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Das Projekt
TEILPROJEKT P1
Zweite Förderungsphase (2006-2009)
Governance of the collaboration of heterogeneous actors across national public research systems
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stefan Kuhlmann
Universität Twente
Dr.
Thomas Heinze*
Universität Bamberg
Inga Ulnicane-Ozolina
Universität Twente
* Projektmitglied bis 31. März 2008
In certain areas of scientific research, major cognitive breakthroughs are stimulated at the intersection of established scientific disciplines and across fundamental and applied technological research, and they are often performed in diverse institutional environments. Our ongoing research project P1 shows that "heterogeneous research cooperation" across different institutions and organisations in the German research system (mainly universities, Max-Planck-Institutes, Helmholtz Centers, Fraunhofer Institutes) is a constitutive characteristic of emerging fields like nano S&T (the field studied in the present project). P1 has studied so far various aspects of the "meso-level governance" of such heterogeneous research activities within the German research system. We have identified a number of institutional factors of the "meso-level governance" that are conducive to research cooperations in nano S & T, but also several hampering factors. We learned that in dynamic fields like nano S&T heterogeneous cooperation is an issue not only within the German system but increasingly also beyond national borders. Here, research actors are even more confronted with diverse institutional environments and cultures which might have a triggering or retarding impact on effective research. In international collaboration the meso-governance of research becomes a highly complex issue; this holds in particular given the many changes and "reforms" implemented not only in the German but also in various other national research systems. Hence, a central question for the second phase of P1 is how increasing international collaboration in public research, particularly in Europe, can be explained and understood from a meso-level institutional perspective that takes into account recent changes in governance structures. Where two or more institutions are collaborating across national borders, it is important to understand institutional factors and their change over time, such as organisational cultures, funding systems, intellectual property right regulations, career paths, or promotion criteria, in their facilitating or impeding impact on research collaborations. By applying a "governance cube" of three major institutional characteristics as a guiding heuristic (thematic interdependence; organisational dimension; resource endowment) we will empirically investigate a number of hypotheses: A first set of theses addresses the main institutional driving forces behind the increase in international collaboration of German research groups in recent years. A second set of questions deals with the institutional and governance factors facilitating cross-border, international research cooperation of German nano S & T research groups and, vice versa, of groups from abroad with German teams. A third set of questions is related to institutional reasons that hinder or prevent German research groups from cross-border collaboration.