Assessing societal impact of SSH in an engaging world: focus on productive interaction, creative pathways and enhanced visibility of SSH research

Spaapen, Jack; Sivertsen, Gunnar

doi:10.1093/reseval/rvz035

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Only recently has ‘impact’ been broadened as a concept to encompass also outcomes besides commercialization of scientific results (Blasi et al, 2018: 362), but the grip of the quantitatively-oriented evaluations on the bureaucratic governance of publicly-funded science seems firm enough to prevent this realization from making any real difference (cf. Spaapen and Sivertsen, 2020: 2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Stop evaluating science: A historical-sociological argument

Hallonsten

2021

Social Science Information

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Although science has been a formidably successful force of social and technological development in the modern era, and a main reason for the wealth and well-being of current societies compared to previous times, a fundamental distrust characterizes its current status in society. According to prevalent discourse, science is insufficiently productive and in need of stricter governance and bureaucratic management, with performance evaluation by the means of quantitative metrics as a key tool to increase efficiency. The basis of this notion appears to be a belief that the key or only purpose of science is to drive economic growth, or sustainable development in combination with economic growth. In this article, these beliefs are analyzed and deconstructed with the help of a theoretical toolbox from the classic sociology of science and recent conceptualizations of economization, democratization, and commodification of scientific knowledge and the institution of science, connecting these beliefs to broader themes of market fundamentalism and to the metric fixation of current society. With the help of a historical-sociological analysis, this article shows that the current ubiquity of performance evaluation in science for the most part is pointless and counterproductive, and that this state of science policy is in dire need of reevaluation in order to secure science’s continued productivity and contribution to social and technological innovation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Stop evaluating science: A historical-sociological argument

Hallonsten

2021

Social Science Information

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“…The parallel implication is the shifting of the focus from purely scientific, fundamental research to science-based applied research with high societal impact. , Holbrook, 2019, Janinovic et al, 2020, Olsson et al, 2020, Spaapen & Sivertsen, 2020, Wickert et al, 2020 People and Partnerships Human resources considerations are the heart of managerial decisions in the process of increasing societal impact of research projects. At the management-level recruitment and personnel development within HEIs, the capacities and capabilities need to be (a) cross-sectorial, (b) RDI and industry versed, (c) with managers having a grasp on both RDI and teaching as well as their integration.…”

Section: Context and Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multidisciplinary and transnational cooperation is the key for a more extensive success and impact of research tackling "wicked problems" (Kolko, 2012), "grand challenges" (George et al, 2016;Nowell et al, 2020), or sustainability issues (Clark et al, 2016;Griffiths, 2020); and research that integrates perspectives of several co-creators (Janinovic et al, 2020). Nowadays societies expect scientific research to be oriented not only towards the interests of the academic community, but also to the ways people in society work and live, and the pathways that governments draw for the future of the planet and the humanity (Spaapen & Sivertsen, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering Research with Societal Impact in Higher Education Institutions: A Review and Conceptualization

Pãunescu

Nikina-Ruohonen

Stukalina

2022

Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management

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There is an increasing pressure on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to produce societally relevant and impactful research, and to actively engage with non-academic stakeholders who are looking for answers to their challenges. This is a special challenge for social sciences, such as business, management, entrepreneurship, as opposed to natural sciences that rely largely on quantifiable data and statistics. The present chapter addresses this challenge and introduces the dimensions of societal impact of research produced by HEIs and describes the mechanism through which HEIs can provide impactful research needed for economic competitiveness and societal well-being. Illustrations are offered on how HEIs can boost their ability to transform the results of academic and applied research into beneficial knowledge and management practice for stakeholders, including business, industry, economy and civil society at large. The chapter sheds light on how to reinforce collaboration with non-academic stakeholders and partners within research and innovation ecosystems. To support the HEI’s work, a framework for managing research with societal impact in HEIs is proposed.

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“…Funding agencies, governments, and the community in general have been increasingly interested in understanding the impact and contribution of research on economic and social development [1,2]. Since 2014, the United Kingdom has been conducting the largest assessment of the impact of academic research ever undertaken, in order to allocate funds to projects that meet the criteria set out in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) [3,4]. Initially, the impact of the research was considered based on direct economic effects, such as the income generated by licenses, patents, and spin-out companies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This interaction may begin at different times throughout the research process, such as when the research agenda is defined, during the research itself, or when the results are communicated to the interested parties. Therefore, it should be recognized that it may not be a simple process, because interactions with other actors-funding agencies, students, collaborators, community-are common in science and generally part of researchers' work, while the exchange of ideas and opinions between academics and professionals from the public, social, and private sectors is less common [4]. It is fundamental to identify the actors with whom interactions are carried out to determine the potential for impact, design strategies for the co-production of knowledge, and skill development to generate productive interactions [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards the Construction of Productive Interactions for Social Impact

et al. 2021

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Understanding the value of research for society has become a priority, and several methodologies have been developed to assess the social impact of research. This study aimed to determine how productive interactions are developed during the execution of research projects. A retrospective study was conducted on 33 projects from 1999 to 2020. Semi-structured interviews with the technical managers were conducted to analyze how different actors of the project—researchers, government officials, and civil society and private sector stakeholders—were involved, illustrating how productive interactions occur in specific biodiversity contexts. The results revealed different levels and intensities of productive interactions; on the one hand, three projects involved all actors; eight involved researchers outside the institution; and 25 involved community members. The number of participants ranged from 2 to 37. All research evaluated had a disciplinary orientation. The type and time of interactions with other interested parties depended on the amount of funding, project type, project duration, and, significantly, on the profile of the technical manager. The importance of assessing and valuing productive interactions was identified as a fundamental element in promoting the social impact of research, as well as integrating inter- or multidisciplinary projects that impact the conservation of socio-ecological systems.

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Assessing societal impact of SSH in an engaging world: focus on productive interaction, creative pathways and enhanced visibility of SSH research

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Stop evaluating science: A historical-sociological argument

Stop evaluating science: A historical-sociological argument

Fostering Research with Societal Impact in Higher Education Institutions: A Review and Conceptualization

Towards the Construction of Productive Interactions for Social Impact

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