• 19.04.231

Final evaluation of the Research Programme on Social Capital and Networks of Trust (SoCa) 2004–2007:

What should the Academy of Finland learn from the evaluation report?

Riitta Mustonen, Vice President (Research)

• 19.04.232

A research programme(according to Research Programme Strategy 2003–2007)

• is focused on a defined subject area or set of problems, financed for a fixed period and has a coordinated

management

• generates added value, in comparison to project-based separate funding

• has special science policy objectives, such as- to promote multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity- to develop national and international collaboration between researchers, funding agencies and end-users of research results- to piece together scattered research capacities

• is one of the Academy’s key research funding opportunities

• 19.04.233

Starting points for research programmes

• concerns arising from science and/or society at large

• internal development needs within a discipline or field

of research

• needs to support new, emerging fields

• needs to create new knowledge about an issue or

a problem that is considered to be of societal importance

•

Actionand budgetplan,Councils

Action and budgetplan,Board

Preparationin Councils

Steering Committee,programme memo,negotiations

Call Evaluation Fundingdecisions

about one year

Programme projects

Final evaluation

4 years

6–8 months

Proposals from

researchers

• 19.04.235

Recommendations by the Evaluation Panel to the Academy of Finland

1. Funding of Principal Investigators of research projects

2. Funding of research projects

3. Dissemination of programme results

4. Duration of research programme

5. Reporting and accountability of research projects

6. Evaluation of research programme

• 19.04.236

1. Funding of Principal Investigators of research projects- Could the international impact of the programme be strengthened via PI participation?- Missed opportunities for PIs?

Goals for the research community and institutes

⇒ structure of the research groups should be strong enough: PhD students, postdocs and senior scholar(s)

⇒ roles and distribution of work in the research groups should be further developed (project management)

• 19.04.237

1. Funding of Principal Investigators of research projects- Could the international impact of the programme be strengthened via PI participation?- Missed opportunities for PIs?

Goals for the Academy of Finland

⇒ international cooperation is an integral part of the recent research programme concept: joint funding of bi- or multilateral research projects

⇒ funding principles of the Academy are changing towards including all direct and indirect costs of an individual research project (full cost model)

⇒ more focus on postdoctoral funding

• 19.04.238

2. Funding of research projects - Difficulties with partial funding for research projects? - Ex ante and ex post aims differed? - Better potential impact on scientific quality and policy impact?

Goals for research funding agencies

⇒ funding for an individual project should be adequate to reach the goals of the project

Goals for the Academy of Finland

⇒ volume of the research programme should be sufficient

⇒ Steering Committee shall take care of reasonable funding for each project (vs. coverage of programme themes)

• 19.04.239

3. Dissemination of results - Support and full commitment needed? - Planned and realistic programme for dissemination?

Goals for the research community and other stakeholders ⇒ dissemination of research results is a joint effort between

researchers, universities, funding agencies and end-users of results

Goals for the Academy of Finland

⇒ Steering Committee and Programme Manager have key roles in stimulating interaction and continuous dialogue between researchers and stakeholders

⇒ new Research Programme Strategy will emphasise the importance of long-term effectiveness of research in Academy research programmes

• 19.04.2310

4. Duration of research programme - More flexible approach to programme funding?

⇒ excellent ideas for themes for new programmes are too many to be realised

⇒ previous research programmes have usually had only one four-year term, rarely two four-year terms

Goals for the Academy of Finland

⇒ duration of research programmes is increasing through several international calls for proposals

⇒ after-care efforts of Research Councils and other funding agencies are welcome

• 19.04.2311

5. Reporting and accountability of research project - More comprehensive peer review process of completed individual projects?

- Emphasis on reporting and accountability?

6. Evaluation of research programme - Longer lag between formal completion of research projects and evaluation of the programme?

Goals for the Academy of Finland

⇒ the concept of research programme evaluation needs to be developed

⇒ in future, research programmes will be evaluated 1–3 years after project completion; in the evaluation more attention will be paid to identifying long-term impacts and effectiveness of research

• 19.04.2312

Questions to all of us

• Timing and identification of actual research programme topic? - foresighting

- proposal for a new programme topic from the research community and other stakeholders

- exploratory workshops - evaluations of research fields

• Definition of programme-level objectives? - ambitious but not unrealistic

• Stakeholder participation? User engagement? - special tools - interaction project - management structure- synthetisation and integration of programme results

• 19.04.2313

Thank you

• Researchers

• Evaluation Panel Prof. Peter Nolan

• Steering Committees Prof. Marja Järvelä

• Programme Manager Dr Pertti Jokivuori

• Other funding agencies

“The Programme had produced many outputs and had succeeded in adding significantly to the evidence base in respect of social capital, networks and trust

in Finland.”