The S&T Statistical Compendium 2004 was prepared for the January 2004 meeting of the Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP) at Ministerial level and mainly draws on databases, indicators and methodology developed by the CSTP’s Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) Working Party, and compiled by the Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI). It presents a wide selection of the most policy-relevant and internationally comparable indicators currently available in the field of science and technology.

The document looks at the state of science and technology in the OECD across four broad dimensions:

• Section A: Innovation and R&D.

• Section B: Human Resources in Science and Technology (HRST).

• Section C: Patents.

• Section D: Other areas (ICT, globalisation, industrial structure).