Introduction
Governments and firms must adopt a more strategic and forward-looking approach in the domains of science and technology. There is increasing recognition of the need to invest in critical technologies, research capabilities, and preparedness for global disruptions. Both nations and companies are required to define their strategic priorities more clearly, reassess their international collaborations and alliances in science and technology collaboration, and expand investment in critical talent (European Commission, 2026a, 2026b).
The development of strategic talent pools to support the digital and green transitions constitutes a central policy and managerial priority in the contemporary era. The evolving labor market demands advanced and innovative skills, necessitating systematic efforts in the cultivation, attraction, and deployment of this strategic human capital by both firms and nations (Kunzelmann et al., 2026; Lin and Edvinsson, 2021; Pusenius and Laihonen, 2026; Shahbaz and Malik, 2026; Ren and Soumyadeb, 2026; Zhang et al., 2023, 2024).
This discussion raises important questions: What are the principal challenges associated with these transitions? How can governments and firms better understand these challenges and identify their strategic priorities?
Contents of the issue
Issue 5 of the Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management features a regular collection of 9 papers, exploring relevant issues in the field of science and technology. The issue provides valuable discussion on issues like artificial intelligence, business incubators ecosystems, digital health, financial citizenship and fintech, health biotechnology, human resource management, learning analytics, NFC payment and sustainability, among others. It presents empirical evidence from India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and the Republic of Kosova.
The first paper titled “Usage and adoption intent of NFC payment methods: an investigation based on the UTAUT-3 model and perceived risk theory” (by Aliu) presents the results of a study that explores “near field communication (NFC) payment method adoption in the Republic of Kosova, aiming to understand factors influencing consumer behavior toward NFC technology adoption. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT-3) model and perceived risk theory, the research seeks to establish relationships between various factors and user intentions regarding NFC payment technology. Using a quantitative approach, the research used a comprehensive questionnaire of 40 questions rated on a seven-point Likert scale across 16 constructs aligned with the research objectives. A convenience sampling method was used, distributing electronic questionnaires to 200 individuals representing diverse demographics in the Republic of Kosova.The study identified significant support for numerous hypotheses, demonstrating substantial correlations between factors like performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, habit, facilitating conditions and personal innovativeness with behavioral intention to use and behavioral intention to adopt NFC payments.”
The paper titled “Model of partnership in sustainable palm oil: Efforts to increase partnerships in the palm oil business in Indonesia” (by Afrino, Syahza, Suwondo and Heriyanto) observes that “a partnership model is necessary for palm oil plantations’ sustainability. The developed model does not identify the optimal technique for smallholder palm oil because it faces complex challenges. This study aims to determine a partnership model for sustainable palm oil plantation business in Indonesia. Qualitative research methods were used, and data analysis was performed using NVivo 12 Plus software, which helps improve the accuracy of qualitative studies and provides implications for evidence-based studies. All respondents, whether through surveys, interviews or focus group discussions, understood their contributions to this research and provided consent.The results indicate that the core–plasma partnership pattern implemented by companies needs to be considered a relevant model for partnerships in the Indonesian palm oil industry. Social networks play a role in implementing this partnership pattern, which is influenced by the diversity of the actors involved. However, complexity arises from the dynamics of power and position among these actors, which demands increased interaction and mutual trust. Therefore, various dimensions must be considered, including plantation management, product marketing, cultivation techniques and sustainable development.”
The paper titled “AI in talent management in the digital era – An overview” (by Dawson and Agbozo) discusses the results of a study that aims to “provide an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) in the talent management sphere. The study seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge with respect to human resource management and AI by conducting a literature review on the integration of AI in talent management, synthesizing existing approaches and frameworks, as well as emphasizing potential benefits. The study adopts desk research, computational literature review (CLR) and uses topic modeling [with bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERTopic)] to throw light on the diffusion of AI in talent management. The study’s main finding is that the area of AI in talent management is on the verge of gradual development and is in tandem with the growth of AI. We deduced that there is a link between talent management practices (planning, recruitment, compensation and rewards, performance management, employee empowerment, employee engagement and organizational culture) and AI. Though there are some known fears with regards to using the innovation, the benefits outweigh the demerits.”
The paper titled “Impact of global health emergency on learning analytics research in higher education: A bibliometric analysis” (by Kushwaha, Badhera and Kamila) presents the results of a bibliometric study that investigates “publication trends, active countries, collaborations, influential citations and thematic evolution in learning analytics (LA) research focused on higher education (HE) during and after the COVID-19 lockdown period. From the Scopus database, this bibliometric analysis extracts and evaluates 609 scholarly articles on LA in HE starting in 2019. The multidimensional process identifies the scope impacts, advancing the understanding of LA in HE. An analysis of co-citation data uncovers the key influences that have shaped the literature. This study uses the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory to suggest future research directions and organizational adaptations to new LA technologies and learner responses to LA-enabled personalized interventions. Learning analytics are becoming important in the HE environment during and after the COVID-19 lockout. Institutions have used LA to collect socio-technical data from digital platforms, giving them important insights into learning processes and systems. The data gathered through LA has assisted in identifying areas for development, opening the path for improved student success and academic performance evaluation and helping students transition to the workforce.”
