Research councils and emerging fields of science: the case of nanotechnology

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Research councils and emerging fields of
sciencethe case of nanotechnology
Frank van der MostSSTNET workshop Science and
Change,6 and 7 April 2006, Manchester
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Table of contents

• PhD project
• Pilot questions
• Pilot results
• Science and change

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Nanotechnology

• Nanometer scale. 10 -9 meter
• Different characteristics and behavior of matter

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PhD project

• Central question
• How do intermediary organizations respondto the
  emergence of a new field of scienceand what is
  the responses effect on both the new field and
  the intermediary organization itself?

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Pilot questions

• What actions did the research councils take
  towards science regarding nanotechnology?
• How did the research councils become involved in
  nanotechnology?
• How did they adapt their respective internal
  organization?

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Response time
Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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What actions did the research councils take
towards science?
Response time
Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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Table priority investments in nanotechnology
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http//www.dfg.de/forschungsfoerderung/wissenschaf
tliche_infrastruktur/wgi/download/stat_bewilligte_
grossge.pdf
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Routes of involvement
Response time
Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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Routes of involvement

• Open competition / bottom up

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Table priority investments in nanotechnology
yellow science initiative
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UK research councils investments
Science and Technology Committee. (2004). Too
little too late? Government Investment in
Nanotechnology. London UK House of Commons,
Science and Technology Committee. P. 39
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Routes of involvement

• Open competition / bottom up
• Government initiatives

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Table priority investments in nanotechnology
green government initiative
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Routes of involvement

• Open competition / bottom up
• Government initiatives
• Priority setting by research council

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Table priority investments in nanotechnology
blue research council initiative
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Internal (re)organization
Response time
Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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Internal (re)organization

• Little to report
• In some cases reorganization was not needed.
• If prioritized, then with new instrument

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Science and change

• Yes, there could be a shift towards policy driven
  change concerning nanotechnology.
• It is not coming from research councils.
• Research councils do try ...
• ... but are bypassed by top/down and bottom up
  developments

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Why no big rc initiatives?

• To early to tell
• Budget issue
• Internal organization

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Research councils and emerging fields of
sciencethe case of nanotechnology
Frank van der MostSSTNET workshop Science and
Change,6 and 7 April 2006, Manchester
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Spare slides below
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(No Transcript)
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Table instrument and investment overview for
nanotechnology
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Intermediary organizations
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Response time
Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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Response time
Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect
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Direction of time
Development
Influence or effect