The US leads the world in research but is expected to face competition in the future, according to the Royal Society’s 2011 Knowledge, Networks & Nations report. The report used information compiled from an April 2010 survey, a discussion session, interviews, secondary research and data analysis to examine the changing landscape of science and innovation. More than $1,000 billion is spent on research worldwide each year, and there are seven million researchers worldwide. More than 1.5 million research papers were generated by 218 countries in 2008. The US publishes 20% of the world’s research papers, and China has surpassed Japan to claim the number-two spot. However, the fastest growth in terms of the number of research papers published belongs to Iran. More than 35% of articles published in international journals are internationally collaborative, an increase from 25% 15 years ago. International collaborations involving the US comprise 17% of internationally collaborative papers, despite just 29% of such papers originating in the US. About half of patents now registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office are from outside the US, led by Japan, Germany and South Korea. Although China registered 1,655 patents in the US and Japan registered 35,501 in 2009, in 1999–2009 China’s number of patents increased 1738%, putting it on track to surpass Japan in the number of US patents by 2028.

Source: The Royal Society