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China's specific developmental context defines the need to understand its state logic of knowledge transfer, particularly from the agency perspective of universities. This paper proposes the new term 'university engagement with industry' (UEI) to highlight the active role of universities in university–industry linkages. A structural method is adopted to collect relevant literature and to provide a systematic and critical review of China's UEI. This paper makes four key contributions: (1) it illustrates a structural approach to collect literature via precise and transparent identification for a targeted topic from an interdisciplinary research field; (2) it systematically presents the China-specific external institutional environment and internal governance of universities for knowledge transfer and captures influential factors for university's embeddedness in multiscalar innovation systems; (3) it identifies China-specific UEI in comparison to Western findings; and (4) it suggests a research agenda on China's UEI for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The controversies surrounding the regulation of technology depend, among other factors, on the diversity of the regulatory objectives prioritized by the distinct social actors. These differences may also lead to controversies in the realm of regulatory science: controversies between distinct epistemic policies. As controversies are partly the result of prioritizing different objectives, comparing alternative regulatory options is a seemingly impossible endeavour. In this paper, we offer a partial solution to this problem by proposing a means of comparing different regulatory options. This proposal makes it possible to analyse and assess the different options and facilitates the adoption of compromises between the various parties to the controversy, even if it is unable to eliminate the differences in the prioritization of objectives. The case study we have used to illustrate the main ideas of this paper is the controversy surrounding the regulation of health claims in the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to trace how the meaning of ethics in the research and innovation (R&I) sector is discursively and procedurally revised within two consecutive modes of legitimizing public policies in the European Union (EU), namely, good governance and better regulation. The text draws insight from Ernesto Laclau's work on discursivity, contingency, and hegemony and Chantal Mouffe's critique of consensual political theories. It shows that with the policy transition from responsible innovation to breakthrough and disruptive innovation, the possibilities to employ ethics in interrogating the ambiguous nature of science and technology advancement become very limited. Ethics is currently construed as a means for unclogging the innovation process and embracing the collective production of risks. The paper demonstrates that the recent emptying of ethics within EU R&I is an expected effect of hegemonization practices and discursive configurations promoting and stabilizing the science–market alliance in science and policy relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart Specialization policy, Europe's place-based innovation policy, is transitioning into an innovation policy for sustainability inspired by academic debate and the urgency of societal challenges. The implications in terms of policy design remain underexplored. This paper studies the policy implications of this transition on the design of monitoring indicators. First, a theoretical framework based on the literature is created. Then, monitoring indicators used in the first policy phase are summarized into categories and themes through inductive and deductive document analysis. The indicators' strengths and limitations are discussed. By highlighting how monitoring indicators need to adjust to the policy transition, this paper contributes to the literature on innovation policy and Smart Specialization. It also provides guidance to policymakers by developing a framework on indicator design and providing practical recommendations on aspects that need to be considered, captured, and analysed through the indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (EU) seems to presume that the mass production of European research papers indicates that Europe is a leading scientific power, and the so-called European paradox of strong science but weak technology is due to inefficiencies in the utilization of this top level European science by European industry. We fundamentally disagree, and will show that Europe lags far behind the USA in the production of important, highly cited research. We will show that there is a consistent weakening of European science as one ascends the citation scale, with the EU almost twice as effective in the production of minimal impact papers, while the USA is at least twice as effective in the production of very highly cited scientific papers, and garnering Nobel prizes. Only in the highly multinational, collaborative fields of Physics and Clinical Medicine does the EU seem to approach the USA in top scale impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential to launch a network of AI institutes within federal agencies for innovation and risk management. After providing background about changes in US economic activity and recent AI policy, we study the barriers to science and technology policy and focus on the challenge of coordination in an increasingly complex and interdependent world and how better coordination is required to manage against AI risks. We introduce the concept of a networked approach to intra-agency AI collaboration, drawing on our experience in the National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Using the NAII as a case-study, we outline a decentralized approach that allows each agency to contribute and coordinate at a local level and in the areas of greatest strength offer substantial opportunity for driving innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a framework for policymakers supporting sustainable development through international collaboration in science, technology, and innovation (STI). The approach can be applied to derive the national policy strategy for international collaboration in STI. The contribution focuses on the case of Germany in the field of food and agriculture. Accordingly, considering Germany's current strategic approach for international collaboration in STI, an evidence-based tool for priority setting in the selection of potential partners and technology fields is developed and implemented. More