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Editorial Fluid boundaries The terms “basic research” and “applied research” have been in use for quite some time in the research policy domain, mainly Walter Leimgruber as opposites: the President of the Humanities former strives for new and Social Sciences insights, the latter for division of the SNSF marketable products. Contrasting the two no longer makes sense in today's research environment; the boundaries between them have become fluid. Many research projects are aimed at application in a broad sense, which excludes commercial exploitation, however. For example, projects in the social and cultural sciences studying questions of integration or equal opportunities, or technology and natural science projects, in areas such as robotics. They often involve partners from the practical realm, who gave the initial impetus or are looking to implement the results. In order to accommodate these developments and define adequate assessment criteria for research funding, the SNSF has decided to introduce the category “useinspired basic research”. The term, which may sound somewhat unwieldy at first, stands for a world charaterised by fluid boundaries and hybridity. In this sense, research is also the mirror of a changing society.
N° 13 > june 2011
I n f o r m a t i o n f o r r e s e a r c h e r s f r o m t h e S w i s s N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e Fo u n d a t i o n
Research categories reviewed The SNSF knows that research cannot be pigeon-holed and labelled, yet in practice it uses various categories for funding policy reasons. In its multi-year programme 2012-2016, the SNSF reconsiders the categorisation of scientific research. Angelika Kalt , Deputy Director of the SNSF
The SNSF primarily supports basic research, but its remit is not confined to the latter. While it does not fund useinspired research aimed at the immediate commercial exploitation of results, it does support applied research that focuses on generating scientific knowledge despite addressing research questions of a practical nature. In accordance with the classification devised by Stokes (1997), the SNSF will refer to this type of research as “use-inspired basic research” in future, even though a clear line of demarcation cannot be drawn between the new term and the two categories mentioned above.
Knowledge and application “Use-inspired basic research”, the new category devised by the SNSF, takes account of the growing national and international significance of scientific research that targets both knowledge and application. At the same time, its use is aimed at ensuring the adequate evaluation of applications in applied research, in particular with regard to the forthcoming integration of the DORE programme for universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education in project funding. A new criterion, “broader impact”, will be added to the set of criteria by which applications involving applied research are to be judged in future. Furthermore, reviews from external experts from the practical realm will be solicited for such applications.
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Scientific research that strives for both knowledge and application is becoming increasingly important both nationally and internationally.
In order to avoid any confusion over categorisation, the SNSF will stop using the longstanding terms “investigator-driven research” and “targeted research” with immediate effect. Although both of these terms referred solely to the SNSF's internal organisation with respect to its funding schemes, they were often mistakenly regarded as research categories.
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