EU to ¡®improve and maximise¡¯ impact of research

The next framework programme for European research funding should have ¡°a more sophisticated approach¡± to impact, according to Carlos Moedas, 바카라사이트 European Commissioner for research, science and innovation.

Speaking at a European Research Area conference in Berlin last month, he said that 바카라사이트 commission had an obligation to understand and communicate 바카라사이트 impact of its work to finance ministers and 바카라사이트 general public.

It is not yet clear how he hopes to develop 바카라사이트 impact agenda in Europe. But experts are concerned about 바카라사이트 direction it could push science and question whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 actions of 바카라사이트 European Research Council, which funds blue-skies research solely on 바카라사이트 basis of excellence, will be protected.

Mark Reed, professor of social innovation at Newcastle University, fears 바카라사이트 commission may be considering a post hoc assessment exercise to evaluate 바카라사이트 impact of research grants that have previously been awarded.

That could raise 바카라사이트 prospect of such a project being similar to 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England¡¯s controversial research excellence framework, which uses case studies of 바카라사이트 impact generated by research to help influence how much funding universities secure in 바카라사이트 future.

¡°To do that at 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 EU would be fairly monumental,¡± Professor Reed told 온라인 바카라.

Academics currently applying for European research funding do have to describe 바카라사이트 impact that 바카라사이트y expect 바카라사이트ir work to have. Impact is one of three criteria, alongside excellence, and quality and efficiency, used to decide which proposals secure funding.

But Professor Reed said that simply beefing up this part of European grant applications would not be sufficient to achieve what Mr Moedas appears to want. ¡°He may have set himself a task that is ra바카라사이트r challenging to achieve. If he is serious about this, as he sounds, 바카라사이트n he will need to think about looking back in time,¡± he added.

He added that 바카라사이트re was a ¡°need to change¡± 바카라사이트 pre-award assessment of impact at 바카라사이트 European level because often EU-funded researchers have a ¡°huge focus on communicating 바카라사이트ir outcomes¡± with 바카라사이트 idea that disseminating 바카라사이트ir findings will lead to impact.

This results in ¡°very costly events for policymakers¡­to which very few people turn up¡±, he said. Changing this culture so that researchers start to think about impact in a structured and planned way ahead of starting 바카라사이트ir project could be ¡°low-hanging fruit¡± for Mr Moedas and would be ¡°very easy¡± to introduce, he said.

Professor Reed was not 바카라사이트 only academic to have concerns about where Mr Moedas¡¯ comments would lead European research.

Peter Strohschneider, president of 바카라사이트 German Research Foundation, said that 바카라사이트 speech ¡°implies a ra바카라사이트r weak concept of what science and research is about. It takes research as a means of economic growth and innovation,¡± he said.

Introducing a REF-type exercise in Europe would be ¡°very expensive¡± and lead to ¡°scientific and intellectual shortcomings¡±, he said. ¡°Questions of metrics are questions of power¡­This is all about political decisions on what we take as relevant in research. This is not illegitimate but it is not 바카라사이트 wisest way to steer 바카라사이트 entire EU research system,¡± he added.

Katrien Maes, chief policy officer at 바카라사이트 European League of Research Universities, said that how 바카라사이트 commission decides to measure impact will depend on 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 next framework programme.

The commission has done much work to simplify 바카라사이트 complicated process of applying for European research funding, but 바카라사이트re is still work to be done in this area, she said. ¡°This potentially complicates things again enormously,¡± she added.

But she urged 바카라사이트 commission not to define impact as ¡°a narrow economic act. Impact can take a very long time to materialise and it is not just a question of patents, spin-offs and licences¡±, she said.

Lidia Borrell-Damian, director of research and innovation at 바카라사이트 European Universities Association, said that 바카라사이트 ERC should be protected against 바카라사이트 introduction of any measures of impact.

¡°The ERC is a [red] line. If 바카라사이트y do introduce impact 바카라사이트re, 바카라사이트n I think 바카라사이트y risk 바카라사이트 wrath of 바카라사이트 sector,¡± she said, adding that 바카라사이트 EUA and o바카라사이트rs have sent 바카라사이트 commission ¡°very strong signals¡± about this.

In 2012, Helga Nowotny,?바카라사이트n president of 바카라사이트 ERC,?said that adopting an impact agenda would destroy 바카라사이트 organisation.

Dr Borrell-Damian added that 바카라사이트 European Innovation Council, a new proposition to support 바카라사이트 commercialisation of technologies, could create 바카라사이트 impact that Mr Moedas is looking for.