specifically, the approach assesses the opportunity environment for international STI collaboration of Germany with potential partners using patent and economic indicators to capture technological capabilities, technological demand, economic relevance of food, and agriculture in national economies as well as technological and export specialization in food and agriculture. The results present policy strategies enhancing sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical paper adopts a procedural perspective to identify the challenges associated with the implementation of the full scope of approaches to circular public procurement (CPP). We contend that beyond considering CPP from a substantive standpoint (i.e. the procurement affects outside of the organization), adopting a procedural perspective (i.e. the procurement affects inside an organization) to public procurement can pave the way for reflecting transversally on how CPP can borrow from public procurement for innovation (PPI). Building on the challenges identified in the literature on CPP, we identify that PPI can contribute to consolidating CPP through such mechanisms as market engagement and intermediation, functional specifications, and coordinated unbundling. We provide illustrations for each of the identified procedural contributions of PPI to CPP derived from five cases. We discuss how procurement capabilities and evaluation can act as critical drivers for moving from a substantive to a procedural approach to CPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale and frequency of talent mobility in the world have increased sharply, and the competition for talent has intensified in various regions. This paper mainly studies the spatial mobility characteristics and influencing factors of China's highly educated talents. It found that China's higher education population mobility network has prominent uneven characteristics, the central and eastern regions of China, especially the eastern coastal regions, are the hotspots of the network. The higher education population flows frequently in large cities and regional central areas. The hierarchical structure follows a "north-south division," which is dominated by Beijing and Shanghai, respectively. Geographical distance has a specific hindering effect in this context. Furthermore, the similarity of culture, institutions, customs, and dialect facilitates the mobility of the higher education population. Cities with high economic levels, centralized educational resources, sound infrastructure, and aesthetically appealing environments are also likely to attract more talents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores possibilities for cross-fertilization between the mission-oriented approach (MOA), informing the European Union (EU) Missions, and Cohesion Policy (CP). It argues for mutual policy learning between CP and MOA to address their shortcomings: CP faces a gradual erosion of its identity, while MOA lacks a territorial perspective. MOA can offer a theoretical 'blueprint' for reorganizing and clarifying CP's ever-expanding and blurred thematic scope, providing direction to strengthen CP's result orientation, and encouraging the adoption of 'whole-of-government' approaches to streamline CP's complex governance relationships. MOA can benefit from adopting the CP architecture, which allows for common broad priorities to be adapted to territorial contexts and to regional strategies. MOA could also learn from CP's goal of maximizing equity and efficiency, its focus on empowering regions, and its redistributive approach for fostering the full potential of all regions to address societal challenges to support the objectives of the EU Missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How policymakers and academics organize and visualize core ideas affects how they define and perceive problems and generate policy solutions. While understanding complex ideas—such as productivity—as the product of a set of discrete inputs can help target inquiry and structure policy interventions, this can also lead to siloed thinking that neglects dynamic effects and interactions between elements. This paper explores how three organizations conceptualize the 'productivity puzzle' and suggests that they might be oversimplifying the roots of productivity. We present a systematic review of labour productivity literature using bibliometric coupling and network analysis to develop an alternative framework and map of themes and gaps. This work encourages policy to (1) adopt a systems lens and perceive productivity as the product of dynamic interactions and (2) think critically about how to structure future research on productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several policies aimed at igniting digital transformation, many regions lag behind. We investigate this discrepancy by postulating that the political consensus on accelerating Industry 4.0 adoption among micro-, small- and mid-sized enterprises (MSMEs) needs to consider the heterogeneity of entrepreneurial and social fabrics. Best practices in policy-making exist, but their deployment requires adaptations. The present paper delves into such adaptations and on the mechanics behind how a 'model' is modified locally. We do so by illustrating the results of action research on a regional policy initiative. Our findings point to one important set of factors and mechanisms conducive to the adaptation of a policy model to the peculiarities of a locale via the alignment of different cognitive frames: co-design processes. We elaborate on the role of different actors, the relevance of 'hybrid' actors, and the nature of universities as platforms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers experiment with participatory settings to increase public engagement in research and innovation (R&I). Because of their temporary nature, it often remains unclear how such participatory experiments can contribute to structural change. This paper empirically explores options for bridging this gap. It analyzes how participants can be supported to act as institutional entrepreneurs to actively promote public engagement in R&I. To draw lessons, we analyze empirical material gathered on nineteen Social Labs which were set up to promote the uptake of Responsible Research and Innovation in a European R&I funding program (Horizon 2020). Involvement of motivated participants, insight in their institutional context, and specific methods and management choices that enhance a sense of agency are identified as essential for organizing change. These findings and the resulting framework of interventions may prove valuable for further (action) research into the institutionalization of public engagement in R&I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates gender bias (if any) when teams are formed. We use data from the European Science Foundation to estimate if female scientists have the same opportunities as their male colleagues to join a team when applying for funds. To assess gender bias, we construct a control group of scientists with the competencies for being invited to join the team but who do not join. By comparing the proportion of female scientists in the control group with the one in the observed teams, we find a gender bias against female scientists. Exploring heterogeneity across teams, we find that gender bias is less pronounced in teams led by women, junior scientists, and in more recently formed teams. We also observe differences across disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the fourth largest institute in the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Surprisingly, there is a conspicuous void of policy studies related to the research activities of NHLBI in comparison to NIH or the National Cancer Institute. This paper investigates the likelihood that a business funded through NHLBI's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program will commercialize from its Phase IIB translational support. Commercialization is one performance metric that quantifies a policy dimension of the success of the funded SBIR project. Based on an empirical analysis of sixty-one Phase IIB projects, we find that the most significant covariate with the likelihood of commercialization is the growth in human capital within the business since the Phase IIB award. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on scientists working with CRISPR in Norway, where genetic modification is thought to be a particularly stigmatized technology with strict regulation and a strong consumer skepticism. Drawing on actor–network theory, we investigate the translation work these scientists perform to mobilize CRISPR as a more legitimate technology and how they relate to society's perception of GMO. We find that the scientists make co-productions of CRISPR as a 'more controllable' and 'socially useful' technology and show how they attempt to mobilize industry, farmers, media, politicians, and youth by (1) distinguishing CRISPR from GMO, (2) assuring the consumers of CRISPR's safety, and (3) creating trust through openness about the risks. We conclude that the scientists' efforts are twofold; they work on solving societal challenges, as well as making continuous efforts to manage their relationship to society. An important part of this work was seen as providing knowledge and creating 'new understandings' about CRISPR; however, if research should take place in conversation with society's views and opinions, we suggest that the scientists should enter into a two-way dialog with the consumers about these definitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing reliance on competitive grants to fund research, we see a review system under pressure. While peer review has long been perceived as the cornerstone of self-governance in science, researchers have expressed distrust in the peer review procedures of funding agencies. This paper draws on literature pointing out ability, benevolence, and integrity as important for trustworthiness and explores the conditions under which researchers have confidence in grant review. Based on rich survey material, we find that researchers trust grant reviewers far less than they trust journal peer reviewers or their colleagues' ability to assess their research. Yet, scholars who have success with grant proposals or serve on grant review panels appear to have more trust in grant reviewers. We conclude that transparency and reviewers with field competencies are crucial for trust in grant review and discuss how this can be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the conditions and factors influencing non-university researchers' career transitions back into academia. Using affiliation data in publications of German researchers, their cross-sector career transitions from the public research organisation Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and industry to universities are analysed. Although the rate of transitions is small, there are distinctive windows of opportunity at a junior career stage, especially for Fraunhofer researchers. Researchers who publish more and in more acclaimed journals, Fraunhofer researchers who co-publish with universities, and women are more likely to gain a university affiliation over the course of their career. These results indicate the influence of institutional proximity for cross-domain career transitions. The quality and impact of academic knowledge could be improved if the higher education sector was more open to recruitment of researchers from other sectors. Policy needs to target the barriers that preclude applied researchers from pursuing university careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the rationale for a four-asset growth policy model, which the US economy has executed only on a partial and intermittent basis over the past four decades. The need for such a model is driven by (1) growing global competition, (2) resulting slower gross domestic product and personal income growth, and (3) a consequent rise in income inequality. Without a more effective growth model to both broaden and deepen the role of technology, declining growth and its skewed distribution among income classes will perpetuate current social and political unrest. To achieve both broader and deeper technology-based growth across the economy, the proposed technology element model specifies the four major asset categories that characterize technology-based economic development, which combine to drive more effective growth policy analysis and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformative innovation policy (TIP) implies not only new directionality for innovation policy but also rethinking its means and scope. This requires further investigation into the role of horizontal and cross-sectoral policy programmes that may be relevant for upscaling innovation and destabilising regimes. This paper studies the national implementation, in Finland, of the European Union (EU) programme for COVID-19 recovery, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), as an example of a cross-sectoral policy programme. It is of interest, because the EU has set certain conditions related to sustainability transitions for the RRF. Using a transformative policy mix approach, the paper finds that the Finnish RRF Programme