Centres/Projects

iFQ & Humboldt University Establish a New Master’s Programme in Science Studies

On 14 February 2011, the Department of Arts and Humanities of the Humboldt University Berlin decided to establish a new master's programme in “Science Studies” (Wissenschaftsforschung) at the Institute of Social Sciences. In this master's programme, iFQ cooperates with the University in research and lectures. iFQ will offer courses in methods of scientometrics, possibilities for practical experience and will be one of the host institutions for traineeships. The field of science studies analyses interdependencies and changes in the production, consumption and transformation of scientific knowledge. The Master's Programme in Science Studies focuses on deepening the students’understanding and ability to analyse mechanisms and processes of governance and regulation in the science system and its societal embeddedness. The programme has a interdisciplinary curriculum focusing on methods training (amongst others in bibliometrics) and practical experience/training. The alumni's future fields of work include, in addition to research, science administration, research funding, science policy and management of scientific institutions. In the new master's programme, the Humboldt University's Institute of Social Sciences cooperates with a variety of research institutions to assure a close connection to recent and ongoing research and activities in all relevant fields. The Master's Programme in Science Studies will start in winter 2011/2012.

iFQ Annual Conference – The Doctorate between Status and Qualification

The iFQ was to hold its annual conference on 5-6 December 2011 in Berlin on the topic “The Doctorate between Status and Qualification”. In Germany, the doctoral degree oscillates between being a prerequisite for obtaining leading positions in economy and being the necessary qualification for an academic career. Taking into account that the doctoral degree is an important status symbol inside and outside academia, the conference tackled the origin and the meanings of the doctoral degree, its economic and social “output” and the requirements for (inter)national doctoral education. In four thematic sections, the presentations and discussions concentrated on: (1) The Doctorate in Society; (2) Careers of Doctorate Holders; (3) The Internationalisation of the Doctorate; (4) Differences in Doctoral Education - Differences in Qualification?

Around 200 representatives of the scientific community, politics, decision making bodies and doctoral students were expected to participate in the conference which was to take place at the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (BBAW), in the heart of Berlin. The conference languages were German on the first conference day and – in greater parts – English on the second conference day.

The European Summer School for Scientometrics (ESSS)

Responding to the lack of scientometric education (especially in German-speaking countries) and to the increasing demand (particularly of research quality managers), the University of Vienna, the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Institute for Research Information and Quality Assurance (iFQ) and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven joined cooperatively to found the European Summer School for Scientometrics (ESSS) in 2010. Further information can be found at http://www.scientometrics-school.eu/.

This year's European Summer School for Scientometrics (ESSS) took place on 12-16 September 2011 in Vienna. The inaugural European Summer School for Scientometrics (ESSS), held in Berlin on 16-18 June 2010, was a huge success. The Summer School for Scientometrics offers training covering major aspects of quantitative analysis of science and technology and is especially designed for the needs of science policy makers, research quality managers, scientists and information specialists and librarians from Europe and abroad. Attendees can expect a sound overview of scientometric methods and the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the most commonly used data bases, to learn how to construct relevant indicators and how to interpret the data.

Two conference-like introductory days addressing a broader audience were followed by three days with seminars, individual hands-on sessions and teamwork in small groups.

Project News from MERCI

MERCI – Monitoring European Research Council’s Implementation of Excellence – received a very good response to its online survey. The MERCI project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC). It aims to evaluate the ERC’s “Starting Grants” program for excellent young scientists. The Starting Grant scheme fosters postdoctoral researchers aspiring both to start conducting pioneering frontier research in any scientific field and to establish a research team. MERCI aims to analyze the impact and the outcome of the Starting Grant program, including the personal perspective of applicants and an institutional view. There are various impact dimensions the program touches upon which we would like to capture methodically using a design in which data from different sources are systematically brought together. For this purpose, an online survey (panel design), semi-structured interviews and bibliometric analysis will be used.

The first online survey (first panel wave) with approved and rejected applicants of the 2009 call was conducted in October/November 2010. We were asked by the ERC to invite only those applicants who agreed to the transfer of their personal data. Among these, the response rate was very high: 71 percent of the approved applicants and 61 percent of the rejected applicants participated in the survey. Currently, the data are being analyzed. A first analysis shows for example that Starting Grant applicants are not particularly mobile: Not even 10 percent of the respondents use the grant to move to a host institution in another country. More than two-thirds of the respondents prefer to stay not only in the same country where they lived when applying for the grant, but even stay at the same host institution. For the interpretation of our results, we will take into account the characteristics of national research systems, in particular the country-specific “typical” career trajectories of postdoctoral researchers. Our objective is to generate strategically relevant information which will facilitate the ERC in adjusting its activities in the context of fulfilling its tasks and attaining its goals. For further information concerning MERCI, see http://www.research-information.de/Projekte/Merci/projekte_merci.asp. Contact persons for this iFQ project are Dr. Nathalie Huber (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_huber.asp) and Susan Böhmer (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_boehmer.asp).

The New JOREP Project

In Europe, about 85 percent of public research funding is currently managed through national programs, accessible mainly to national performers. In 2000, the foundation and development of an European Research Area (ERA) became an official goal of European research policy. Although the increasing relevance of joint and open research programs on an European and international level can be witnessed in the past years, data on these programs are often partial and incomplete and do not allow comparison on an international/European level. It is therefore necessary to establish a sound empirical basis, suitable methods and indicators and of course adequate data in order to monitor and evaluate these programs appropriately. On this account, the iFQ participates in the European project JOREP (Investments on joint and open R&D programs and analysis of their economic impact) aiming at establishing a sound basis for the monitoring of the investments in open and joint programming in Europe. The project therefore aims at developing an infrastructure suitable for systematic and long-term data collection on open and joint programming in Europe. This includes the formulation of definitions, typologies, classifications and procedures for data collection. Data collection on eleven European countries will be performed for the period of 2000 to 2009. These data will then be used for an in-depth quantitative analysis of the development of open and joint programming in the involved countries. Thus information allowing for statements on the impact of this type of programs will be generated. JOREP is conducted jointly by a consortium of eleven European research organisations. Contact person for this iFQ project is Dr. Sybille Hinze (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_hinze.asp).

Changes in the Monitoring of the German Excellence Initiative

Starting in April, Torger Möller and Philipp Antony will be members of the team. Michael Sondermann and Sebastian Bukow have left the iFQ looking for new challenges. For three month at the end of 2010, Prof. Fred Y. Ye worked at the iFQ as visiting professor. Fred Y. Ye holds a professorship for Library and Information Science at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, in China. At the iFQ, Prof. Y. Ye contributed to the German Competence Center for Bibliometrics.

In September 2010, Manuela Zinnbauer (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_zinnbauer.asp) started working at the iFQ on the project “Doctoral Candidates Panel - ProFile”. Also in September, Uta Landrock (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_landrock.asp) joined the project team “GoMed - Intended and Unintended Effects of Local Incentive Programmes Using the Example of Performance-based Funding in Medical Science”. At the iFQ, Uta Landrock is also responsible for quantitative methods. Alexandra Kraatz (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_kraatz.asp) is a member of the project team, “Peer Review at the DFG. Researching Expert Panels: The Example of the Collaborative Research Centers (SFBs)”, since November 2010. In January 2011, Jeffrey Demaine (http://www.research-information.de/Mitarbeiter/mit_demaine.asp) from Canada joined the iFQ in the German Competence Center for Bibliometrics.