From science to policy: discovering technology hotspots in policy documents

Purpose In recent years, scholars have placed an increasing focus on understanding approaches to connecting scientific research with policymakers to enhance societal influence. Addressing the urgent need to strengthen the link between scientific research and its influence on society has become a pressing issue for governments. However, studies on the relationship between scientific research and its influence on policy remain limited. Serving as “carriers” of policy, policy documents provide a means for policy researchers to understand policy content, decision-making processes and policy tools. Therefore, this study aims to explore the linkage between scientific research and policy influence through an analysis of policy documents. Design/methodology/approach From the perspective of policy document citations, this study explored the relationship between scientific research and its influence on policy, thereby observing the technology hotspots emphasized in these documents. Using the Web of Science database, a total of 238,933 journal articles cited in policy documents between 2018 and 2022 were retrieved. Among the authors of these articles, 2,302 scientists in the fields of science and technology were also patent inventors, and technological hotspots were identified from 525 technological fields. Findings The results indicated that recent policy documents have highlighted technology hotspots in areas such as measurement, electric digital data processing and greenhouse gas reduction technologies. These technological developments align with ongoing investments in digital and green technologies by various countries in recent years. Originality/value Because of the lack of comprehensive research on the connection between policy documents and technology hotspots, government or research and development units often face challenges in forming a complete picture for creating policy concerning the industrialization of research outcomes. This study addressed this research gap by analyzing relevant technology hotspots to compile findings that may assist governments in creating policy for technological development and resource allocation.