lists many policy measures that can be regarded as having a transformative intent. These include upscaling innovative sustainability niches and destabilising existing practices. Yet, we also found that there is a risk that cross-sectoral programmes fail to find overall transformative visions and fund multiple potentially competing technological pathways instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, research has begun to examine the concept of the regional policy mix and its implications for regional innovation. While this has highlighted the role of interactions between multilevel policy instruments and the potential for duplication and synergies, it has tended to underplay the contribution of policy actors to managing such policy mix processes. This paper seeks to add to this literature by introducing the concept of boundary work, viewing it as a form of agency practice seeking to create, maintain, and disrupt instruments within the policy mix. Through a case study of digital technology diffusion instruments in Wales (UK), this paper examines the actors, practices, and effects of boundary work in the regional policy mix. The findings show that boundary work can help manage tensions in the policy mix through anticipatory practices but that complexity and uncertainty in the regional innovation policy mix present ongoing challenges to policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese governments at all levels have been using various policies to encourage innovation by firms. However, few studies considered the superimposed effects of multilevel innovation policies. Based on the panel data of 443 Chinese innovation–oriented firms from 2008 to 2011, this study investigates the complementarities between national and local science and technology programmes. The heterogeneous effects across stages of the innovation process are also considered. Results show that the national science and technology (S&T) programmes significantly increase firms' external research and development (R&D) expenditure but inhibit the commercialisation. In addition, the national and local S&T programmes complement each other in promoting external R&D expenditure while presenting substitutive in increasing patent outputs. This paper further finds that national and local programmes are more likely to be complementary at high subsidy intensity. This study contributes to the development of policy mix theory and has manifold implications for designing pertinent innovation policy systems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The homegrown strategy (i.e. supporting domestic enterprises) in the high-tech manufacturing sector is very important for developing countries' sustainable growth and economic security. In reality, only some local governments adopt the homegrown strategy in high-tech industries while others not. This paper attempts to explore factors affecting local governments' adoption of the homegrown strategy in the high-tech sector. It argues that under the decentralized fiscal system and relative performance–based cadre evaluation system, local development strategy choices in a high-tech industry are significantly shaped by two factors: (1) the size of the local high-tech product market in the early stage of this industry's development and (2) the support for domestic enterprises from the central government. Localities with a large local high-tech product market and support from the center are more likely to adopt the homegrown strategy. Case studies on eight Chinese sub-provincial localities' chipmaking industries confirm these hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to improve the Regional Innovation Scoreboard as an instrument for policy-making. Dynamic slack–based models of data envelopment analysis to measure innovation output efficiency in 207 European regions demonstrate that the scale-based performance classification of the Scoreboard into 'leader', 'strong', 'moderate', and 'modest' innovator regions inadequately reflects differences in efficiency in transforming knowledge inputs into innovation outputs. We reveal a non-monotonic relation between scale-based and efficiency-based performance and substantial heterogeneity among the reasons for inefficiency among regions within each of the four scale-based performance classes of regions. Our findings argue for an extension of the current scale-based use of the Scoreboard by adding an efficiency-based measurement of the innovation process. Doing so addresses the tendency in policy design towards an increased focus on the efficient use of scarce resources in place-based policy approaches and strengthens the application of the Scoreboard as an informative decision-making tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conditions of mainstream research funding constrain risky, novel research. However, alternative grants are emerging. We study grantees of a double-blinded funding scheme targeting risky, novel research: The Villum Experiment (VE). Without prompting, scientists juxtaposed the experience of performing research under these conditions with that of performing research funded by mainstream grants: fun and less fun. The conditions of VE felt less intrusive and appealed to their self-perceptions and idealized views of scientific work, which shaped how they conducted the funded research. This paper makes three contributions: (1) it reaffirms that how researchers experience grant conditions affects whether a scheme affords what it intends, (2) it highlights that the affordances of research funding are relative to other concurrent funding options, and (3) it shows that small, more broadly allocatable grants can afford scientists a protected space for autonomous research, usually associated with elusive tenure positions or European Research Council (ERC) grants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While societies are facing complex problems involving multiple stakeholders and interdependencies, interest in collaborative governance as a potential solution is rising. Research-based interventions in policy, planning, and management processes have been introduced to test different approaches and tools for collaboration. The nature of these processes, tools, and approaches varies substantially, as do researchers' cultures of making contributions to and in collaboration with society. This paper outlines the various possibilities and means for researchers to intervene in and explore steps towards collaborative governance. It utilises literature-based descriptions of potential roles for researchers and draws on insight from Finnish collaborative governance interventions in environmental