Science and research problems of small states

AUG 01, 1963

Basic research in new and active areas of science is a necessary ingredient in the development of large industrialized nations. The author of this article, David Tabor of the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, questions, however, whether such emphasis on “front‐line” research is appropriate or desirable in the smaller countries of the world.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3051065

David Tabor

In this article I should like to raise some general issues dealing with pure and applied research and their relation to industry in emergent states. These questions arose after a period as a UNESCO visiting professor in Jerusalem, but I believe they apply in some measure to a wide range of countries at various stages of development. And, although I shall deal with the natural sciences, some of the issues raised may well be relevant to other fields of study. In essence, I wish to ask whether the pattern of research followed in large and affluent countries is appropriate or desirable in small states. Whether I reach any concrete conclusion is another matter: but I hope at least to show that the question should be asked.

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David Tabor, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.