Study demonstrates thematic clusters form of own accord
A study based on collaboration in the European Commission's Fourth Framework programme, which used information from the CORDIS database, has demonstrated that clusters of dense collaboration identical to a programme's main thematic areas tend to form independently. The study was carried out by four Austrian researchers: E. Schiebel, C. Widhalm, M. Topolnik, A. Kopcsa and M. Weber. The group analysed patterns of cooperation and collaboration in research networks between industrial, research and educational sectors of all EU Member States within the Fourth Framework Programme (FP4). The study aimed to identify specific features within the patterns of cooperation which are of particular relevance to European research, such as the respective roles of universities, industry and non-university research institutions and the role of key centres of excellence. The CORDIS database was used for access to information on the projects financed by the EU between 1995 and 1998. In December 1998, more than 10,000 projects with over 47,000 participants were listed. The researchers selected those organisations which had participated in three or more projects, leaving a group of 2700 partners, who participated 30,000 times in 8,800 projects. The study used bibliometrics to establish relations between technological developments, different fields of application and leading experts. Results point to a clear division between industrial institutions and universities or higher education institutions, illustrating a preference among the institutions for cooperation with partners of the same organisational type. They do cooperate with other partners, but collaborative links are more intense with partners of their own kind, the researchers write. In order to observe these patterns in more depth, the group applied the bibliometric tool to the Transport Research Programme. Research showed that eight well-delimited clusters of dense collaboration emerged during FP4, showing that the transport research programme led to a grouping of organisations around its priority themes. However the density of collaboration within networks varied between clusters. The study highlighted the presence of a limited number of research institutions involved in many of the clusters. 'The extent of their involvement and the cross-cutting role they play in many fields of transport research indicates that they are very well positioned to develop into the future 'centres of excellence' or at least into key network notes in the envisaged European Research Area in the transport field,' state the researchers who identify six key organisations in transport research. 'These few institutions are active in many segments of transport research and are therefore very well positioned to become the future key nodes of future European research area in the transport field,' the paper concludes.