decision-making. The conventional role of researchers as providers of knowledge was complemented with roles needed to foster favourable conditions for collaboration. Tensions regarding these roles show that collaborative governance requires a reflexive position from researchers, enabling them to adapt their ideas about collaboration to specific governance settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Funding agencies (FAs) have increasingly engaged in international cooperation agreements (ICAs) to encourage world-class research and achieve more promising outcomes in the context of increasing competition for research resources. While the benefits of International Research Collaboration are largely supported by literature, less attention was paid to the influence of ICA on scientific and technological outputs. We employed a quasi-experimental evaluation with a comparison between funding for international collaboration carried under ICA (treatment) and funding for international collaboration not carried under ICA (control). The sample was collected from the database of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) between 1990 and 2018. We have found that ICA has a positive and significant impact on the quality of scientific production measured by the number of citations, h-index, and the number of national and international papers co-authorship. However, no significant difference was found in terms of scholarly and technological outputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the accumulation of financial resources in higher education. Its focus lies on the Quality Pact for Teaching (QPT) , a large-scale funding programme that aimed to improve the quality of tertiary education in Germany. Starting in 2011, the QPT allocated almost 2 billion euros over a 10-year period. Yet, unlike prior national funding schemes, the QPT was strongly inspired by New Public Management measures and marked the first time that a substantial amount of teaching grants was awarded in a competitive manner. My estimations show that institutions with a successful history of acquiring third-party funds coped best under these novel circumstances, thus revealing a clear pattern of cumulative advantage. Although typically dedicated to research purposes, the level of previous third-party funding emerges as a strong predictor of QPT success. Therefore, it appears that the QPT unintentionally contributed to steeper financial gaps in Germany's academic landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public research funding is a critical instrument in technology and social innovation. This paper explores the emerging themes and topical trends that commonly influence interdisciplinary research within a sample of global research projects, including reviewing a recent study of 1,000 projects used in the selection of expert interview participants (n  = 15). It examines the extent to which research funding agencies and academic institutions are shifting research priorities in the energy and climate change domain. It asks: What challenges does interdisciplinary research raise? The study reveals how cross-disciplinary research funding focuses on or fails to address the themes of sustainable development goals. In addition, it emphasises policy seduction and difficulty (resistance) in understanding cross-disciplinary methods in research and how research collaborations promote (or fail to promote) global South institutions and topics. Finally, the paper recommends that research funding needs involve a broader array of stakeholders in industrial decarbonisation research, including policymakers, industries, and citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean science diplomacy stands for the social phenomena resulting from the interaction of science and diplomacy in ocean affairs. It refers, inter alia, to the provision of scientific evidence in support of international decision-making, the building of alliances through scientific cooperation, and the enhancement of international collaborative marine research. Despite this generalization, we still lack an understanding of the sense practitioners make of ocean science diplomacy. This paper reports on perceptions of ocean science diplomacy collected through twenty in-depth interviews with South and North Atlantic government officials and researchers involved in the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. In principle, interviewees perceive ocean science diplomacy as a positive and critically important phenomenon that combines the best of science and diplomacy. However, below this generally positive perception, there seems to be a polarization of power between science and policy and also between South and North Atlantic perspectives. Scientists have reported feeling suspicious of policymaking processes, while officials portray science as unaccountable and segregated from policy. South Atlantic researchers expressed concern over limited research capabilities, and officials reported an openness to the scientific evidence presented by scientists. Northern interviewees, with reported enhanced research capabilities, seem more inclined to search for the right scientific evidence in support of national political goals. A preconceived sense of the other is what seems to permeate South–North Atlantic relationships. Northern subjects make sense of their Southern peers as those in need of assistance, while Southern interviewees claimed being unheard and victims of tokenism. I discuss these findings in light of postcolonial and decolonial theories, advocating for the need to decolonize ocean science diplomacy in the Atlantic Ocean if we are to achieve its alluded benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a method for tracking the evolution of sociotechnical niches supported by sustainability-focused project portfolios. Based on social network analysis (SNA), this method can be used to evaluate and monitor funding initiatives that seek to advance sociotechnical transitions. It is an important area of study because there is currently a lack of tools for measuring the success of efforts to promote transformative innovation. Conceptually, our approach is based on existing sociotechnical transition research and offers insights into how project networks evolve. We applied this method to a specific portfolio of food system projects that the European Institute for Innovation and Technology Climate-KIC supported. Our results show that SNA can provide a proper visual representation of the infrastructure that supports programme-based investment and can help us understand how specific network structures can support niche development and