Recent Release | 10 Nov 2021
The State of Scientific Research Productivity: How To Sustain A Critical Engine of Human Progress
Thought Leadership Team
Oxford Economics
No broad-based slowdown in scientific research productivity
New study challenges conventional wisdom about declining productivity but identifies meaningful issues across sectors and stages of research
All is not well in the world of scientific research. A new report from Oxford Economics and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, identifies common issues linked to lagging research productivity, along with some practical steps for improving performance across the research ecosystem.
The report indicates that the productivity rate of scientific research is not declining on a global basis, contrary to some earlier reports. Yet challenges abound. Among the major obstacles to scientific productivity – defined as the amount of output driven by a given level of investment – are pressure for quick results, technical and organizational complexity, and poor collaboration habits. Issues with government funding are another problem that often drags on research performance.
Key findings
Among the key findings, based on a 2021 survey of subject matter experts around the world, along with in-depth interviews and econometric modeling:
- Short-term thinking has big costs. Three quarters of survey respondents say pressure to produce results or publish papers increased over the past 10 years, and nearly 60% say pressure from management to produce results as soon as possible is detrimental to scientific research productivity. Three quarters say shorter funding cycles lead to less research in unexplored areas.
- Complexity is overwhelming. Researchers in some fields are bumping against natural limits or finding many milestones already reached. The work itself is increasingly complex and difficult to keep up with, requiring ever-greater levels of specialization. Organizational complexity hurts, too: econometric modelling shows larger organizations have lower scientific productivity.
- Collaboration has its risks. Our econometric work links collaborative projects to higher levels of research productivity, and collaboration is on the rise. But paying another party to do research may lead to declining productivity in the long term and to poor retention of knowledge that could drive future gains –and this type of arrangement has increased sharply in recent years.
Public funding, which is generally beyond the control of research organizations, is growing slowly in Western economies and could be better allocated with more rigorous prioritization and clearer goals.
“Few subjects are of greater importance than the productivity of scientific research. Our study shows reasons for concern, but also for optimism.”
Adrian Cooper, CEO, Oxford Economics
About the team
Our Thought Leadership team produces original, evidence-based research made accessible to decision-makers and opinion leaders. Principals for this project included:
Edward Cone
Editorial Director, Thought Leadership
+1 (336) 337 3127
Edward Cone
Editorial Director, Thought Leadership
New York, United States
Editorial Director Edward Cone oversees global research programs for our Thought Leadership group. As Technology Practice Lead he works with clients such as Google, Accenture, IBM, SAP, and many others. His areas of focus include Artificial Intelligence, the impact of technology on business performance, and healthcare organizations.
Edward joined the firm in 2012 after more than two decades as a business and technology journalist based in New York, Paris, and North Carolina, including stints as an editor and writer at various Ziff Davis magazines (CIO Insight, Baseline), a contributing editor at Wired, and a staff writer at Forbes.
Edward also wrote a weekly newspaper opinion column for many years in his hometown of Greensboro, NC and authored a semi-popular blog. He has contributed to a bewildering variety of magazines and papers on topics ranging from politics to rock climbing and was a frequent speaker and organizer at new media conferences across the country. Honors for his work include the 2020 Rybczynski Prize, awarded for the best essay on economics by Society of Professional Economists, and various awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and the North Carolina Press Association. He has a BA from Haverford College.
Rob Harbron
Associate Director, Economic Impact
+44 (0) 203 910 8108
Rob Harbron
Associate Director, Economic Impact
London, United Kingdom
Rob is an Associate Director in the Applied Economic Consulting team within the Economic Impact department.
Since joining Oxford Economics in 2018, he has run many high-profile economic impact studies in the aerospace, defence and transport sectors, including for clients such as BAE Systems, Leonardo UK and the European Express Association.
He has also run environmental impact studies, such as looking at the socioeconomic contribution of the European Commission’s Clean Sky 2 aviation R&D programme, and the environmental impact of the German fashion industry.
Rob has previously worked for the economics advisory team of EY, for the macroeconomics team at the Centre of Economics and Business Research, and for marketing analytics company Gain Theory. Rob has an MSc in economics and econometrics from the University of Bristol.
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