by Renate Riedl

The more the Internet becomes ubiquitous, the more interest it evokes among those with the desire for power. Multi-stakeholders such as governments, industrial companies, and civil rights groups claim their right to “control” the Internet. Being inherently a decentralized network, there is little possibility of gaining control from a single point at the top. Looking at the technical coordination of the Internet, a crucial point in the struggle to gain influence is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

by Mary Kavanagh

On March 4th 2005, Bruce Alberts, President of the National Academy of Sciences, felt compelled to write to all Academy members alerting them to the increasing challenges to the teaching of evolution in public schools and stressing them that they should be vigilant wherever they live because the same challenges were likely to reach everywhere in time.

by Renate Riedl

Approximately one-third of all funding for U.S. research and development comes from the federal budget. The remaining amounts come mostly from various American industries. The federal portion is the main source for most of the basic research performed in the U.S. This basic research is considered to be the driving force for knowledge and innovation. Furthermore, federal money is the main support for research at universities and colleges. The estimated 2005 federal budget for R&D in the U.S. was set at $132.2 billion. The President’s request for FY 2006 is $132.3 billion. This is about 5.1% of the overall federal R&D budget in 2006. The small increase over FY 2005 does not even cover the estimated inflation rate of 2%. For the first time in 15 years, the R&D budget is declining in real terms.

by Philipp Steger

bridges' is a publication that takes a broad view of S&T Policy as the sum of a wide array of phenomena, from legislative measures and judicial decisions, to causes embraced by grassroots movements and any occurrence or trend that impacts a country’s national innovation system, to the way a society goes about educating its youth. S&T Policy is thus not viewed as the exclusive domain of policymakers or scientists, but as a policy field and part of societal reality that is continuously shaped by different players, many of whom wouldn’t even claim to be influencing S&T policy. But were they to wonder whether their actions have repercussions on the national innovation system- – i.e. a country’s capability for continued and sustained innovation, which is vital for long-term economic growth – they would realize the extent to which their actions are indeed influential.

by Philipp Steger

Over many decades, Austrian Universities have consistently provided free, high quality education to a broad range of students. Anyone with the “Matura,” the Austrian equivalent of a high school diploma, could choose one or more of the many Austrian universities offering a myriad of disciplines ranging from law and medicine to more exotic ones such as tibetology or oceanography (exotic only in landlocked Austria). And money was not an issue: universities didn’t charge tuition, and the state provided an elaborate system of scholarships and other financial assistance to allow students from lower income families to cover their expenses without having to work while attending university. It was, undoubtedly, a system which benefited many, making university education accessible to people from varied backgrounds and improving their chances of creating successful professional lives.