protect it from external pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally agreed that researchers' 'local context' matters to the successful implementation of research integrity policies. However, it often remains unclear what the relevant local context is. Is it the institutions and immediate working surroundings of researchers? Or, do we need to pay more attention to researchers' epistemic communities if we want to understand their 'local context'? In this paper, we examine this question by using the International Research Integrity Survey with more than 60,000 respondents. Survey responses indicate that academics identify with both their geographical local units ('polis') and their more transnational epistemic or scholarly communities ('cosmos'). Identification with scholarly communities tends to be strongest. We embed the survey results in the academic literature by proposing a theoretical understanding of academics' 'local context' based on Beck's notion of cosmopolitanism and Durkheim's concept of solidarity. We conclude with considerations on how to successfully implement research integrity policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the USA, politics often dominates the conversation surrounding science and related technologies. We also live in times of high political polarization, leading to political debate over scientific discoveries and subsequent policy implications. Given these dynamics, there is much to be learned about the politicization of science, individuals' policy views, and the public's relationship with the communication and interpretation of scientific findings. Agencies are often responsible for facilitating scientific research and framing its policy relevance for decision makers and the public. This paper uses data from a large national public opinion survey to investigate citizen attitudes about government science agencies. We theorize that disparities between objective and self-assessed scientific knowledge coupled with ideological cues help frame citizen evaluations of agencies. We find that individuals' political ideologies and disparities between knowledge types shape citizen assessments of energy-related scientific agencies. These findings have important implications for our understanding of public acceptance of the work of government science agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the national and supranational levels of government embrace the concept of missions to solve wicked problems, the importance of understanding how missions move from one level of governance to another becomes essential. In this paper, we present a comparative case analysis of evolving regional biogas systems to consider how global missions on climate action are enacted in local practice. Referring to wickedness in terms of contestation, complexity, and uncertainty of both problems and solutions, we examine how such framings affect the operationalisation of the missions. Our results indicate that in the process of local translation, wickedness often increases, but additional wickedness does not always worsen the outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to study the relationship between academic performance, gender, and science and technology grants. The empirical analysis is based on the Argentinean Fund for Scientific and Technological Research 'Scientific and Technological Research Projects' (FONCYT-PICT). The methodology is based on a multivariate decomposition for non-linear response models, an extension of the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition. Results confirm the presence of a gender gap. Women have lower probabilities of being awarded with funds than men, even when academic trajectories are alike. Results show that even if the productivity gap is closed, men's and women's trajectories are differently valued against women, and this negatively impacts their probability of being awarded. Therefore, even if women manage to publish more and—somehow—be more cited, the gap will persist. Explicit public policy measures are required to close the current gap and stop reproducing it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasts about the effects of new technologies on labor demand are generally pessimistic. However, little is known about the current level of technology adoption and its effect on labor demand, particularly in developing countries. This paper exploits a national representative employer survey and administrative data from Peru to offer empirical evidence in this regard. Our results show that the adoption of new technologies by firms is still incipient in the country. However, when adopted, they slightly reduce the demand for workers in the medium term, particularly those in high-skilled and non-routine occupations, with a temporary job contract, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper qualitatively investigates one of the influential transnational municipal networks, Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (CoM)'s position in three Turkish municipal governments in bridging the climate change science and climate change policy gap. In the last two decades, the importance of science-based policymaking for climate mitigation and adaptation and transnational municipal networks empowered by municipalities that guide city policies linked to international agreements has been recognized. In this paper, we argue that CoM has acted as a boundary-object in producing climate change policies and plans in Turkish municipal governments. However, CoM has done so to a certain extent; their effectiveness was limited due to the general atmosphere on climate change policies in Turkey. We substantiate this claim through a two-layer examination: a case-specific analysis of three municipalities and semi-structured interviews with thirteen experts in climate change policy-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper asks: 'What can we learn from COVID-19 pandemic about effective use of scientific and technical information (STI) in policymaking and how might the lessons be put to use?' The paper employs the political rhetoric of 'follow the science' as a lens for examining contemporary concerns in the use of STI, including (1) 'Breadth of Science Products', the necessity of a broader concept of STI that includes by-products science, (2) 'Science Dynamism', emphasizing the uncertainty and impeachability of science, (3) 'STI Urgency' suggesting that STI use during widespread calamities differs from more routine applications, and (4) 'Hyper-politicization of Science', arguing that a step-change in the contentiousness of politics affects uses and misuses of STI. The