The fieldwork analysis is fundamental to the country case studies, and the project overall. There are numerous players such as the World Bank, the OECD, UNESCO and others who also produce country case studies but these reports are often weighted towards data and statistics, and targeted at an informed and science-literate audience. Our work will draw on these reports but the niche for this project is to produce widely-accessible outputs that appeal to a range of policymakers, scientists, economists, social scientists, politicians, historians and innovators. Whilst grounded in empirical data and relevant literature, the project reports will adopt a more narrative style that uses stories and case studies of people and organisations to illustrate wider dynamics in each country’s science and innovation system. Whilst there will be some degree of flexibility on the format of different country reports, potential chapter themes include:

• Mapping: exploring the history, presenting the available indicators, identifying key institutions / organisations in the country’s innovation system as well as key areas of scientific strength and potential.
• People: analysing the human capital aspects of a country’s STI system including its higher education structures and statistics, its diaspora networks, and inspiring leaders.
• Places: looking in detail at the current geographical distribution of STI in the country; the role of regional and centralised STI policy; and the emerging centres of scientific ambition and excellence.
• Business: considering current and future private sector research in both domestic and multinational firms; the potential for entrepreneurship; and the regulatory environment to foster business-led science-based innovation.
• Culture: exploring the distinctive features of a country’s STI system, where appropriate looking at the relationship between science and development, as well as systems of governance, ethics and participation in scientific decision making.
• Sustainability: discussing how vulnerable the country is to some of the world’s most pressing global challenges, such as climate change, poverty reduction and sustainability issues, as well as exploring what policies, research initiatives and practices are being employed to address these issues.
• Collaboration: looking at the current and future shape of scientific collaborations both regionally and globally and potential boosts and barriers to further collaboration.