Indicator 14.a.1 Proportion of total research budget allocated to research in the field of marine technology

Indicator 14.a.1: Proportion of total research budget allocated to research in the field of marine technology

Target 14.a: Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO)

Indicator 14.a.1 shows the annual national research budget allocated by governments in the field of marine technology, relative to the overall national governmental research and development budget in general.

Definition:

Definitions and mechanisms used in the development of the SDG indicator 14.a.1 are based on the IOC Criteria and Guidelines on Transfer of Marine Technology – IOCCGTMT (originally published and endorsed by IOC Member States in 2005. These guidelines provide an internationally agreed definition of what is understood by the term marine technology and have been referenced in various UN General Assembly Resolutions and specifically in the formulation of SDG target 14.a. These are further explained in the Global Ocean Science Report (GOSR) referenced below.

Marine technology as defined in the IOCCGTMT refers to instruments, equipment, vessels, processes and methodologies required to produce and use knowledge to improve the study and understanding of the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas. Toward this end, marine technology may include any of the following components:

1. Information and data, in a user-friendly format, on marine sciences and related marine operations and services;
2. Manuals, guidelines, criteria, standards, reference materials;
3. Sampling and methodology equipment (e.g., for water, geological, biological, chemical samples);
4. Observation facilities and equipment (e.g. remote sensing equipment, buoys, tide gauges, shipboard and other means of ocean observation);
5. Equipment for in situ and laboratory observations, analysis and experimentation;
6. Computer and computer software, including models and modelling techniques;
7. Expertise, knowledge, skills, technical/scientific/legal know-how and analytical methods related to marine scientific research and observation.

Concepts:

The concepts used for the definition and calculation of the indicator 14.a.1 are based on similar concepts used in the UNESCO Science Report (2010, 2015).These reports present GERD data (gross domestic expenditure on research and experimental development) as a share of GDP (gross domestic product) and further provide the R&D (research and development) expenditure by sector of performance in % (Table S2 in the 2015 UNESCO Science Report). In addition, UIS publishes science field specific R&D, e.g. natural sciences (http://data.uis.unesco.org/).

The definitions and classifications used to collect R&D data are based on the ‘Frascati Manual: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development’ (OECD, 2002).

Percent (%) (Ocean science expenditure as a share of GERD)

Data sources: regular direct submission to the GOSR questionnaire/GOSR portal (https://gosr.ioc-unesco.org).

The questionnaire used for the first edition of the GOSR was reviewed by the Editorial Board of the GOSR2020 as well as by UIS in 2017/2018 prior to the data collection exercise started in 2018. Assessments from 2018 on were conducted with an improved questionnaire (https://gosr.ioc-unesco.org/methodology).

The novelty of the GOSR published for the first time in 2017, and the respective data collection of the 14.a.1 related data, requires the IOC Secretariat to collect the data via its national focal point until now. Future data collections might explore data availability at NSOs. New national reporting mechanisms are being established, which facilitate the provision of the required information (e.g. Colombia, Canada, Italy; document IOC-XXIX/2 Annex 14). The GERD (gross domestic expenditure on research and development) data were obtained from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics/World Bank, based on information directly provided from NSOs.

IOC focal points

National Statistical Offices (NSOs)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)/World Bank

As of 2020 the SDG 14.a.1 methodology is an adopted mechanism to obtain related information. Due to the fact that no agreed procedure to assess ocean science capacity existed until the first edition of the Global Ocean Science Report in 2017, national reporting mechanisms had to be developed and require partly still to be harmonized. However, since the GOSR 2020 data collection more countries established a strategy to collect 14.a.1 related information, allowing for global and regional technology and knowledge transfer in a resource- and need-adapted manner based on national inventories, as well as global and regional comparisons.

$Indicator\mathrm{\ }14.a.1\mathrm{\ }=\mathrm{\ }National\mathrm{\ }governmental\mathrm{\ }research\mathrm{\ }expenditure\mathrm{\ }in\mathrm{\ }marine\mathrm{\ }technology\mathrm{\ }/\mathrm{\ }National\mathrm{\ }governmental\mathrm{\ }R\&D\mathrm{\ }expenditure$

National governmental R&D expenditure data are assessed annually by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).

National governmental ocean science expenditures are envisaged to be assessed biannually via the GOSR portal (IOC-XXIX/2 Annex 10).

The development of the GOSR data repository/data portal will take place in close collaboration with UIS and IOC (at Headquarters and at the IOC Project Office for IODE, Oostende, Belgium).

2024-08-02

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO)

Links to SDG 17, SDG 5.

Targets: to all other SDG 14 targets, as science is crucial to protect and conserve the oceans’ resources.

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