Propiedades relacionales de las redes de colaboración y generación de conocimiento científico: ¿Una cuestión de tamaño o equilibrio?

Abstract

Resumen: El artículo analiza la influencia de las redes de los investigadores en la cantidad y calidad de su producción de conocimiento científico, con datos obtenidos de un cuestionario, cumplimentado por 191 investigadores/académicos españoles especializados en nanotecnología. Se consideran las redes que los investigadores establecen con otros individuos y organizaciones y se examina el efecto de las propiedades relacionales de las redes de colaboración (grado de incrustación y heterogeneidad nodal) en la producción científica, teniendo en cuenta el tamaño de la red. Se observa que el equilibrio en las redes personales y organizativas explica más la cantidad y la calidad de la producción científica que el tamaño de las redes. Las redes personales equilibradas en su fuerza y su diversidad geográfica facilitan la producción científica y, en su aspecto geográfico, su calidad. Las redes organizativas equilibradas en su diversidad institucional, al contrario que en su dimensión geográfica, también facilita la cantidad de producción.Palabras clave: Redes individuales; redes organizativas; científicos; nanotecnología; producción académica. The relational properties of collaborative networks and the generation of scientific knowledge: a question of size or of balance?Abstract: This article analyses the effect of networks of scientists on the quantity and quality of their academic output. Information on the characteristics of the networks comes from a questionnaire completed by 191 Spanish academic scientists working in the field of nanotechnology. The article considers the networks that these scientists establish with other individuals and through organizations and examines how the degree of embeddedness and nodal heterogeneity of these networks affects scientists' output. The findings show that the balance achieved among members of a network -whether individual or organizational--explains more about the quantity and quality of academic output, than the size of the network. Regardless of their size, more integrated and geographically balanced networks of individuals enhance academic production; additionally their geographic balance also serves to enhance the quality of the output. In the case of organizational networks with a well-balanced institutional diversity, there is a greater quantity of academic production, as opposed to those organizational networks characterized by a geographic balance.

Relational Capital in the Technology Sector: An International Strategic Model

“…They also promote the exploitation of synergies that provide important advantages for the parties in question. As such, the partnerships and the character of the relationships and networks in which researchers are integrated provide individuals as well as the organisation with a competitive edge, which may end up being essential for the generation and spreading of scientific knowledge [33].…”

Internationalization of Spin Off From the Perspective of Its Client Capital

“…Many papers on networking in the technological sector of spin-offs can be highlighted (Hoang and Antoncic, 2003;Nicolau and Birley, 2003a, b;Perry-Smith and Shalley, 2003;Pérez and Sánchez, 2003;Subramanian and Youndt, 2005;Inkpen and Tsang, 2005;Landry et al, 2006;Laursen and Salter, 2006;Walter et al, 2006;Ozgen and Baron, 2007;Tödtling et al, 2009;Welbourne and Pardo del Val, 2009;McFadyen et al, 2009;Huang et al, 2012;Villanueva-Felez et al, 2014;Steinar, 2014), but in most cases, they do not cover an international context. However, the literature contains an extensive analysis on the relationship between technological innovation and internationalisation (Fonfría, 2010), which can be also applied to the rest of types of EBTs, where spin-offs are included, as well as the relevance of strong and reliable relationship networks to obtain a good performance in international activities (Federico et al, 2009) and, more specifically, in the internationalisation of SMEs Vahlne, 2003, 2009;Ojala, 2009 andFletcher andHarris, 2012).…”

La internacionalización de las universidades españolas: patrones de colaboración, resultados y retos

“…Marzo-Abril 2020. N.º 913 2003, 2013McFadyen y Cannella, 2004;Villanueva-Felez et al, 2014). Tal es así que las colaboraciones y las redes han llegado a ser consideradas como una forma de «capital social», «capital interpersonal» o «capital relacional» (Bourdieu, 1986;Coleman, 1988;Burt, 1992).…”