The paper titled “Mapping global research in the field of health biotechnology for the period 1990–2023. A bibliometric analysis” (by De la Vega Hernández, Díaz Amorin and Fernández-Gomez) analyses the results of a study that explores “a global longitudinal bibliometric mapping of research in the field of health biotechnology between 1990 and 2023 to determine who is leading this field of knowledge and to estimate the sub-disciplines that are emerging and project those that will prevail in the future. The study identified the most relevant countries, institutions and researchers, as well as the type of scientific collaborations. The applied steps applied in the study were the following: identification and selection of keyword terms by a panel of experts; design and application of an algorithm to identify these selected keywords in titles, abstracts and keywords using Web of Science terms to contrast them; performance of JCR data processing during 2023 using R, Python and VOSviewer. Among the most relevant conclusions of the study are the following exponential growth has been observed in the study period; new branches of knowledge have emerged in which the subjects have been acquiring their own autonomous capabilities; and R&D in this field is still concentrated in a small group of core countries, and the trend is for it to remain so due to the capacity needs required.”
The paper titled “Financial citizenship and fintech transition: Evidences in Iran” (by Ghazinoory, Pahlavanian and Shirkhodaie) observes that “financial technologies or FinTech have replaced traditional financial services. Large investments have been made in FinTechs but there is a gap between service providers and consumers. Due to the high diversity and speed of changes, people still do not understand the new financial system and resist it. The success of the transition requires providing an opportunity for citizens’ participation which is expressed with the term, financial citizenship. This study aims to focus on the citizenship dimension of FinTech transition and wants to analyze the influence of citizens in transition with a focus on financial technologies. This study analyzed financial citizenship in FinTech transition by using a qualitative research method and grounded theory. The data were collected through open interviews with 26 FinTech players in Iran. Then the three-step process of open, axial and selective coding was performed and the main categories and relationships between them were identified. Surveys have shown that educating and informing citizens provides the conditions for engagement and the formation of financial citizenship. Depending on citizens’ level of awareness, they can play a role in the FinTech transition as customers, feedback providers or demanders. Of course, the disruption level of financial technological innovation affects the level of citizens’ engagement. Finally, the conceptual model of financial citizenship provided and the effect of citizen participation on the FinTech transition has been analyzed.”
The paper titled “Readiness toward fintech adoption among micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia” (by Nik Azman, Zull Kepili, Allah Pitchay and Mokhtar) proposes that “people start to acknowledge, accept and adopt fintech applications due to its flexibilities, compatibility, ease to use, security and usefulness. A growing body of research reveals a positive perception of micro-enterprises toward fintech instruments. Looking at the potential of the fintech platforms and tools in Malaysia, the purpose of this study is to look at the readiness of micro-entrepreneurs toward using it as a medium in generating more income and profit for their business. This study uses a quantitative approach with 200 questionnaires distributed to micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia. IBM SPSS was used to perform a preliminary analysis of the data (descriptive analysis), then partial least squares-structural equation modeling SmartPLS is used to test the hypothesized relationships. This study found perceived ease of use H1 (β = 0.523, p < 0.01) and trust H4 (β = 0.211, p < 0.10) play an important role in readiness to adopt fintech. Whereas, security H3 (β = 0.068) and perceived usefulness, H2 (β = 0.120) are insignificant (rejected).This study provides evidence on the factors that contribute most toward the inclination to use fintech application among micro-entrepreneurs. In fact, tightening the policy regarding the security matter could enhance the readiness of micro-entrepreneurs to use fintech application.”
The paper titled “A bibliometric review of data factor market: Contrasting Chinese and international literature from a governance perspective” (by Zhang, Shi, Sun, Wang, Zhang and Xiao) states that “as the pioneer nation to formally integrate data as a factor of production into its national strategy, does China’s research emphasis on data factor market differ from that of other countries? Currently, there is a notable absence of comprehensive comparative analyses addressing this issue. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by systematically reviewing the development trajectory of research on the data factor market from a governance perspective. In this study, the authors used Citespace software to conduct bibliometric analyses on a corpus of 1,304 international publications and 1,249 Chinese publications. These analyses encompassed various dimensions, including publication quantity and trend analysis, cocitation analysis and keyword cooccurrence analysis, while also facilitating a comparative examination of research disparities between Chinese and international literature.There are significant differences between Chinese and international data factor market studies in terms of governance environment, governance entities, governance technology and governance mechanism. The authors strongly advocate the promotion of cross-border research collaboration to advance the research and application of data factor market governance.”
Finally, the paper titled “Technology business incubators ecosystem in India: barriers to the efficient functioning” (by Sattiraju, Pallela, Sircar and Janodia) analyses “the role and status of Indian university-affiliated technology business incubators (TBIs) in translating higher education institution (HEI) patents and barriers to the successful functioning of TBIs at the institutional level (TBI) through the lenses of resource-based view and contingency theories using a mixed-method approach.The study was planned in a qualitative (mixed method) approach, using a validated semi-structured questionnaire with multiple choices, open-ended and Likert scale items. Data was collected using a Google survey form, telephonic or in-person interviews with incubation/programme managers/CEOs/COOs/top management of the incubation centers, who are directly involved in the incubation centres’ technical and operational activities. TBIs affiliated to either academic or nonacademic institutions, private independent or central, and state government supported across different states in India were included. Quantitative data analysis with Excel spreadsheet and Tableau Public was carried out. The authors found that only 2.5% of all Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade-registered active startups are backed by patent-based inventions and supported by TBIs. Though the variables like the speed of technology to market, regulatory barriers of patented inventions and useful life of patents impact the translation of patents, lack of specific supportive post-grant funding schemes for post-grant validations from lab scale to industrial scale, inadequate structural capital, incentives to inventors and top management focus at HEIs are becoming prime reasons crippling the innovation ecosystem. The efficiency of TBIs in India might be increased by realigning its operational and administrative procedures and investing in capacity building. It largely depends on revamping the research assessment practices used by HEI to encourage its intellectual capital.”
