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CASRAI ReConnect ConferenceOttawa, November 19-21, 2014

Research portfolios in support of societal challenges: concepts, data and analysis

Matthew L. Wallace · INGENIO (CSIC-UPV)Ismael Rafols · INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) · SPRU (University of Sussex)

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Can ‘research portfolios’ help allocate resources to tackle grand societal challenges?

1. What do (and what can) research portfolios mean?

Looking at current practices and moving beyond a ‘financial’ model

2. Case study: avian influenza as a ‘societal challenge’

Understanding a research landscape to inform portfolio design

OUTLINE

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DRIVERS FOR PORTFOLIO-LEVEL ANALYSIS

• Central problem: perceived mismatch between research and desired outcomes

• Responding to current policy demands in grand societal challenges• Tackling large-scale, multi-stakeholder issues

• Transparency, accountability, cost-effectiveness, etc.

• Seeking out alternative research avenues spawning new solutions.

BUT… What ‘baggage’ does the term already have for science policy?

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‘TYPICAL’ R&D PORTFOLIOS

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CURRENT PUBLIC SECTOR PRACTICES

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POLICY “PULL” AND SCIENCE “PUSH”…

Making explicit connections between research options and societal outcomes

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BROAD VIEWS OF OUTCOMES AND OPTIONS…

(Figure adapted from Stirling & Scoones, 2009)

Moving towards a broad set of outcomes and acknowledging high uncertainty

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SYNERGIES, COMPLEMENTARITIES…

Looking for potential positive interactions based on the existing research landscape

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AVIAN FLU AS A CASE STUDYFunding and publications

Avian influenza funding by main funding agencies ($M), from ÜberResearch data

Main avian flu and swine flu strain articles (PubMed)

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AVIAN FLU AS A CASE STUDYDebates on research, outcomes and values

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THE RESEARCH LANDSCAPE

Network of terms and clusters from abstracts of avian influenza publications (2004-2013), mapped according to co-occurrence

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Virology as a WoS subject categoryRESEARCH APPROACHES AND OBJECTS

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“Virology” as a Medical Subject Heading qualifierRESEARCH APPROACHES AND OBJECTS

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MAPPING EXISTING INFLUENZA PORTFOLIOS

Canadian Institutes for Health Research(Influenza A, 2010-12)

GlaxoSmithKline(Influenza A, 2010-12)

Welcome Trust(Influenza A, 2010-12)

Maps generated from overlays of funding data in Web of Knowledge onto the ‘landscape’ of Influenza A research overall

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• Public debates, different research pathways highlight the need for diversity

• We can tentatively identify some dominant lines of research: epidemiology, molecular biology, immunology…

• We can see where connections lie: e.g., very few connections between epidemiology and virology

• We can see how different portfolios reflect (or not) priorities of funders

AVIAN FLU IN THE CONTEXT OF PORTFOLIO DESIGN

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Our (modest) claim: Research portfolio approaches can be useful for better understanding current resource allocation for problem-driven research and for facilitating policy deliberations

• We need to clarify what we mean by “portfolio”• Portfolio lens has the potential to help tackle complex

societal problems: – Move beyond “excellence”, – Inform diversification– Recognize multiple outcomes, promote inclusive policy

process• Mapping from bibliometric (or funding) data can be

useful, – But cannot produce a “one-dimensional”, prescriptive

view– Data remains scarce!

CONCLUSION

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THANK YOU

INGENIO [CSIC-UPV] Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación | Edif 8E 4º Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia

tel +34 963 877 048 fax +34 963 877 991

MATWAL@INGENIO.UPV.ES