by Philipp Steger

Dear reader,

It’s a rare occasion, when science & technology capture the national interest for even a brief time. But it nevertheless happens, and it did so prominently for a moment during the presidential campaign, when stem cell research and the debate over using Nevada’s Yucca mountain as the final storage for America’s nuclear waste made national headlines. While it may not have been long and publicized enough to hold the attention of the general public for more than the fleeting moment the news ran across TV screens, it has struck a chord with the science & technology policy community. Major scientific journals such as “Science” found it noteworthy enough to expound on the phenomenon. The two candidates, writes “Science” in its current issue, “have sparred repeatedly over issues ranging from embryonic stem cell research to global warming.” In this edition of “bridges”, Jutta Kern and Johann Sattler follow the question of what role science & technology play in this presidential election.

by Wolfgang Polt

In the following, some main results from a recent study about international trends and developments in science and technology policy are briefly summarized (see Rammer et al., 2004). The study, which was carried out by a team of researchers from the German Center for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim and the Austrian Institute for Technology and Regional Policy of Joanneum Research on behalf of the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), compared recent trends in the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, and Finland to what was occurring in Germany and found a number of important developments currently taking place.

by Martin Schmid

On June 16, the European Commission released the communication, “Science and technology, the key to Europe's future – Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research.” This communication was the official starting point for the preparatory phase of the “Seventh Framework Program for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration.”

by Philipp Steger

How science communication helped turn a high-brow icon of the gilded age of monopoly into one of Europe’s most exciting public radio stations.

From monopoly to modernity
“Ö1 has left behind its old image as the radio station for highbrow culture, but it still has the advantage of being firmly present in Austrian consciousness,” says Martin Bernhofer, the director of the science, education and society department at Ö1, one of the radio stations that are part of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF).

by Joshua Mandell

Ten years is a long time when it comes to setting government policy. It allows for drastic change in leadership and government focus, funding priorities and national scientific pursuits. There is one constant regardless of these changes – The economy and competitive edge of a nation is reliant on its scientific, technological and innovative strengths. It is under this idea that the UK has set out a ten-year plan named Science & Innovation Investment Framework 2004-2014.