Academic researchers drive innovation
Funded by the EU, the 'Academic researchers driving innovation systems' (ARDIS) project carried out a theoretical analysis combining the disciplines of Economic Geography and Economics of Innovation. Empirical analysis involved the comparison of five leading universities of science and technology in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Interviews, surveys and publications were included in the study as empirical datasets. Interview results were used to develop the survey, and analysis of the publications focused on the diverse field of nanotechnology. The latter exercise involved analysing the positions and relationships of academic researchers in the worldwide nanotechnology network. Results fall into four main areas: types of academics depending on discipline, dependence of collaborations on social and personal aspects, factors of academic performance, and value conflicts emerging in university–industry relationships. Analyses showed that academic scholars in science or engineering departments differ in the way they use and create knowledge. They also differ in how they build, maintain and use networks to meet research goals. ARDIS found that personal and social aspects are major enablers of collaboration. The cohesion factors of trust, sympathy and reciprocity help establish and maintain relationships. The study showed that various individual and collective factors influence the performance of academic researchers developing and deploying nanotechnology. For example, in the worldwide nanotechnology network, better performing researchers are more successfully connected in their direct environment and in the overall structure of the network. Using a value-sensitive design approach, ARDIS examined the values of researchers working in industry and those at universities. This made it possible to identify possible conflicts between the two environments and make suggestions on how to resolve them. Knowledge and insights generated by the project can help to highlight opportunities as well as bottlenecks in innovation systems. This will help stakeholders improve the research efficiency and output of the European Research Area (ERA). ARDIS outcomes therefore offer support for the redesign of networking activities as well as policies o meet the needs of different academic communities.
