b German Federal Ministry for Research and Education, BMBF, Germany c Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering, Germany d Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation research, Germany
the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) launched a new foresight process which aimed at four specific targets.
Foresight process Fully fledged foresight Bibliometrics Strategic partnerships Research alliances 1. Introduction In September 2007, the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) launched a new foresight process
Other institutions like the Technical University of Berlin, the Institute for Nanotechnology (INT) of the Research centre Karlsruhe, the RWTH Aachen, the Austrian Research centres Gmbh (ARC), Systems Research Division Dept
for R&d policy 3. Combination of methods and topic fields In order to achieve these targets, a tailor-made combination of methods was applied.
Topics, in which BMBF or German research institutions were already very active at that point in time were labelled as‘golden
recommendations for priority activity lines for R&d policy were derived also in the sense of 11. The last phase ended with a conference.
and new developments in science and technology or long-term research questions were described at these crossroads. These crosscutting areas were additional starting points for searches.
On the next level, research questions and tasks were formulated. This forced the topic coordinators of the process to formulate the future topics very precisely similar to a Delphi survey.
The last part of the survey concerned the single research questions in the areas. Again it was asked for a judgement on a fivestteplikert scale (from very important to unimportant.
On this page, also different new research questions or tasks could be mentioned in an open field
These are unaccepted the most research topics for the future. The first examples are both related to nuclear research,
On the basis of the survey, topics that will no longer be on the research agenda in 10 years'time,
because the research questions are solved, were sorted out. This does not mean that these problems are solved already,
On this way, even research questions have to be solved. Energy from the environment: energy harvesting is known already, but limited.
of users and investors concerning energy efficiency 50 Wearable computers 34 Electric cars for long distances 30 Research on illnesses which are induced by social disadvantage 30 New materials for radioactive ray
and use of new living beings with new properties by integrating artificial systems 29 Hydrogen technology systems 28 Research on illnesses caused by lifestyle 27 Affective Computing 26
Organisation of scientific communities Establishment of research alliances Research programmes and initiatives Innovation policy instruments Ideation A round-table discussion enhanced this discussion
However, this is far from straightforward as foresight outcomes tend to challenge established configurations by pointing to long-term issues that reach across boundaries of scientific disciplines, industrial sectors and departments in industry, research institutes
In these cases, the expected impact of the process will be an addition to the research agenda,
You can do a research project using many of the ideas from AF but the full benefits can only be realised in a consultancy project working closely with a client.
to gain time for the preparation of new research. There is already interest from BMBF departments to get involved into the process.
4/8/2008.2 Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF)( ed.),Die Hightech-Strategie für Deutschland, Bonn
National Institute of Science and Technology policy (NISTEP (Ed.),Kyûsoku ni hattenshitsutsu aru kenkyû ryûiki chôsa (The 8th Science and Technology foresight Survey Study on Rapidlydevellopin Research area
. Cuhls, N. Ludewig, Introduction to futur the German Research Dialogue about the Futur process, in:
Participatory Priority Setting for Research and Innovation policy, IRB Publishers, Stuttgart, 2004.14 K. Cuhls, L. Georghiou, Evaluating a Participative Foresight process:‘
‘Futur the German Research Dialogue',Research Evaluation, vol. 13,2004, pp. 143 153,3. 15 M. J. Bardecki, Participant's Response to the Delphi method:
Technologie (Federal Ministry for Research and Technology, BMFT (Ed.),Deutscher Delphi-Bericht zur Entwicklung von Wissenschaft und Technik (German Delphi Report on the Development
L. Georghiou (Ed.),The Handbook of Technology foresight, Concepts and Practice, PRIME Series on Research and Innovation policy, 2008, pp. 131 152.29 K. Cuhls, K. Blind, Knut
The Handbook of Technology foresight, Concepts and Practice, PRIME Series on Research and Innovation policy, 2008.32 S. Kuhlmann, et al.
