Assessment of Research Output;
An Integrative Framework
Professor, Ph.D., Daniel DAVID
Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
•President of the Scientific Research Council
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New-York, USA (adjunct professor)
Expertise
Science Management and Reference Points
International
– European Science Foundation
• Social Sciences Standing Committee (national representative)
– Mapping (Ranking) of the European universities (EC)
– National Science Foundation (MSSM affiliation)
• National
– National Council for Research (Vice-president)
• Ranking of the Romanian Universities – research based
Science-Fundamentals
• Sciences – generates knowledge by research in order to solve
theoretical and/or practical problems
– Validates knowledge discovered by chance (less typical)
• The OECD Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002) – “…R&D ‘comprises
creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase
the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and
society and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new
applications…”
• Types of Research
– Fundamental/basic/exploratory (e.g., declarative knowledge)
• publications
– Applied (e.g., procedural knowledge)
• Publications
– Development & Innovation (e.g., procedural knowledge supporting direct
applications)
• Publications, patents, and/or products/services (e.g., prototypes and/or mass
production)
Research-Fundamentals
• Research assessment
– Input (e.g., money)
– State (e.g., laboratories)
– Output (e.g., knowledge)
• New and relevant!
• University activities
–
–
–
–
Research! (knowledge generation)
Teaching (knowledge dissemination)
Innovative services (knowledge implementation)
Administration (knowledge management)
International Rankings!
Research Output. Fundamentals
•
Research output
•
Knowledge (new and relevant)
– Publications (e.g., articles, books)
– Patents
– Innovative products/services
Research Output versus the
Impact of the Research Output
• The impact of the output
– Academic (e.g., citations, students etc.)
– Technological (e.g., innovative
technologies/products/services)
– Economical (e.g., money)
– Social (e.g., increased quality of life)
– Cultural (e.g., new paradigms, values)
Research Output versus
other University Output
• Research output
– Knowledge
• Justified true beliefs
– Values of truth (e.g., true, false)
• Other university output
– Artistic products (e.g., theatre, art gallery, artistic performances,
films)
• Esthetic values (e.g., beauty)
– Sport output
• Awards/prizes (e.g., gold medal)
– Educational products (e.g., manuals; documentation)
– Products/services
• Routine - not innovative (Frascati Manual - is the standard
for R&D surveys in OECD member)
Assessing Europe’s UniversityBased Research
• Expert Group on Assessment of University-Based Research
• EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Research;
Directorate C - European Research Area: Knowledge-Based
Economy; Unit C.4 - Universities and Researchers
• “…The EU aims to overcome fragmentation of the knowledge
system by linking the three elements of the “knowledge
triangle”: education, research, and innovation – to encompass
the whole innovation chain or the research, innovation and
commercialization ecosystem. This concept underpins the new
European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT)…”
National Science Foundation
• Science and Engineering Indicators
2010
– Outputs of Academic S&E Research: Articles
and Patents
Conclusions
• Research output
– New Knowledge
– Educational (knowledge dissemination) vs. Services
(knowledge implementation) vs. Arts/Sports
– The impact of the knowledge
• Multilevel analysis