Scientific and Innovation Landscapes of BRICS Countries: An Analysis of Funding and Performance. Part 1. Research Methodology

Abstract

The study of the specific features of BRICS countries’ development has become particularly relevant in recent years, as this grouping demonstrates a steady trend towards consolidation. The purpose of the article is to identify the scientific and innovation landscapes of the BRICS countries on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of indicators of funding and performance of scientific and innovation activities. This purpose is specified in the following tasks: elaboration of a research methodology for country-level science and innovation landscapes; conducting a comparative analysis of R&D funding, the number of researchers and patents; applying matrix modelling and developing an approach to the typology of countries from the perspective of transforming science and innovation investments into results. The research methodology combines structural and dynamic analysis with cluster analysis. This part of the article presents the theoretical and methodological foundations of the study. The proposed framework comprises several sequential stages, including: an analysis of the dynamics of BRICS countries’ performance, which is based on indicators of funding, human capital and output potential in science and innovation; an investigation into the linkages between funding parameters and the performance of research and innovation activities, employing matrix modeling techniques; and a classification of countries according to the level of return on investment in innovation and science. Furthermore, the data sources for the empirical analysis of BRICS countries are specified and an examination of national strategic policy documents pertaining to the development and support of research and innovation is carried out. This approach makes it possible to distinguish several development models: countries with an aggressive science and technology policy and high growth rates of both funding and patents; economies with patent‑oriented catching‑up growth under more moderate increases in expenditure; countries with a high initial level of research personnel availability but restrained dynamics of funding and outputs; and states with emerging national innovation systems that are expanding their resource base from a low starting level. The approval of the proposed approach will be presented in further studies and laid out in the second part of the article.