What is Science System Assessment?
Science System Assessment (SciSA) attempts to increase knowledge about the science system itself, doing so by means of innovative and applied research. This knowledge is then made available for the purposes of formulating effective science policy. The Science System Assessment programme includes fundamental, strategic and applied research. The main areas of focus are:
- increasing our understanding of the way in which the science system operates;
- integrating the information currently available
- gathering any missing data.
Target groups
The analyses and knowledge gained are intended for the use of various groups within society, including parliament, ministries, other government departments, stakeholders such as organizations within the science system, societal organizations, the private sector, etc. The knowledge will also be of value to fellow researchers at home and abroad.
Topics
Five issues dominate the research programme for 2009 – 2010:
- The value of science. From what is that value derived and how can it be measured?
- The dynamics of research fields: what are the dimensions within which they develop? Is it possible to produce a typology of research fields based on this information?
- The effect of (external) institutions. What influence does the institutional structure have on the production and application of knowledge?
- The organization of the science system. What is the effect of organizational structures in terms of the production and application of knowledge?
- The dynamics of research groups. What factors determine the performance of research groups, and how?
Science is increasingly an international undertaking, and hence science policy is also taking on an international dimension. Cooperation with organizations in other countries is therefore seen as very important. One example is the SIAMPI project, launched in 2009, which involves the Rathenau Institute, KNAW, INGENIO, MSH and PREST.
The Science System Assessment division is a national centre of expertise which conducts its own research and makes full use of information from other sources. This entails cooperation with other organizations, whereby there is a strong emphasis on scientific responsibility, interdisciplinarity and relevance. The programme is designed to respond to indications from the field (for what type of research is there a demand?) and from the science system itself (what are the most promising directions within scientific research?). The programme also seeks to structure cooperation between the various users of the information (parliament, ministries, research organizations): when are useful results actually put to use, and how can this process be organized most efficiently? Good relationships with the organizations within the science system are essential to ensure the availability of data and the ability to put results to effective use.