Science is the art of answering new questions, but more and more often is facing problems which are the product of its own success. First among these is the problem posed by the relationship between scientific research and economic growth, generated by the changing equilibrium among the developed countries and the growing gap between the North and South of the planet, by a new conception of health and the quality of life and by the questions that technological progress poses for the future of human race and the environment.

Scientific progress has always deeply modified social organisation and individual liife style and attitude, often indipendently from a public awareness of these transformations. Today, the relationship between science and economics is stronger than ever, and the pace of discoveries and their application is more and more rapid. Communicating to the public the potential and the limits of research is therefore indispensable to create a good relationship between science and society, between decision-makers and the citizen.

Ten Nobel Laureates are invited to turn their attention to the major issues that have emerged from the redefinition of our conceptions of humanity, nature and society in the wake of scientific progress. Their lectures are divided into five sessions.
From Research to New Technologies

Tuesday 7 December 1993


The road from a scientific discovery to a new technology is not a broad straight highway. It is full of twists and turns and many side roads enter. In this paper I give my impression of how this system works. The time from a basic scientific enabling discovery to the conception of a potential technology can be long, usually many decades. The time required to bring a technology from conception to realization is usually much shorter. During the entire period there is a continuing spiral of science-enabling technology that in turn makes possible further scientific advance, and so forth.
Bringing a technology to realization is most effectively done by maximizing the interaction of scientists and engineers in industry and in research laboratories. This is the model used most effectively in Silicon Valley and other similar concentrations of high technology around the world. The temptation to cut back on long-term research in times of economic difficulty should be resisted, for without this long-term work, the development of new technology will stop, with eventually more serious economic consequences.
Left out of this discussion is the role of incremental improvements in technology, an important topic but not in my charge. Also left out has been the role of science in creating an understanding of our universe, its origin and future, and of mankind's place in it. This important dimension must not be overlooked in an exclusive concern with the practical. Finally, science has been accused by some of not addressing the real problems of humanity.
Science can only tell us about nature, however; implementing solutions (some from science) to the problems of humanity is the province of politics.
The resulting essay has been translated into Italian and published in the book Scienza, economia, etica per il prossimo secolo. Dieci Nobel per il futuro. (Marsilio, Venezia 1994).