Promoting the socio- economic impact of research – the role of funding practices (PROSECON)

Description: The main objective of the project is to explore how and to what extent research funding mechanisms focusing on socioeconomic impact affect the nature and results of public research activities. Socioeconomic impact is not only understood as tangible end-products of research activities but also in the form of the interactions in the research processes that contribute to creating value for both research communities and stakeholders in pursuing societal results. The project examines how financing systems are designed to create socioeconomic impact. The focus is on financing systems as a whole, special strategic funding bodies and, not least, specific funding instruments. Hereafter, it is examined how such funding mechanisms in practice affect the research and knowledge dissemination activities in selected research groups. Our case studies focus on three countries, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Within these, 18 research groups are investigated within two research areas: energy and food. There is growing attention to the question of how strategic research funding instruments can be designed to ensure socioeconomic impact. In practice, however, we know very little about the ways and conditions under which specific instruments affect the creation of the desired type of impact. Given the significant resources allocated for research funding, improving the understanding of the real impact of funding mechanisms on research activities could therefore significantly affect the return on both public and private investment.

Team
The PROSECON project will be carried out by a highly interdisciplinary team consisting of members from The Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy (CFA) at Aarhus University, members from the Interdisciplinary Center for Science and Technology Studies (IZWT) at Wuppertal University and members from INGENIO [CSIC-UPV] at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. As a whole the team has recognized accomplishments and extensive expertise within the subject and methodology of the project and covers a range of relevant disciplines. The project will be led by Carter Bloch and Kaare Aagaard. Below a brief description of each member.

Grant recipient

Carter Bloch, Professor & Director of Danish Centre for for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus

Project start

2018

Team

Carter Bloch

Professor at CFA. He has expertise in both quantitative, qualitative and mixed method analysis within the areas of research evaluation, open innovation and research collaboration and spillovers. He has substantial experience with the leadership of national and international projects.

Kaare Aagaard

Senior Researcher at CFA. His research interest revolves around the interlinkages between research funding, research incentives and research practices. He has experience from multiple European and Danish projects and is currently leading one of the four main work-packages in the Centre for Research Quality and Policy Impact Studies (R-Quest) funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Maria Theresa Norn

Part-time Senior Researcher at CFA and employed as Head of Analysis at the nonprofit Think Tank DEA. She has in particular experience within e.g. interactions between public science and industry and commercial applications of science.

Thomas Heinze

Professor of Organizational Sociology at the University of Wuppertal, Germany where he is Deputy Director of the Interdisciplinary Center of Science and Technology Studies (IZWT). His research interests include emergence and diffusion of scientific breakthroughs, public research organizations, research evaluation, theories of institutional change, organizational theory, and comparative historical sociology.

Arlette Jappe

Dr. Arlette Jappe is a senior scientist at the Interdisciplinary Center for Science and Technology Studies (IZWT). Her research interests include: research organizations and institutional renewal, bibliometric research methods; sociology of professions, research capacity development in sustainability sciences.

Pablo De´Este

Dr. Pablo De´Este is a tenured scientist at INGENIO (CSIC-UPV). He has broad expertise in the construction of knowledge and technology transfer indicators, and analysis on the factors that influence the engagement of academic scientists in third mission activities.

Jesper W. Schneider

Professor at CFA. He has extensive expertise within bibliometrics, content-based citation analysis, research evaluation and research policy.

Other

The project team will also consist of at least two postdocs. One will be Adrián A. Díaz-Faes from INGENIO. His research falls into the field of science and technology studies and crosses the boundaries of scientometrics to statistics and research policy. Another will be recruited to CFA which currently is in the process of finding the right candidate.

Regulating and nudging for improved societal impact of research-based knowledge in health care