding for both HEIs and PRIs, while in 89% of OECD countries national agencies decide how project funding is allocated. In 12 of 31 countries, a single agency provides project funding.

The report found that 89% of countries have councils for research and innovation. HEIs and PRIs are generally autonomous in regards to their relationships with industry, budget allocations and recruitment of researchers. In 85% of OECD countries, HEIs are able to freely create legal entities such as technology offices, and they are also free to determine how they choose to allocate their funding within the institution.

Source: OECD