Suchergebnisse

Citations are increasingly used as performance indicators in research policy and within the research system. Usually, citations are assumed to reflect the impact of the research or its quality. What is the justification for these assumptions and how do citations relate to research quality? These and similar issues have been addressed through several decades of scientometric research. This article provides an overview of some of the main issues at stake, including theories of citation and the interpretation and validity of citations as performance measures. Research quality is a multidimensional concept, where plausibility/soundness, originality, scientific value, and societal value commonly are perceived as key characteristics. The article investigates how citations may relate to these various research quality dimensions. It is argued that citations reflect aspects related to scientific impact and relevance, although with important limitations. On the contrary, there is no evidence that citations reflect other key dimensions of research quality. Hence, an increased use of citation indicators in research evaluation and funding may imply less attention to these other research quality dimensions, such as solidity/plausibility, originality, and societal value.

The EU Framework Programmes (FPs) constitute large arenas for R&D funding and cooperation with research groups in Europe and beyond. For Norway, participation in the EU Framework Programmes (FP) has become an increasingly important dimension of national R&D and innovation policy. Current national R&D priorities are well harmonized with the European agenda, and the annual contribution to Horizon 2020 constitutes a major national investment. Against this background, it is legitimate to expect a considerable return from the participation, both in economic, scientific and societal terms. This report describes a study where we focus on project consortia and their importance for success, participation and cooperation in EU framework programmes. In large parts of these programmes, joining and composing the right consortium is considered a key factor for success. The main questions behind this study is therefore: What characterises successful consortia in EU framework programmes? To what extent are Norwegian researchers and research groups able to form and join such consortia

Previous studies have pointed at participation in the European Framework Programs for Research and Innovation as elite driven, foremost by large and prestigious universities. By analyzing all proposals (including rejected proposals) rather than funded projects only, we have investigated whether such findings also hold for success in proposal decisions. We study which university characteristics are associated with successful proposal outcomes. Our study finds that university size is indeed an important driver for success, but independent of size; it is essential with a relative high volume of proposals. Those Higher Education Institutions who submit relatively many proposals compared to their size performs better, especially in the European Research Council. What are important success criterions vary across thematic areas and to some extent over time, reflecting changing goals of the EU programs. Success is based on complex mechanisms, where many universities—irrespective of size—for different reasons perform well in the framework programs.