paper concludes with a discussion, STI Curation, as a possible ingredient to improving effective use. With more attention to credibility and trust of STI and to the institutional legitimacy of curators, it should prove possible to improve the effective use of STI in public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By adopting a set of panel data from thirty provinces in China from 2007 to 2017, this paper examines how regional innovation efficiency is influenced by different types of innovation policies from a specific long-range plan ('National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan (2006–20)'). We incorporate public direct research and development (R&D) grants, R&D tax credits, and intellectual property rights (IPR) protection into our research. We also explore the heterogeneous influences of these factors at different stages in regional innovation development. The results indicate that public direct R&D grants have a significantly negative influence, especially in innovation-catching-up regions. Conversely, the R&D tax credit has a considerably positive impact on innovation-catching-up regions. IPR protection plays various roles according to different innovation development stages. Specifically, IPR protection has a positive impact on innovation-leading regions, while it negatively influences regional innovation efficiency in innovation-catching-up regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, public policymakers in Europe have become increasingly aware of the need to support Europe's failing semiconductor industry. This is an emerging policy area, and this paper examines the current state of the industry in Europe and assesses its potential future. It contends that the competitiveness of the industry will be related to its innovative capacity, especially its capability to engage in processes of open innovation. The industry in Europe is largely located in a number of discrete regional clusters, and the analysis focuses on data collected from a series of interviews with lead representatives of these clusters. The analysis indicates that the challenges facing the industry stem from the structure of the industry in Europe and the structure of the wider European technology industry. It is concluded that policies, such as the introduction of the European Chips Act, are likely to have a limited, or even negative, impact on the types of open innovation–led growth that will improve long-term competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-creation seems to be flourishing across innovation policy discourses: The concept suggests that engaging diverse actors throughout innovation processes will unlock new sources of innovation and conduce robust outcomes. While co-creation seems to embrace new and diverse participation opportunities, it is necessary to interrogate how it affects existing notions of public engagement. In this paper, we explore the discursive uptake of co-creation in European innovation policy. Drawing on a qualitative discourse analysis of European Union (EU) publications, we scrutinize the value propositions of co-creation and discuss them in light of the existing public engagement literature. We find that the EU tends to foreground alleged economic benefits of co-creation over questions of social justice. To that effect, it consistently conflates citizens, consumers, and users and blurs the line between self-motivated opportunity and democratic legitimacy. Countering the prevalent co-creation optimism, we propose a more nuanced outlook on co-creation that should prompt further scholarly inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this conceptual paper, we explore how artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise as an important and additional tool for combating corruption in public procurement in emerging economies. We aim to extend the understanding of how the emergent technology of AI may be another important tool in the fight against corruption in emerging economies. We discuss how AI and related emergent technologies can help build greater accountability and transparency regimes in public procurement, a key source of public corruption. We argue that there are infrastructural, social, ethical, and political challenges to the successful use of emerging technologies of AI in the fight against public corruption. We make inferences from the discussion and provide some tentative guidelines for policymakers. We suggest that using AI as part of a program of institutional reforms in the public sector would increase technology's role and contributions to the fight against systemic corruption in public procurement in emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on policy coordination between government agencies reveals little about how coordination is managed in centralized political systems. This paper, therefore, presents a dynamic and quantitative analysis of policy coordination in China based on the science and technology (S&T) policy documents issued by China's central government agencies in the period 1978–2019. From a series of snapshots depicting inter-agency policy development in five historical stages over this timeframe, we find that (1) policy coordination has developed steadily and has mainly occurred to interpret macro strategies and put in place more detailed implementation measures. (2) Ministries under the purview of the State Council have played a leading role in policy coordination, while other types of agencies have cooperated in more supporting roles. (3) Coordination efforts have mainly focused on inclusive and national demand-oriented themes, such as high-tech industrialization, rural S&T, and social development. This research offers a panoramic view of policy coordination trajectories and mechanisms in centralized political systems. As such, it adds to the analysis methods available for quantitatively studying policy documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central theme in the literature has been the identification of the factors that drive the creation of entrepreneurial universities. The application of these factors and university institutional commitment become essential to overcome the institutional barriers that may exist. Moreover, some authors have warned that in some university systems, transformation becomes a challenge due to high dependence on the State. In this paper, we have examined whether the dependence of Spanish universities on the State can be interpreted as an inhibitor of the transformation process, as well as the institutional commitment of several universities to become entrepreneurial entities, in a national framework that—considering