Latin America has doubled investment in science and technology over the past decade

Over the past 10 years, investment in research and development (R&D) in the region has doubled. At the same time, only three countries: Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, account for 91% of investments in this area. This is evidenced by data from the Iberoamerican Report on Science and Technology Core Indicators, published earlier this year by the Institute of Science and Technology (RICYT), which has monitored these indicators for two decades.

Other data that was analyzed in this report relate to the creation of scientific developments, the publication of scientific articles and the number of requested and received patents. In particular, the three sectors that form the so-called General Purpose Technology (TPG) were taken into account: nanotechnology, biotechnology and information and communication technology, known as ICT.

The report notes that, compared to other more developed countries, the number of patents in the region is low. Most of the patents were issued at the request of private companies, usually international ones.

According to the report, between 2007 and 2013, 2,558 patents were registered in the countries of the region, which is about 1% of the total volume of patents worldwide. In the field of nanotechnology, Latin America has 423 patents (the largest increase in Brazil). In the field of biotechnology, 1113 patents have been registered.

Source: http://www.nodaltec.am