Signal Survey: digital transition with AI convergence and a national R&D innovation system lead priority science and technology tasks

Summary

Respondents chose which science, technology and innovation national tasks deserve the highest priority for securing competitiveness. The seven options were science education and talent, a digital-transition and AI-convergence nation, public innovation and science-based policymaking, regional innovation clusters and super-regional R&D, a national R&D innovation system, technology security and global cooperation, and carbon neutrality and climate technology. Building a digital-transition and AI-convergence nation led among the public, with the national R&D innovation system close behind. Experts gave these two tasks equal top ranking and placed education and talent third. Technology security and climate technology drew noticeably less support from experts than from the public, and public innovation and science-based policymaking ranked near the bottom in both groups.