She manages the consortium that runs the BMBF Foresight process for the German Federal Ministry for Research and Education.
Amina Beyer-Kutzner is responsible for the BMBF Foresight in the Federal Ministry for Research and Education
and since 2004 in the Department of Research Analysis, Research Communication and Science Coordination. Walter Ganz is director and member of the Leading Circle of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) in Stuttgart, Germany.
He is head of the research areas In services Management and Personal Management. Philine Warnke is scientific project manager in the Competence Center Innovation and Technology management and Foresight at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation research in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Before, she worked as senior researcher in the area of foresight for the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies of the European commission (JRC-IPTS.
We synthesize our analysis with a discussion of further research needs. 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This process resulted in a selection of fifty-two sources from academic journals, books and book chapters, working papers, policy papers, and research reports.
international organisations, private sector, public advisory bodies and research organisations as well as a couple of policy-makers to discuss current practice, success factors,
A close examination of a qualitative scenario project conducted by The netherlands Institute for Spatial Research identified three different and contradictory interpretations of the scenario axes employed 26.
their development and use, Sub-report 2. 1b of Synthesis and Assessment Product 2. 1 by the U s. Climate change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research, Department of energy
, Office of Biological & Environmental Research, Washington, 2007.18 J. Rosenhead, Robustness analysis: keeping your options open, in:
Insights from the FORLEARN Mutual learning Process, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, 2006, Joint research Centre/European commission. 32 G. P. Hodgkinson, G. Wright, Confronting strategic
His research interests are integrated environmental assessments, long-term policy analysis and institutional arrangements for effective scenario planning. He has authored
reinforced with the principles of CSH, can be of use in the nano-field providing wider stakeholder representation during the research and development processes.
Academic social research Trade unions Issue groups including the Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the Intermediate Technology development Group and other similar organisations Grass roots organisations Minority groups, such as women
like Foresight, differs from the deductive procedures of applied science that are concerned with well defined problems,
Wiley 1994.19 W. Ulrich, Critical heuristics of social systems design, European Journal of Operational Research 31 (3)( 1987) 276 283.20 M. B. L
and Ozcan Saritas is a Research fellow: both are at the Manchester Institute of Innovation research at the Manchester Business school, the University of Manchester. 1221 D. Loveridge, O. Saritas/Technological forecasting & Social Change 76 (2009) 1208 1221
and develop appropriate governance strategies for nanotechnologies need to consider both thewide spectrumof nanotechnology research and development lines,
This paper presents a research project that took the recent activities in and around the notion of Responsible Research and Innovation of nanotechnologies as an opportunity to develop support tools for exploring potential co-evolutions of nanotechnology and governance arrangements.
This involved the inclusion of pre-engagement analysis of potential co-evolutions in the form of scenarios into interactive workshop activities, with the aim of enabling multi-stakeholder anticipation of the complexities of co-evolution. 2009
For those wishing to enable beneficial technology applications stemming from potentially breakthrough areas of science and technology, such as nanotechnology,
and around Responsible Research and Innovation of Nanotechnology. 2 That is why it became the subject of a research project
and workshop within a programme of future-oriented technology analysis (FTA) in a nanotechnology research network called Frontiers. 3 The FTA ACTIVITIES in this network revolve around multi-(potential) stakeholder workshops where the aim is to explore the complex dynamics in and around specific areas of nanotechnology important for the Frontiers
or another with an emphasis on responsible up to and including halting developments along particular R&d
or product lines. 3 The FP6 funded Network of Excellence Frontiers is a network of 14 European research institutes,
explore possibilities and draw out some recommendations to guide both the Nanotechnology R&d network (Frontiers) who initiated the project as others exploring potential governance approaches.
or another with an emphasis on responsible up to and including halting developments along particular R&d lines.
