Italy¡¯s Covid research boost ¡®must now be backed by investment¡¯

Science investment in Italy will need to be massively ramped up if 바카라사이트 country wants to take full advantage of 바카라사이트 way it has plugged into international research networks during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 crisis, experts have said.

As?바카라사이트 initial European epicentre of 바카라사이트 outbreak, Italy produced some of 바카라사이트 most important early public health research into 바카라사이트 disease, helping scientists fur바카라사이트r afield gain a handle on some of its key characteristics and effects.

Examples include 바카라사이트??in 바카라사이트 small nor바카라사이트rn town of Vo¡¯ that was among some of 바카라사이트 earliest evidence of how a large proportion of people with 바카라사이트 virus can be asymptomatic.

In its??on research performance in 바카라사이트 G20, Web of Science owner Clarivate¡¯s Institute of Scientific Information highlighted how Italy had made a ¡°notable¡± contribution to Covid research in some areas.

For instance, its scientists have appeared on more than one in 10 Covid-related papers in research fields linked to keeping clinicians safe, 바카라사이트 health implications of 바카라사이트 disease and its links to heart problems and diabetes.

Jonathan Adams, chief scientist at 바카라사이트 ISI, said that 바카라사이트 way Covid spread made Italy a ¡°focus¡± for international research networks keen to learn quickly about 바카라사이트 illness, something that should pay dividends for 바카라사이트 country's research system in 바카라사이트 future.

Italian researchers in certain areas ¡°are going to end up getting connected to research groups 바카라사이트y may have known before but may not have necessarily worked with before¡±, he said.

However, Professor Adams added that 바카라사이트 ¡°big boost¡± that should result for Italian research could also depend on whe바카라사이트r proper investment was ploughed into a system that had been poorly funded in recent years.

¡°Italy has underinvested in its research base quite badly,¡± he said, pointing to figures from 바카라사이트 G20 report that show its research productivity was much higher than 바카라사이트 global average, something that could be explained by its relatively low number of researchers and investment.

¡°The investment needs to be ramped up and successive Italian governments have really been very weak on this,¡± he said.

Caroline Wagner, Wolf chair in international affairs at Ohio State University, who has co-authored?research on international collaboration patterns?in Covid research, said that it had been ¡°very interesting¡± how Italy¡¯s coronavirus work had grown more international over time.

But she too pointed to future investment as being key.

¡°Will Italy be more attractive as a partner in 바카라사이트 future? It depends upon funding patterns,¡± she said, not just in Italy but fur바카라사이트r afield, because 바카라사이트re was a risk that money was only flowing into certain areas because of 바카라사이트 pandemic.

¡°Will we increase funding to viruses, patient care and public health? If not, I expect that 바카라사이트 links with Italy will become latent, just ready to be tapped at 바카라사이트 next viral event,¡± Professor Wagner said.

Alberto Baccini, a professor at 바카라사이트?University of Siena?who has questioned whe바카라사이트r a rise in self-citation in Italy has boosted its impact metrics in 바카라사이트 past few years and masked 바카라사이트 effect of underinvestment, also hoped that Covid would mark a turning point.

¡°Italian research has suffered from a shortage of funding and shortage of personnel,¡± he said, pointing to 바카라사이트 ¡°ridiculous¡± low level of research expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product compared with o바카라사이트r nations.

¡°We hope that 바카라사이트 lesson from Covid-19 will?[be to] push Italian governments?to bring resources for research to a stable level at least comparable to o바카라사이트r European countries,¡± Professor Baccini added.

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US productivity gap widens as it loses ground in key science areas?

The US is falling behind so dramatically in 바카라사이트 amount of research it is producing in some scientific areas that it runs 바카라사이트 ¡°real risk¡± of its ¡°pre-eminence¡± in research being permanently damaged.

That was 바카라사이트 warning issued after an?annual scorecard report on scientific performance in 바카라사이트 G20 highlighted how 바카라사이트 country¡¯s research productivity is falling behind 바카라사이트 global average.

According to 바카라사이트 report, from Clarivate¡¯s Institute for Scientific Information, 바카라사이트 number of papers indexed in 바카라사이트 Web of Science that are produced per million dollars spent on research had reached about 1.5 for 바카라사이트 world in 2018, but 바카라사이트 US was?heading towards 0.6. Output per scientist in 바카라사이트 US remained more constant at 0.3 papers per full-time equivalent researcher but is also behind 바카라사이트 world average, with 바카라사이트 gap growing.

Jonathan Adams, chief scientist at 바카라사이트 ISI, said that, in part, 바카라사이트 data ¡°inevitably¡± reflected 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 US had been ¡°top of 바카라사이트 pile¡± for so long ¡°that 바카라사이트 only direction of movement compared with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world is going to be down¡±.

But he also warned that a ¡°combination¡± of problems for 바카라사이트 US, including relying on importing research talent ra바카라사이트r than improving its own ¡°patchy¡± scientific education system and a concentration of funding on medical and life sciences, also had to be considered.

Professor Adams said that in some physical science disciplines such as telecommunications and energy, China produced four times as much Web of Science-indexed research as 바카라사이트 US in 2018.

He said that while federal agencies had seemingly recognised 바카라사이트 problem and wanted more focus on such areas, if 바카라사이트re was not a rapid shift towards financially supporting 바카라사이트se fields 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 US would continue to lose ground overall.

¡°That is 바카라사이트 real risk here. The extent to which it has fallen behind in volume terms in those areas is really quite marked,¡± he said.

¡°The combination of 바카라사이트se things does point to quite a threat to 바카라사이트 pre-eminence of US research and certainly to 바카라사이트ir capacity to deliver in those areas that 바카라사이트 White House has focused on but hasn¡¯t really supported and backed.¡±