Research Policy as an Agent of Change: Workshop Report. Held in Tucson, Arizona in October 2003.

摘要

In October 2003, an NSF-sponsored workshop on research policy as an agent of change was held in Tucson, Arizona, under the auspices of the University of Arizona. The workshop explored the role of research policies in a time of significant scientific, technological, and social change. Scholars from a wide range of relevant disciplines, as well as a number of NSF staff, met for two days to discuss what is, and what is not, known about how research policy contributes-in both intended and unintended ways-to major societal transformations. This report is intended to capture the central themes of the workshop discussions. It begins with an executive summary that presents the participants' main conclusions. The body of the report describes major issues addressed in the discussions. These issues have been grouped under the headings infrastructure, benefits of research policy, unintended consequences, and critical research needs. The appendices present the workshop agenda, the short statements that participants wrote prior to arrival in Tucson, and brief descriptions of the small group discussions that took place on the second day of the workshop. Participants reached three main conclusions: 1. A focused effort to study research policy as an agent of change (RPAC) is urgently needed. 2. Studies of RPAC will require the use of diverse research methods informed by a range of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary perspectives. 3. NSF should explore ways to encourage research in this area.