The nano umbrella term becomes more specific (in funding mechanisms) now defined in terms of potential sectors that will be impacted by R&d lines.
in general most public engagement activities initiated by R&d actors focused more on enlightening the general public on the potentials of nanotech R&d-engagement as a lubricant against public friction.
1) Instrumental motivations legitimising R&d activities as a policy to ensure that technology is held not back by public skepticism;(
when engagement is operationalised for R&d activities. This approach to engagement stems from an anticipation by nanotech developers of public friction
A case of focused alignment of R&d agendas in national initiatives can be seen. One example
and others lead to the inclusion of engagement programmes in technology R&d programmes to inform
(and initiated by) the nano R&d domain focussing on enabling public acceptance. Although no linkages between the projects occurs there the ethical and risk debate
The accident with the Finnish worker opens up nano governance once again and a number of lines of R&d grind to a halt pending further investigation.
and civil society in research agenda setting causes tensions for the R&d agents (who work in an open-ended manner,
Not all actors in R&d sign up to the codes, the broadness of principles causes concerns with some actors a large pharmaceutical company states,
and continue with their R&d unabated. This was inspired by interviews at an annual meeting of the Frontiers Noe,
(and flourish) to take the university research to the market, 1234 D. K. R. Robinson/Technological forecasting & Social Change 76 (2009) 1222-1239 with the prospect of takeover by larger firms in 3 to 4
and other engagement exercises lead to the inclusion of engagement programmes in technology R&d programmes to inform
(and initiated by) the nano R&d domain focussing on enabling public acceptance. Although no linkages between the projects occurs
and a number of lines of R&d grind to a halt pending further investigation Finnish case triggers a temporary moratorium:
Andersen and Borup's paper addresses the issue of foresight and strategy processes of national research councils and research programmes.
It is based on a study of strategy processes in national research councils and programmes, and the challenges faced by their strategy activities.
Also that a more formal use of foresight elements could improve the legitimacy and impact of the strategic considerations of research councils and research programmes.
The objective of encouraging other actors of the R&i system to initiate foresight activities has lead to many spinoof activities,
http://www. tandfonline. com/loi/ctas20 Foresight and strategy in national research councils and research programmes Per Dannemand Andersen a & Mads Borup a a Department of Management Engineering, Technical University
Per Dannemand Andersen & Mads Borup (2009) Foresight and strategy in national research councils and research programmes, Technology analysis & Strategic management, 21:8, 917-932, DOI:
8 november 2009,917 932 Foresight and strategy in national research councils and research programmes Per Dannemand Andersen*and Mads Borup Department of Management Engineering
Technical University of Denmark, Produktionstrovet 424, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark This paper addresses the issue of foresight and strategy processes of national research councils and research programmes.
It is based on a study of strategy processes in national research councils and programmes and the challenges faced by their strategy activities.
and new challenges faced by the research councils. We also argue that a more formal use of foresight elements might improve the legitimacy and impact of the strategic considerations of research councils and research programmes.
Keywords: technology and innovation studies; socio-technical; public research organisatioons foresight; science and technology and innovation policy studies 1. Introduction The setting of priorities in science
and innovation policy is one of the most important rationales for implementing national foresight activities. Important users of this type of foresight activity are often national research and innovation councils,
national research programmes and similar entities involved directly in prioritising public expenditure on research and development (R&d). Research and innovation councils and programmes play a significant role in the development of science
and are a central interface between politics and research. Compared with basic funding to universities, the funding for research and innovation councils and targeted research programmes is a more dynamic instrument, suitable for interaction with national science and innovation policy.
In some countries (for example, Norway) research councils have played a key role in initiating and sponsoring foresight activities as a strategic input to funding activities.
