News China leads way 'by far' in net zero research


China is leading the way in research to achieve net zero 'by far', according to a survey by Elsevier. The company has unveiled a comprehensive study on the state of global clean energy research to coincide with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The study reveals that China's funding agencies supported the single largest share of clean energy publications between 2016 and 2020. In addition, researchers in China are publishing almost 50 per cent more research as those of any other country, with 400,000 publications from China since 2001 compared to 280,000 from the United States. The country also leads in the creation of


patents between 2011 and 2020, Chinese output of patents focused on clean energy technologies grew by 35 per cent annually – while in the USA, output grew by only four per cent annually. One area of concern highlighted in the report is the dominance of the Global North and the lower output and impact of research from the Global South. Global South countries contributed to just 15 per cent of clean energy research, less than the USA or European Union. This is in part due to low levels of


collaboration between the Global North and South. While overall international collaboration has increased from 30


per cent in 2011 to 45 per cent in 2020; published research including at least one research collaborator based in the Global South was just nine per cent in 2020. Lesley Thompson, VP of academic


and government strategic alliances at Elsevier, commented: 'The global research community has made huge strides in the fight against climate change in the past two decades and our increasing ability


to achieving a clean energy transition to net zero emissions. It analyses more than 1.6 million research papers indexed in Elsevier’s Scopus database, the largest database of peer-reviewed literature, scientific journals, books and conference proceedings in the world. In addition, the study examines 800,000 patents, all published between 2001 and 2020. Elsevier hopes the study will support evidence-led policy decisions and action at COP26 by creating a clear picture of clean energy research. The global picture created by the study


to put basic research into practice is a testament to that work. 'However, there’s more to do, and that begins with building greater cooperation and inclusion of the countries that will be most affected by climate change. Doing so will bring new ways of thinking, new approaches and will accelerate progress to net zero across the planet.' The study focuses on research, from


across various fields, that is advancing our understanding and providing pathways


Search begins for user experience champions


OpenAthens has opened applications for the Best Publisher User Experience Award.


The awards, now in their


third year, put the spotlight on publishers striving to put their users at the heart of their service design. The industry accolade aims to showcase best practice in providing ease of access to published online content.


Among other things,


applications should demonstrate: • Evidence of user experience research


• Good user experience design • Tangible evidence of learner and researcher engagement


• Improved simple, seamless user journey


• The value, impact and ROI www.researchinformation.info | @researchinfo


of changes to the user experience


• Plans for future development. The deadline for entries is 30 November. OpenAthens will announce the winner at its annual Access Lab 2022 conference which will take place online on 22 March 2022.


Chaired by Jane Charlton


from OpenAthens, the judging panel includes several high- profile industry experts: • Todd Carpenter, executive director at NISO


• Russell Palmer, assistant director at GALILEO virtual library


• Andy Priestner, trainer and consultant in UX research and design


• Bryony Ramsden, subject librarian – human and health


sciences, University of Huddersfield


• Heather Staines, publisher outreach, SeamlessAccess.


International marketing manager for OpenAthens, Charlton commented: 'It is an absolute pleasure to be hosting these awards again this year. Our judging panel members are passionate about improving the user experience on publisher platforms. I’m thrilled to be working alongside such a supportive and knowledgeable team. 'These awards have now


become an annual fixture. I have no doubt we will receive high quality submissions again this year. It’s great to reward excellence as more publishers realise that a seamless experience is what their


customers and users want.' OpenAthens will announce the shortlist of finalists in early January. Finalists will then submit evidence of learner and researcher attitudes and reactions to changes in user experience later that month. This will be followed by a 10-minute case study presentation at a finalists webinar in March, ahead of the Access Lab conference. Last year’s winner was


nkoda, a digital sheet music subscription service that gives users direct and unlimited access to the publishers’ catalogues in an app. Recognised for its product vision in serving end users, nkoda’s product roadmap has been shaped by the musicians that use the digital library.


December 2021/January 2022 Research Information 27


is broadly positive. Clean energy research is growing rapidly, from making up just 1 per cent of all research in 2001 to 5 per cent in 2020 – a move from 16,000 to 170,000 research papers annually over this period. At the same time, research published on applied technologies has grown by 20 percentage points over the past two decades, and over 100,000 patents focused on clean technology have been registered over the last three years. Not only has focus shifted to applied


technologies, but there has been a shift in the areas that research is concentrated on. Today, the largest body of clean energy research is focused on electric propulsion technologies, with the number of papers published on this topic doubling in the past decade.


MilanoArt/Shutterstock.com


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