The previous sections demonstrate that technology implementation requires more than the existence of a TA, or even the presence of sufficient S&T capacity within a country to acquire that TA. Matching the TAs to important problems and issues is a first step in promoting their use.

Beyond this, however, many factors will drive or deter implementation. The cost to acquire, use, and maintain a TA can be a critical factor in determining whether it will be used, by whom, and to what extent. Politics, policies, and social values can also influence acceptance of a TA by end users and those with power to control its diffusion. The presence of institutional, human, and physical capacity to support the use of a TA is also critical. National investment in infrastructure, R&D activities, and education, as well as presence of good governance, can affect the capacity to acquire and implement TAs.

For the most economically and scientifically advanced countries, our assessment indicates a strong capacity to acquire and implement the full range of TAs to address a diversity of problems and issues. For the less economically and scientifically advanced nations, however, we observed substantial disparities between their capacity to acquire and implement TAs. For example, China, India, Poland, Brazil, and Chile are growing economically and scientifically; increasing S&T capacity and growth in their institutional, human, and physical capacities will help to narrow the gap in technology implementation between them and the scientifically advanced countries.

For those...