echoes from yonder
TRANSCRIPT
RETHINKING RESEARCH
APPROACHES
ECHOES FROM
THE NETHERLANDS
Abiodun Egbetokun
TIES, NACETEM
28 December
2010
1
OUTLINE
Background
Research in the 21st Century
Exploring the state-of-the-art (key e.g.)
Innovation (report content analysis)
Entrepreneurship (report content analysis)
Qvo Vadis?
NACETEM (teamwork; encouragement; fairness/equity; research
groups)
You and Me (focus; research agenda; reading/studying; contacts;
milestones; capacity building; openness/team spirit)
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Background
NACETEM has the vision of
being a COE in STI policy research/mgt
Which will essentially be driven by
A commitment to excellence
High-quality staff
World-class research output
Global participation
Local relevance
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And then…
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We always assume that people know whereas they
don't - DG
Research methodology is generally weak around
here – General consensus???
Research in the 21st Century…
So much gap in knowledge…
Very much getting known every passing day…
Knowledge production still skewed…
Long way to go for us…
Competition getting more intense…
Horizon getting broader…
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Some Empirics
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…on the innovation strategies and capabilities of African
firms in particular, little evidence exists...(EJDR
Reviewer)
…much scholarly work…have been carried out within
the continent but the question to answer is: To what
extent are these research works positioned for global
impact?
Some Empirics:
entrepreneurship
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22 November, 2008
Google: -
entrepreneurship 19,100,000 hits.
Entrepreneurship Nigeria 772,000 hits (-96% )
Entrepreneurship China 3,060,000 hits
Entrepreneurship South Africa 2,900,000 hits
Entrepreneurship South Korea 979,000 hits
Some Empirics :
entrepreneurship
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22 November, 2008
ScienceDirect (about 2,500 journals, 6,000 books and almost nine million full-text articles; 7 of 10 top innovation mgt journals): -
Entrepreneurship 9,829 articles
Nigeria in any part of the text: 324 articles
entrepreneurship in title and Nigeria in other parts of the article: 12 articles
entrepreneurship and Nigeria in titles: 2 articles
Most of these publications are not recent
Some Empirics: innovation
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22 March, 2009
Google: -
innovation 109,000,000 hits.
Innovation Nigeria 4,780,000 hits (-96% )
Innovation China 24,000,000 hits
Innovation South Africa 12,700,000
Some Empirics: innovation
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22 March, 2009
ScienceDirect (about 2,500 journals, 6,000 books and
almost nine million full-text articles; 7 of 10 top
innovation mgt journals): -
Innovation 181,080 articles
Nigeria in any part of the text: 3,209 articles
innovation in title and Nigeria in other parts of the article: 66
articles
Nigeria in the title and innovation elsewhere: 196 articles
innovation and Nigeria in titles: 7 articles
Summary/Implications of
Empirics
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Nigeria, in particular, is under-represented in
the literature
There is a lot of opportunities
… & beyond this century…
Research is all about…
DEMAND
DEMAND
DEMAND
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WHY???
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I have found that all ugly
things are made by those
who strive to make
something beautiful, and
that all beautiful things
are made by those who
strive to make something
useful.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900, Anglo-Irish playwright, author, The Value of Art in Modern Life, 1884).
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NACETEM
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Encouragement
Fairness/equity
Teamwork
Formalise research groups
YOU & ME
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Know your subject by reading, tutelage and study
Learn to write/communicate: English and not EngliS!
Learn to read and understand data (Hans Rosling
Video)
Contacts: you’re only as good as your network
Capacity building
Openness/Team spirit: the best things are done by
TEAMS
That’s why more people would watch Champions League
than Grand Slam!
FOCUS
Evolve Research groups: no point standing out if
you’re in the wrong audience
Are you a flash light ?...
Very bright at the on set
Travels far with white light
Lacks focus and concentration
When seen from afar can not tell whether it is
head lamp for bike, bus, truck.
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…Or an Infra Red Ray?
Focused from beginning to the end
You must be able to use your strength to mask
your weaknesses.
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Simple Issues…Platform
Impact
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Course coordination
Photocopying
Resumption and Closing Time
Money
A Network Example: DIME
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DIME (Dynamics of Institutions and Markets in Europe) is a network of social scientists in Europe, working on the economic and social consequences of increasing globalization and the rise of the knowledge economy.
DIME is sponsored by the 6th Framework Programme of the European Union.
The network brings together a wide variety of scholars, for example from economics, geography, sociology, history, political science and law.
DIME is a formal organization, of which over 50 universities or other public research organizations are members (and still counting).
Most of the activities in the network are open to scholars from outside the DIME membership list.
A Network Example: DIMETIC
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Formed as ETIC by 3 institutions: UNU-MERIT, BETA (Bureau
d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, in Strasbourg, France), and
IKE (Institute of Production) at Aalborg University, Denmark.
The focus: Research & Training in
Micro approaches to innovation and innovation networks
Geography of innovation and growth: theory, empirics and policy
Modelling - Regional innovation systems, clusters and dynamics.
Initially funded for three years, starting in 1997, by the European
Union.
Became part of DIME and the name was changed to DIMETIC.
DIMETIC
UNU-MERIT, THE NETHERLAN
DS
BETA, FRANCE
EU
IKE, DENMARK
An Institutional Example: UNU-
MERIT
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UNU-MERIT's research programme is organized around five research
themes:
1. Micro-based evidence research on innovation and technological
change
2. The role of technology in growth and development
3. Knowledge and industrial dynamics
4. Innovation, global business strategies and host country development
5. The governance of science technology and innovation
All researchers have world-class training; work in teams and attract
significant funding to the institution. PhD students get monthly
stipends, conference allowances and fee waivers.
Major output include EU-funded European Innovation Scoreboard;
ERAWATCH; Euregov
http://www.merit.unu.edu/research/websites.php
http://www.merit.unu.edu/research/
Test YourselfS/N Name First Name Spec(s) Institution(s)
1 Lundvall
2 Freeman
3 Soete
4 Szirmai
5 Cooke
6 Stiglitz
7 Cabral
8 Oyelaran-Oyeyinka
9 Israel
10 Linton
11 Thurik
12 Malerba
13 Audretsch
14 Hobday
15 von Hippel28 December 2010
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THANK YOU FOR BEING
THERE
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