In other countries foresight exercises have been carried out on the national level by entities (private or public) other than research councils and related organisations.*
*Corresponding author. Email: pean@man. dtu. dk ISSN 0953-7325 print/ISSN 1465-3990 online 2009 Taylor & francis DOI:
10.1080/09537320903262280 http://www. informaworld. com Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 918 P. D. Andersen
and M. Borup However, there is often great uncertainty about how to implement foresight exercises within research councils and how to use the results.
there are still also many research councils and programmes that do not use foresight exerciise in their work.
The analysis in this paper builds on the basic observation that all research councils and research programmes foresight or not do strategic thinking and set up smaller or larger, formal or informal,
strategy definition processes supporting the practical decision making on funding. In some form or another there are always strategy processes in national research councils and research programmes.
Instead of analysing directly the difficulties with using foresiigh as a strategic input to research council funding activities,
this paper takes the detour and analyses the strategy processes in national research councils and research programmes and the challenges that they are facing.
Our analysis makes a departure in the contemporary foresight literature and the discipline of strategy.
and new challenges faced by research councils. Furthermore, it is the aim to investigate if more formal use of foresight elements might improve strategic consideration by research councils
and research programmes. 2. Foresight and strategy processes in Research strategy and priority-setting processes have probably always been used by research communities,
but the area has attracted increased interest in the last 10 or 20 years. However a significant difference between today's knowledge-based economies and the industrial economies of 30 or 50 years ago is that technological development has become crucial for economic development
Hence, many countries have initiated technology foresight exercises and other activities for prioritising strategic research. Sociologists have noted this development,
characterised by discipline-oriented basic science in universities, to a new form (Mode 2), characterised by problem-driven, application-oriented and trans-disciplinary research taking place partly outside universities
the economy and society with the aim of identifying the areas of strategic research Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 Foresight
and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 919 and the emerging generic technologies likely to yield the greatest economical and social benefits'(Martin 1995).
Hence, foresight challenges traditional-thinking (or Mode 1-oriented) research communities in at least two ways. First, foresight exercises include future societal and economic needs and possibilities in the setting of priorities.
Therefore, it seems obvious why many traditional research communities take a reluctant stance on foresight exercises. 2. 1. Rationale
As neither research councils nor national research programmes by themselves create technological innovation, the concepts of national innovation systems (NIS) and technology innovation systeem (TIS) are important in understanding how new technologies emerge
The rationales and objectives of foresight programmes are of course wider than just deciding how to distribute public funding to R&d,
The same type of rationale is used often also for strategy processes in research councils and research programmes. Examplle of strategy and priority-setting processes in public research can be found from Spain, UK, Norway, The netherlands, France and Denmark in a report from the European project MUSCIPOLI (Siune 2001.
and to trickle down through applied research and industrial development, ending up in new products introduced on to the market.
and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 921 that the field of foresight is indebted more to the field of strategy than vice versa.
but the idea of the rational decision has been challenged for decades by decision theorists (Lindblom 1959;
In the same way, foresight exercises and similar strategic activities aim to position national research optimally in relation to future opportuniitie in the strategic environment of national research programmes:
The context of science is strategic research and emerging technologies, and it is economical and competitive (and not to better understand nature and humankind).
As a consequence, the positioning and organisational structure of a research council or research programme's strategic research,
As already mentioned, the idea of the rational decision has been challenged for decades by decision theorists.
In the archetypal version of this, understanding of strategy priority-setting in research councils comes about after negotiations between its members
The context is not related to any particular understanding of science or technological development but to powers and political interests in the affected areas of science and technology;
and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 923 Foresight and strategy focus on competencies and visions for defining future development;
Whatever priority-setting research councils undertake in this perspective it is based on competeenc (scientific strengths or weaknesses),
etc. 3. Case studies 3. 1. Research councils and national research programmes Research councils and national research programmes account for a smaller percentage of total research funding than direct government funding of universities and research institutions,
Most European countrrie have research councils, research programmes or similar institutions, but their structure varies significantly (EU DG Research 2005).