the literature—would not seem the most optimal to achieve it. We note that the State is not an inhibitor, but not all universities show the same internal commitment. When universities are committed to change, the process is accelerated by the sum of two impulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transdisciplinarity is a much-used concept in research policy to emphasize a need for new collaborations beyond scientific disciplines to solve societal challenges. However, how do scientists interpret transdisciplinarity and what do transdisciplinarity policies mean for their work? This paper focuses on researchers' definitions of transdisciplinarity. It is based on an empirical study of a Norwegian biotechnology centre founded to stimulate a transition in biotechnology research towards transdisciplinarity. Drawing on interpretive methods, we identify three interpretations of transdisciplinarity. In our case, the science policy idea of 'transdisciplinarity' faded away in practice in terms of collaboration with non-academic actors, but boosted the establishment of new interdisciplinary teams. By pointing to the multiplicity of ways in which policy recipients can interpret science policy, this study contributes to scholarship analysing the relation between transdisciplinarity in policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy documents suggest that quantitative information is important in the development of climate and energy policy. This is supported by quantitative studies research into the use of numbers in governance, which tends to assume that numbers have sufficient epistemic authority to be used by policymakers because they are believed to be trustworthy since they are produced through mechanical objectivity. This paper questions such assumptions, by analysing the extent of extra-calculative work when providing numeric information to policymakers. We term such efforts numeric work and analyse the extent and content of such work based on interviewed experts who are engaged with calculating climate and energy issues in the context of policymaking in Norway. Numeric work shares features with the actor–network theory concept of translation but differs due to the dialogic interaction between calculation actors and policymakers that includes efforts to improve the transparency of calculation, which counters a complete black-boxing of calculation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framework conditions (FCs) are widely recognised as having a significant effect on the uptake and implementation of innovation-orientated public procurement (PPI) that is viewed as a promising innovation policy instrument. This paper presents a more systemic definition of FCs for PPI at both the core and the peripheral level, building on the existing understanding of FCs for public procurement and innovation. Against the background of this definition and in the light of public organisation theory, this paper identifies three main channels—influencing performance (Channel 1), enhancing capabilities (Channel 2), and modifying missions (Channel 3)—to shape purchase decision-making of public organisations for innovation through the FCs. By comparing the case of the UK and China, it further explores and conceptualises the three channels of the FCs. With the conceptualisation, the paper provides a framework and some implications for how to design, improve and evaluate FCs for PPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In case of scientific misconduct, the papers can be retracted at the request of the journal's editors and/or authors. However, the retracted articles continue to be fully available through online resources, including journals websites. This paper argues that a classical retraction is insufficient to mitigate the adverse effect some retracted papers continue to have on critical issues, e.g. public health. The more strict approach, 'Hard Retraction', is presented for consideration. Its implementation would lead to (1) complete deletion of the full text of the retracted paper, (2) substitution of the original abstract with a detailed retraction notice, (3) removal of the paper from the citation databases, (4) deposition of the retracted paper in the dedicated repository accessible for registered members. The benefits and risks of such an approach are discussed. Nevertheless, it should only be reserved for cases of fraud or grave errors with broad impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the need and general direction of the energy transition are widely accepted, the implementation has different dynamics throughout the world. Sociotechnical imaginaries concept, bridging the science, policy, and society, seems promising in understanding and explaining the global differences. The present paper analyses 135 abstracts that contain the topic keywords, sociotechnical imaginaries, published in international, peer-reviewed scientific journals during the last 11 years. Further on, the author conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of 43 energy-related articles to offer a panoramic overview of sociotechnical imaginaries in energy research out of the more extensive background. The paper aims to present a critical overview of the concept usage in energy studies to identify incoherences and blind spots in concept usage. What is more, this research intents to show the promising direction of using sociotechnical imaginaries. It also proposes new operationalisation and theoretical frame as well as potentially contributes to policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broader impacts (BI) policies generate debate on the purpose of science, measuring the impact of research, and is an important topic for the science policy community. However, BI policies often fail to determine if R&D funding helps marginalized communities. This paper introduces a new framework, the Inclusion-Immediacy Criterion, that assesses who benefits from research impacts as divided into three groups: (1) advantaged groups; (2) the general population; and (3) marginalized groups. The study analyzes National Science Foundation (NSF) project outcome reports and finds that advantaged groups are the most likely to benefit from NSF-funded research. The study also shows that certain areas of NSF research, such as Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, more efficiently generate impacts for marginalized groups compared to other directorates. This paper further argues that persistent inequalities in BIs limit the potential of R&D to increase prosperity and well-being, two of NSF's mandated goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]