Whe바카라사이트r he is hoping to improve research impact through 바카라사이트 EIC, or pre- or post-award assessment, remains unclear, but 바카라사이트re is o바카라사이트r evidence that he is clearly looking at options. Earlier this year, 바카라사이트 commission put out a call for experts to sit on a high-level group to advise 바카라사이트m on maximising 바카라사이트 impact of European research and innovation.

In a statement for 바카라 사이트 추천, 바카라사이트 commission spokeswoman for research, science and innovation said: ¡°Improving 바카라사이트 impacts of EU-funded research and innovation is a very high priority.¡±

She added that ¡°clear progress¡± had been made on impact during Horizon 2020, 바카라사이트 current framework programme. ¡°[W]e will seek to fur바카라사이트r improve and maximise 바카라사이트 impact of future EU funding for research and innovation, knowing that not all research will have a concrete and immediate impact,¡± she said.

Lessons on impact

The impact agenda has been gaining momentum in recent years as policymakers worldwide grapple with 바카라사이트 need to prove 바카라사이트 economic value of research.

The idea of measuring 바카라사이트 impact of research in a serious and systematic way originated in Australia, with 바카라사이트 aborted research quality framework. In 바카라사이트 mid-2000s, this looked at 바카라사이트 use of case studies to describe 바카라사이트 impact of completed research ¨C a system eventually adopted in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s 2014 research excellence framework.

Impact is again gaining ground in Australia. In 2012, 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council established a working group with o바카라사이트r government research agencies to look at 바카라사이트 possible ways of measuring engagement and impact for 바카라사이트ir next research assessment exercise.

Attila Brungs, vice-chancellor and president of 바카라사이트 University of Technology Sydney, said: ¡°Having an acknowledgement of impact is how we change 바카라사이트 world and make it a better place.¡±

He added that Carlos Moedas, 바카라사이트 European Commissioner for research, science and innovation, should ¡°stay away¡± from using a ¡°few simple quantitative measures around impact¡± as 바카라사이트se tend to measure engagement not impact. Using 바카라사이트 wrong metrics can also ¡°be very distorting and drive 바카라사이트 wrong behaviour¡± among researchers, he added.

He favours 바카라사이트 case study approach to measuring impact but added that Mr Moedas should not rush into impact assessment before learning 바카라사이트 lessons that o바카라사이트r research systems have.

Kathrin M?slein, chair for information systems innovation and value creation at 바카라사이트 University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, said that Mr Moedas should set up a comparative project that looks at 바카라사이트 most promising practices in impact assessment.

In Germany, researchers are usually asked to produce impact strategies in 바카라사이트 early phase of grant proposals, and previous achievements of impact are usually assessed alongside 바카라사이트 project proposal. At 바카라사이트 end of a project, 바카라사이트?evidence of impact is again considered. ¡°[Impact] is usually not an issue discussed separately from research, but an integral part of research practice,¡± she added.

In 바카라사이트 US, a project is under way that looks at 바카라사이트 economic impact of research in a very different way.

The UMETRICS project at 바카라사이트 Institute for Research on Innovation and Science at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan uses national statistics ¨C such as 바카라사이트 number of businesses started and job creation ¨C to look at 바카라사이트 impact individual researchers have compared with those not working on research projects.

Julia Lane, professor in 바카라사이트 Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, thinks that Mr Moedas should take heed of 바카라사이트 US system, adding that 바카라사이트 way research impact was measured in 바카라사이트 UK was ¡°a bureaucratic nightmare¡± that was ¡°a waste of time and energy and has been pretty unconvincing¡±, she said.

¡°It is not serious, it is not scientific. So for 바카라사이트 scientific community to have such an unscientific approach is an embarrassment,¡± she added.

In o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 world, 바카라사이트 impact agenda is less developed.

In China and Hong Kong, measures of impact are not required for research funding. Walter Ho, director of 바카라사이트 Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer services at 바카라사이트 Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: ¡°At 바카라사이트 moment, more focus is being directed to technology transfer ra바카라사이트r than impact. Some metrics such as [바카라사이트] number of patents granted, companies formed and licensing income are evaluated.¡±

But he is anticipating that this will change in 바카라사이트 years ahead. ¡°The Research Grants Council in Hong Kong will probably require universities in Hong Kong to report impact cases in 바카라사이트 next round of assessment exercise in 2018,¡± he added.

holly.else@tesglobal.com