It is difficult to obtain comparable statistics for research council funding activities on the scale of the European union (EU) or countries of the Organisation for Economic cooperation and Development (OECD). In Denmark,
approximately 20 25%of public research is funded through research councils and national research programmes (Forskningsstyrelsen 2003). Both national research councils and research programmes often channel money to new and important emerging research areas and topics.
Through this, they contribute to change and the development of newdirections for research institutions and for the research community in general.
The strategies and micro-politics of research programmes can thus play a central role in some cases a key role in the broader strategies and developments of science and research systems.
To manage national research programmes is a highly important part of science governance and research management in general.
Research councils and programmes often constitute a more dynamic element in science than do universities and research institutions.
Basic funding for universities is associated with the positions held by their staff and in extreme cases, change only occurs with the retirement of old staff and recruitment of new staff.
Research councils and research programmes offer a much more dynamic and prioritisable instrument in national science systems. Also, by representing a second strand of research funding,
in addition to basic funding of universities and other government laboratories, research programmes contribute to competition within the research system. 3. 2. About the study
and its context Two case studies were analysed here, namely the strategy processes of the Danish technical research council and the Danish energy research programme.
Empirically, the analysis was based on: Studies of relevant texts, such as strategy plans, background notes and other available internal texts prepared in affiliation with the studied strategy plans;
and Qualitative interviews with the actors involved. Interviewees were typically central council members, civil servants from relevant governmental entities, process and other external consultannts industry representatives and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOS;
The research councils were reorganised in early 2005. There is now a clearer distinction between the independeen research council (with five traditional disciplinary councils;
one being comparable with the one we studied) and a strategic research council (with five programme committees.
Followiin the change of government in Denmark in late 2001 the energy research programmes were cut by two-thirds in 2002,
and indeed the whole structure of energy researchwas later changed. Today, total public expenditure for energy-related research and innovation has increased to approximately the same level as before,
but with tighter cooperation with the strategic research council's activitiies Other reforms are expected in coming years as a result of the Government's Strategy for Denmark in the Global economy (The Prime minister's Office 2006).
The 15 members of the Technical research Council were researchers, primarily from universities. The council was located in the Danish research Agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation,
Following this reform the Technical research Council was merged with another council and continued the activities under new terms.
In the period studied, the amount of research money managed by the Technical research Council was in the order of DKK100 million(¤13.4 million) per year.
The latest strategy plan for the Technical research Council was Strategy plan 2003 2007, publisshe in August 2002 (Statens Teknisk-Videnskabelige Forskningsråd 2002.
The actors involved in developing the plan were primarily members of the research council and employees of the Research Agency.
were asked to write papers about their vision of developments in their research areas, to be used as input to the strategy process.
The vision papers were to cover all areas of science and technology research. The authors came primarily from public research institutiions and also from industry.
They were hand-picked by the council as experienced, visionary researchers, who were also able to articulate broader, cross-disciplinary thoughts about the developmmen of research in their field.
but quite a few also included thoughts on education and on the potential industrial and societal Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 Foresight and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 925 impacts of the suggested research.
and discussed the different areas of research in science and technology, building on, among other things, the vision papers.
Therefore, the strategic areas can to some extent be seen as representing the main areas of research in science and technology,
The research consortia instrument was in response to the demand for improved collaboration between public and private research.
The Research Agency played, in collaboration with the council, an important role in the definition of this communication format.
which they encouraged all the research councils to follow (only the Medical Research council resisted using the brief format).
Whereas the earlier plans focused on‘internal'prioritisation and strategic action within the research council and on the different sub-areas of research, the plan for 2003 2007 emphasised the difference that science
and technology research can make to society. Earlier strategy plans for the Technical research Council, as well as plans for other research councils,
such as the Natural science Research council, received broad input from many different actors during the process of strategy development.
In contrast, apart from the actors mentioned above the research council members, the agency employees, the PR company and the authors of the vision papers only a few other persons were involved directly in the development of the Strategy plan 2003 2007.
