Neil Jacobs

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Neil Jacobs

• Research Information in the UK
• why no CRIS?

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First steps of the argument

• UK science is good
• UK science-innovation link is not so good
• A national (network of) CRIS should help

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1. UK science is good

• British research produced 13 of the worlds top
  ..most cited papers in 2003, measured across
  a wide spectrum of disciplines. (DTI 2005)
• UK researchers are among the most prolific in
  the world, producing 16 research papers per 1
  million of research funding compared to 9.2 in
  the USA and 3.6 in Japan. (DTI 2005)
• with around 1 of the world's population, the
  country produces 8 of the world's scientific
  publications, attracting over 9 of citations in
  other papers (Randerson, 2004)

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And UK innovation is strong

• The United Kingdom presents a relatively strong
  innovation performance both in absolute terms for
  specific indicators and in terms of recent
  trends (EC 2005)

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But, 2, UK science-innovation link is not so good

• UK CIS-3 survey responses by over 8000
  manufacturing / service firms
• universities and government research
  organisations were amongst the least likely of
  these sources to be identified as being of high
  importance.
• It is also the case that they were amongst the
  least likely of the sources to be used at all.
  (Tether Swann 2003)

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3. A (system of ) CRIS would help
(Source Tether and Swann, 2003)
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3. A (system of ) CRIS would help
Projects
(Source Tether and Swann, 2003)
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3. A (system of ) CRIS would help
People
(Source Tether and Swann, 2003)
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3. A (system of ) CRIS would help
Organisation Units
(Source Tether and Swann, 2003)
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3. A (system of ) CRIS would help
Research outputs
(Source Tether and Swann, 2003)
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Recap, argument so far

• UK science is good
• UK science-innovation link is not so good
• A national (network of) CRIS should help

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The next steps in the argument

• Some background about UK funding
• Comparisons with other countries
• What systems do thrive in the UK?

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The Science Budgets role within the Research Base
Source DTI Science Budget Allocations 2005
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The Science Budgets role within the Research Base
Source DTI Science Budget Allocations 2005
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UK university research / support funding
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UK university research / support funding
Innovation
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Comparison 1 Netherlands

• What?
• National CRIS NOD
• University research management systems METIS
• Service / portals NARCIS
• Why?
• Size 13 universities
• Single main source of public research funding
• Active intermediary level (eg SURF, KNAW)

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Comparison 2 Belgium

• What?
• CERIF-compliant CRIS in Flemish part
• Development projects now exploring opportunities
  to build on this
• No significant CRIS in French-speaking part
• Why?
• Size relatively small university sector
• Active intermediary layer - influential CRIS
  advocate

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Comparison 3 Germany

• What?
• No national CRIS
• Some Länder have CRIS
• Some federal funders (eg DFG) have CRIS
• Why?
• Size large, comparable to UK
• Dual funding structure Länder Federal, eg
  DFG, again, like the UK

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From comparisons

• CRIS success factors
• Simple research funding structure
• Small scale?
• Active intermediary layer
• CRIS advocates

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What systems do thrive in the UK?
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What systems do thrive in the UK?
Project databases
Institutional Repositories of research outputs
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Other CERIF entities?
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Other CERIF entities?
People? UK has no national CV service (cf Brazil)
or systematic name authority
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Other CERIF entities?
People? UK has no national CV service (cf Brazil)
or systematic name authority
Organisations? UK has no authoritative,
standardised list of publicly-funded research
organisations
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Other CERIF entities?
People? UK has no national CV service (cf Brazil)
or systematic name authority
Organisations? UK has no authoritative,
standardised list of publicly-funded research
organisations
Why? because there is no clear sponsor for them
in current dual funding environment
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Recap of the argument

• UK science is good
• UK science-innovation link is not so good
• A national (network of) CRIS should help
• Some background about UK funding
• Comparisons with other countries
• What systems do thrive in the UK?

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It seems that

• A (system of) CRIS would help UK innovation
• One reason why such a holistic system has not
  emerged is because of the non-holistic way
  research and research infrastructure is funded
• Jostein Hauge, CRIS 1997, Bergen
• monolithic systems are out, de-centralised
  systems are rapidly emerging

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But CERIF takes a holistic approach
benefits accrue by joining up the lifecycle
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But CERIF takes a holistic approach
benefits accrue by joining up the lifecycle
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Challenge building holistic systems in a
fragmented world

• Nurture a UK CRIS ecology by
• Planting the seed
• CERIF

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Challenge building holistic systems in a
fragmented world

• Nurture a UK CRIS ecology by
• Planting the seed
• CERIF
• Looking after the environment
• Strategic partnerships
• brokering relationships - CRIS are about joining
  things up
• Including research / support funders
• OA and IR communities
• Other (people, organisations?)

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Challenge building holistic systems in a
fragmented world

• Nurture a UK CRIS ecology by
• Planting the seed
• CERIF
• Looking after the environment
• Technical interoperability
• brokering relationships - CRIS are about joining
  things up
• CERIF- Research Councils Joint Electronic
  Submission format
• CERIF-OAI
• CERIF-Shibboleth

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Challenge building holistic systems in a
fragmented world

• Nurture a UK CRIS ecology by
• Planting the seed
• CERIF
• Looking after the environment
• Strategic partnerships
• Technical interoperability
• Marketing the produce
• Especially the low-hanging fruit
• working with members