Evaluating the socio-economic impacts of research infrastructures
Building the European Research Area (ERA) requires significant investment in large RIs. Efficient investment requires an in-depth assessment of the global impact of such facilities. The EU-funded 'Evaluation of Research Infrastructures in Open innovation and research systems' (EVARIO) project aimed to develop evaluation methods suited to RIs. The main goal was to be accomplished by adapting an economic evaluation approach developed by the Strasbourg University (BETA) to RIs. The adaptation was to be combined with case studies of the evolution of selected RIs and their associated research organisations. The research also provided four complementary focus studies examining RIs knowledge creation and collaboration mechanisms. EVARIO offered policy guidelines to optimise resource utilisation, and ran between early 2011 and October 2013. Work started with a review of literature covering RI impact evaluation, and hence the team defined needs and challenges for a new approach. From the results, EVARIO designed a new comprehensive impact assessment method. The method included a framework allowing mapping of four types of effects of RIs, in the case of RI operators, users and suppliers. The method also defined an architecture of possible indicators and metrics, and included a protocol for conducting RI case studies via interviews. In order to test the EVARIO approach and evaluation method, the team conducted 9 case studies of RIs in the BMS field based on 76 interviews. Four in depth cases followed the protocol, and five complemented specific points. The researchers drew a series of lessons and policy implications from the results. The four additional focus studies led to promising results concerning the dynamics of knowledge creation, and the methods by which a large RI contributes to the exploration capacity of the scientific community. Furthermore, the studies illustrated the role of RIs as catalysers of scientific collaboration, and the impact of RIs on regional development. EVARIO submitted several policy recommendations to the European Commission regarding Horizon 2020. The submissions concern improvements to approaches to evaluating RI impacts and the way the EU could help to optimise the impacts. EVARIO advanced new methods for evaluating the effects of RI investments, and their role in the creation of new knowledge.
Keywords
Research infrastructure, knowledge creation, scientific community, regional development, innovation and research, impact assessment