Itwas not expected that the 2003 2007 planwould have a mediating and coordinating role in the research community or internally within the research council.
In practice, however, there are indications that the Strategy plan 2003 2007 has, at least to some extent, had the effect of coordinating and giving direction to the research community.
More concrete initiatives, or action plans, following the Strategy plan are expected not from the research council for the time being.
Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 926 P. D. Andersen and M. Borup 3. 4. Strategy processes in the Danish energy research programme The Danish energy research programme is managed by the Danish energy authority,
which is part of the Ministry of Economic and Businessaffairs (which also covers energy). The programme and its strategies are coordinated with general national energy polices and often also with other policy areas;
for example, the general national research strategy developed in the mid-1990s (Miljø-og Energiministeriet 1996a c). Danish energy research experienced considerable turbulence following the change in governnmen in late 2001.
Together with major changes in the Energy Authority and the ministry responsible for it, this turbulence had a major influence on the strategy activities of the Energy research programme.
another funding programme for energy research, the Public service Obligation (PSO) Energy R&d programme of the two operators of the Danish electricity grid, gained importance. 1 The PSO R&d programme
With a budget of around DKK100 million(¤13.4 million) a year (rising to DKK130 million(¤17.4 million) in 2005) it has become the same size as the Energy research programme. 2 The PSO R&d programme supports
R&d on environmentally friendly energy production technologies. The PSO R&d programme was operated by the two electricity grid operators
but the Ministte for Economic and Business affairs through the Energy Authority had overall political responsibility
A third funding source for energy research, a New energy and Environment Research programme, was established also in the period through the Strategic research Council, under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Staff from the Strategic research Council played a passive role in the core group. Strategy development thus existed between several programmes rather than being connected directly to a single programme.
The Advisory Council for Energy Research (Det Rådgivende Energiforskningsudvalg REFU) is an advisory board for the Energy Authority and the Ministry of Economic and Business affairs.
but the Ministry did not approve this Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 Foresight and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 927 suggestion.
Given the smaller total budget for the Energy research programme, it was decided that strategy development from early 2003 should be concentrated on four areas:
These priority areas were decided by the Danish energy authority in collaboration with their counterparts in the PSO R&d programme.
a policy also reflected in the overall aims of the PSO R&d programme. The selection of only four priority areas resulted in a stronger and narrower technology focus than the broader priority areas of the Energy research programme's earlier strategies.
Previously, standing advisory committees for each of the priority areas had existed with membeer from industry and research institutions.
The committees played an essential role in the programme and provided input and background papers to strategy developments (IEA 1999).
The strategy work was used in the funding decisions of the research programmes as early as 2003. In the second half of 2003 and in 2004, two other areas were defined as priorities for strategy development.
There was a relatively strong network, both informal and formal, between the programme management and the established industrial and research actors in the field of energy technology.
In this sense, the strategy processes of the Energy research programme corresponded with the Mode 2 model of research.
In the case of the research council there does not seem to be a formal or predetermined process for developing Strategy development of strategy is a muddling-through process,
The Technical research Council plan mentions that its strategy is about prioritising areas of science with special importance for society during the next 10 20 years.
The Energy research programme refers to targets and their horizons in the Government's energy policy: 2030 and the Kyoto Protocol's timeframe of 2008 2012.
Technical research Council Energy research programme Actors involved Programme management Research council Research Agency (secretariat) Energy Authority Core group in strategy processes Research council Research Agency (secretariat+strategy
Technollog and Innovation Partly the Confederation of Danish Industries Advisory Council for Energy Research Energy production companies Energy-technology companies Scientists Interest groupings/NGOS Target groups
Actor dialogues, partnershhip consensus seeking Advisory Council for Energy Research Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 Foresight
and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 929 Although there is a rich and growing application-oriented literature on foresight in science
and strateggi processes in Danish research councils and research programmes. Erratic evidence from the study behind this paper also indicated this.
and at a workshop with the participation of research council members and civil servants affiliated to some of the relevant research councils and research programmes.
