Conferencia: «(Mis)alignment of scientific outcome with funding: the case of green energy technology in South Korean Green Growth mission»

Conferencia (impartida en inglés) a cargo de Soohong Eum (Universiteit Leiden)

Resumen:

To address societal challenges that involve interconnected economic, social, and environmental problems, the government sector is increasingly intervening in research and innovation in mission-oriented ways. This approach necessitates coordinated efforts across various sectors and fields, spanning the entire research and innovation value chain from basic research to development. Science is therefore called upon to play a crucial role in providing a foundational understanding of these complex challenges and generating the knowledge and technologies needed to achieve mission goals.
Funding is one of the prominent instruments used to align research activities with these mission-oriented efforts. Governments aim to steer research towards intended directions by setting strategic priorities and targets and including expected outcomes and impact within funding schemes. While growing attention has been given to funding as an enabling factor for mission-oriented innovation and its outcomes, the extent to which the knowledge produced aligns with mission goals has not been sufficiently explored.
This study investigates the impact of government intervention in knowledge production, focusing on funding and outcomes through the case of South Korea’s Green Growth mission. With the aim of responding to climate change and achieving economic growth, Green Growth from 2008 to 2013 identified key technologies for green transformation in the industry and promoted research and innovation activities. This study analyses changes in funding and the alignment of topics in funded scientific publications with mission goals, using project-level data on funding and outcomes in green energy technology areas.
The findings of this study are as follows: First, the mission led to increased funding and a rise in research outputs during the mission period; however, funding declined sharply once the mission ended. Second, although the number of funded publications increased, the majority showed unclear relevance to the areas in which they were funded, indicating that policy interventions through funding were not sufficiently linked to the production of expected knowledge. Third, most researchers who entered the green energy technology field during the mission stopped publishing in this area after the mission ended. These findings suggest that policy measures, such as funding aimed at generating relevant scientific knowledge and attracting researchers, resulted in a short-term boost in research activity but failed to foster long-term commitment.

• Fecha: Viernes 4 de octubre de 2024
• Lugar: Salón de Grados de la Facultad de Comunicación y Documentación
• Horario: de 12 a 13 h.
• Más información: albertomartin@ugr.es