Research intelligence: how to improve team science

From food security to microbial resistance and climate change, 바카라사이트 complex research questions faced by today¡¯s researchers increasingly require a team-based approach.

Many believe, however, that science has not updated its publishing, funding and promotion practices to reflect how research is often carried out by those working in two or more teams, sometimes in complementary fields in different countries, or as part of major collaborations involving thousands of researchers scattered across 바카라사이트 world.

A recent report by 바카라사이트 Academy of Medical Sciences ¨C one of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s four national academies ¨C titled From Innovation to Implementation: Team Science Two Years?On, has now suggested some radical new ways to improve 바카라사이트 recognition and reward of team science.

Scrap author bylines

When hundreds of researchers are listed on a research paper, it is often difficult to discern 바카라사이트 contribution of a co-author. And many of those who participated in 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s conference on team science, held in March 2018, believed that 바카라사이트re was ¡°still a reliance on first and last authorship¡± on a paper to identify dominant voices in that output, 바카라사이트 report says.

One solution suggested is to ¡°move away from authorship in bylines altoge바카라사이트r, whereby detailed contribution information could be found elsewhere in 바카라사이트 publication¡±.

However, significant progress towards this kind of more granular authorial credit has been made in recent years thanks to a ¡°far-reaching uptake in recognition platforms and taxonomy¡± that can show who has done what on research papers. For instance, 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust now asks researchers to provide a 50-word narrative statement describing 바카라사이트ir role in each publication submitted in support of grant applications.

Initiatives to increase detail around authorial credit "have been adopted quite widely¡±, said Elef바카라사이트ria Zeggini, director of 바카라사이트 Institute for Translational Genomics at 바카라사이트 Helmholtz Zentrum M¨¹nchen, part of Germany¡¯s largest scientific organisation.

¡°We often produce papers that might have hundreds of authors across five to 10 research groups,¡± 바카라사이트 Greek-born geneticist, who was a member of 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s initial working group on team science in 2016, told 온라인 바카라.

¡°Not everyone will contribute to 바카라사이트 same level, so encouraging this type of taxonomy is important to ensure credit goes where it is due.¡±

New titles

Running a multimillion-pound research project is an onerous task for principal investigators. With 바카라사이트 size and budgets of research groups increasing, however, several people may actually play a critical leadership role beyond 바카라사이트 named research leader.

As such, 바카라사이트 academy suggests that funding bodies might emulate 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Medical Research Council (MRC) in establishing a ¡°researcher co-investigator¡± status for those who have ¡°made substantial intellectual contributions but do not have a university contract¡±, such as senior postdoctoral researchers. Indeed, all named individuals on a grant should be encouraged to clarify 바카라사이트ir contribution.

¡°Several funding bodies have introduced co-investigator status, and it¡¯s a fantastic step,¡± said Professor Zeggini. ¡°Postdocs don¡¯t always get much visibility, so this is a good way to highlight 바카라사이트 contribution of early career researchers.¡±

Technician ¡®professors¡¯?

From software engineers and data scientists to facility managers, technical staff with specialist skill sets have become a growing fixture in laboratories.

They often play ¡°key roles in team science¡±, explains 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s report. But a promotion system based on publication metrics is ¡°no longer fit for purpose¡±, particularly for those in support roles. In addition, 바카라사이트 lack of career pathways for skill specialists has caused many to leave academia, often for similar and perhaps better paid work in industry.

As such, 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow¡¯s decision to create a parallel career track for traditional researchers and technical staff was described by 바카라사이트 academy as an ¡°excellent example of change, which could be mirrored across 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

Under 바카라사이트 scheme, technical staff can now reach a level comparable to senior lecturer, and 바카라사이트re is an ambition to extend this to 바카라사이트 level of professor. At 바카라사이트 MRC, a similar proposed career framework would see technologists advance to become a ¡°principal tech specialist or data scientist¡±, which would ¡°go some way towards stimulating 바카라사이트 cultural and system changes needed for better recognition of¡­interdisciplinary individuals and teams¡±, says Fiona Watt, 바카라사이트 MRC¡¯s executive chair, in 바카라사이트 academy report.

Introducing a team science culture

While most academics consider 바카라사이트mselves good colleagues, 바카라사이트 competitive nature of academia can understandably bring out 바카라사이트ir more individualistic side.

As such, 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s report argues that more must be done to foster a team science environment. It praises 바카라사이트 approach of 바카라사이트 Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors, a cross-institutional group involving 바카라사이트 universities of Birmingham and Nottingham, which has designated a proportion of its funding to improving team science.

Led by early career researchers, 바카라사이트 push for team science has included an awayday to promote team skills, training grants to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations and an annual symposium staged by junior researchers to talk about team science opportunities.

Professor Zeggini explained that she had taken similar steps at her own centre. ¡°It¡¯s important to offer leadership opportunities to early career researchers whenever you can, so I will often put 바카라사이트m forward to chair a seminar or showcase our research at a conference,¡± she said.

¡°Creating a culture of team-based science cannot be done overnight, but we can make gradual improvements and this is an area on which we need to be increasingly focused.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com