One presenttatio was intended to initiate a discussion of how foresight methods could enrich strategy processes within the councils and programmes.
In the case of the Technical research Council, it has obtained its legitimacy through law, as the council has a legal obligation to make strategy plans.
In the case of the Energy research programme, legitimacy is secured primarily through hearings. Table 1 gives an overview of the two case studies.
and understandings of the strategy processse that were undertaken (see Table 2). In the case of the Technical research Council a variety of rationales
In contrast, in the Energy research programme there seems to exist a more coherent understanding of strategy associated with developing new energy technologies.
Technical research Council Energy research programme The strategy of covering all existing research areas: supporting existing areas, the opposite of priority setting The strategy of new technologies:
demarcation, e g. against natural science and the natural science research council Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:09 03 december 2014 930 P. D. Andersen and M. Borup 4. Conclusion In contrast to basic funding for universities
and other research institutions, research councils and national research programmes are a dynamic part of national science systems. If a national science system is perceived as an important element of the overall national innovation system then priority-setting processes of research councils
and research programmes can be of legitimate strategic interest to governments. Our analysis shows that research councils and research programmes do carry out strategy processes
and that the processes are based not only on scientific excellence (peer review, etc.),), but also have a strong element of prospective outlook similar to foresight exercises.
The processes can be improved by implementing the procedural elements of foresight exercises, especially with respect to elements such as the legitimacy of discussing long-term future perspectives and the inclusion of actors.
Not least the research council case could have benefited from a more formal and structured process. This would have improved the transparency of the process.
Especially, it is not clear what process led from the 45 position papers to the first drafts of the strategy plan.
Our study indicates that the impact of foresight exercises on strategic decisions in research councils and programmes can be improved
if we understand better the existing strategy traditions and current challenges faced by these institutions.
priority-setting goes beyond selecting between areas of science and technology: to develop measures and instruments are also important issues in research strategies.
The implementation phase is a key element in any foresight exercise, but the process should also be designed to include thoughts about the‘policy toolbox'in the process itself.
and this is especially true for the Technical research Council. Furthermore, the scientific community is not always familiar with common foresight terminology;
whereas research councils seem to follow other models. There is no doubt that a more rational-analytical approach is appealing, especially for technical research councils.
In reality, however, the processes involve a strong element of power play and politicca negotiation. Foresight processes must be designed to give legitimate room to such political negotiations between interests and powers.
and strategy in national research councils and research programmes 931 a full Delphi survey could be applied, but the process could also benefit from just getting inspiration from formulation of Delphi statements.
A clearer inclusion of stakeholders and of the general public in the research council case would have improved the plan's legitimacy;
Acknowledgements The work behind this article received funding from the Danish Social science Research council through the project,‘Strategies and identity of science a study of strategy processes in national research programmes'.
His main areas of research are technology foresight, strategy in science and innovation, technological innovation, the interaction between industry and science,
EU DG Research. 2005. Final Report. Examining the design of national research programmes. Prepared by Optima Ltd, VDI/VDE-Innovation and Technik Gmbh, EC Contract Ref.
PP-CT-M-2004-0004. Forskningsstyrelsen. 2003. Tal om forskning 2003 statistik. Copenhagen: Forskningsstyrelsen. Gavigan, J. P.,F. Scapolo, M. Keenan,
European commission Research Directorate General, STRATA Programme. Brussels: European communities Report EUR 20128 EN. Georghiou, L. 2001.
Review of Denmark's energy research programme 1992 1997. Copenhagen: Danish energy Agency. Johnson, A, . and S. Jacobsson. 2001.
Danish Institute for Studies in Research and Research policy. Statens Teknisk-Videnskabelige Forskningsråd. 2002. Strategiplan 2003 2007.
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