Barriers to Research and Innovation for Solving Social Challenges Lessons from Social-ecological Research in Germany Jan-Peter Voß, Berlin Institute of Technology Input to CSTP Expert Workshop 25-26 May 2009, OECD Paris
Overview 1. A challenge of re-orientating the governance of science and technology 2. The case of the German Social-Ecological Research programme 3. Lessons to be learned
Innovation from head to feet Societal concerns as starting point rather than technoscientific possibilites with vague promises exploring possibilities searching for options science push society pull inward orientation outward orientation Research in interaction with society rather than developments in the laboratory and subsequent work to get it implemented and accepted Societal embedding becomes part of research and development, not delegated to marketing and lobbying Include the social dimension of innovation
Science push Society pull Soc Soc Soc R&D Soc Soc Soc R&D Soc R&D R&D R&D
Background development in science society relations General promise of welfare increase through scientific and technological development becomes questioned unintended consequences contested knowledge claims politics of science and technology From science as endless frontier to strategic science Re-arrangement of relations between science and society In 1990s market success as proxy for quality of outcome (neo-liberalism) New orientation required for attarcting research to social goals and evaluating quality of societal outcome
Governance of science and technology Multi-level interaction between science and society, contextualised patterns and processes Success of innovation policy is not a matter of best instruments, but of understanding and playing with R&D dynamics in interaction New forms of governance concern the interplay of policy and research Innovation to address social challenges implies new practices and arrangements
Barriers to fostering innovation for societal challenges 1. Change of paradigm and arrangements in R&D governance articulate new understanding, experiment with practices and institutions, develop legitimacy through quality criteria and evaluation face resistance by established players who fear devaluation of skills, stranded investments, loss of power 2. Politicisation of innovation policy orientation towards concrete societal changes highlights creative destruction side of innovation makes R&D support a potentially re-distributive policy 3. Complexity in the research process Searching for solutions requires stepping out of the laboratory and iteratively revise research strategies Requires new skills and reduces productivity of research
Social-ecological Resarch http://www.sozial-oekologische-forschung.org/_media/soef_broschuere_internet.pdf The overarching aim of the funding priority involves understanding social transformation processes and generating the knowledge required to steer such processes in a sustainable direction ( ). It implies addressing problems against which society needs to take action ( ). Stakeholders within society are therefore integrated into the research process (9).
Strategic objectives 1. Transformation knowledge should be generated in two ways. First, it is necessary to understand the forces and dynamics driving social transformation and describe these with due reference to socioeconomic and ecological aspects. Second, options for future development should be defined, as should ways of ensuring that this development is sustainable. 2. Personnel and institutional capacities must be built up and networked. These should act as bearers of theoretical and methodological knowledge in the field of transdisciplinary sustainability research (capacity building).
Challenge #1 New patterns in R&D governance New logic of funding requires legitimisation Technological fixers ares dominant (in R&D community) Image of soft measures and ideologically driven research Experiments with alternative forms of R&D governance How measure the quality of innovation outcomes? Reluctance on the side of researchers to embark on a risky career path Struggle over competences with other ministries
Response #1 Strategic capacity building Explicate new rationale in a framework concept Sound S&T takes account of societal embedding Define agenda in interaction of policy, society, reserach Indentify and support niches in the research system Funding for independent non-profit research institutes Networking across boundaries Build-up next generation of researchers Funding junior research groups Coaching, networking Support exemplary thematic research groups Issue calls on current topics to demonstrate alternative research approach Give more weight to social sciences
Challenge #2 Politicisation of innovation policy The funding priority deals with topics for which exerting an influence on processes of social transformation is deemed necessary. This is because any continuation of current organisational structures (regulatory patterns) would lead to the emergence of interdependent social, ecological and economic problems that could result in crisis (12) Accusations of normative, ideologically driven research (policy)
Response #2 Justify normative orientation Innnovation policy is always political Implicit future in current R&D strategies Competition of emerging S&T for scarce resources Explicate normative orientation refer to democratically established policy goals (e.g. sustainability strategy) Develop quality criteria and evaluation Communicate rationale to a broader public
Challenge #3 Complexity in the research process ( ) projects should refer to lifeworld problems ( ). This involves the challenge of translating non-scientific questions into issues which can be addressed scientifically and taking knowledge from outside the realm of science into account. Researchers accompanied social experiments ( ) face(d) the challenge of taking due account of the attitudes and interests of persons and groups within society, and thus of integrating non-scientific knowledge and normative aspects into the research process (11).
Response #3 the learning research programme Programme design to allow for learning start with 24 exploratory projects in 2000 Programme evaluation 2004-2005 Adaptation of programme design framework concept thematic areas Design of junior research groups (pre-phase) Evaluation criteria (from topic to research question) Methodological requirements (interdisciplinarity)
Lessons learned Work on legitimation for new approaches and methods derive required research practices from concrete challenges (problem-orientation, inter-/ transdisciplinarity) Develop quality criteria and carry out (self-)evaluation Build on established approaches and practices Identify and support niches within the research system and develop social and institutional capacities (junior researchers) Balance embedding and protection for research trade-off between contextualisation and productivity Allow experimenting and learning also in R&D policy
Thank you! Jan-Peter Voß jan-peter.voss@tu-berlin.de www.innovation-in-governance.de