NOVA University network NOVA Seminar on New Strategy The Knowledge Triangle: education, research and innovation Selfoss Iceland, May 6th 2010 Making knowledge.

NOVA University network

NOVA Seminar on New Strategy The Knowledge Triangle: education, research and innovation

Selfoss Iceland, May 6th 2010

Making knowledge work Jón Torfi Jónasson

[email protected] http://www.hi.is/~jtj/

School of Education, University of Iceland

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.hi.is/~jtj/

Jón Torfi Jónasson - NOVA - May 2010

A perennial problem

The problematic relationship between research and practice

How does research, − information, understanding, theory translate into sensible, preferably profitable, actions?

or how does information, understanding or a theory about any topic you care to mention translate into operational responses by the interested parties?


A personal introduction

– Research on universities, innovation and industry and its application

– A researcher on these issues involved in educational administration and governance

– What does a typical scientific article convey and to whom?

An introduction

– The general task of making research applicable, useful• The terminology: basic research, applied research

– E.g. the distinction between mode 1, mode 2– When is something useful? Relevant, fruitful, illuminating,

inspiring, cumulative?– When is the criterion directly related to the financial bottom

line?


The problem

– The theoretical problem• Declarative, propositional knowledge does not imply procedural

knowledge; “knowing that” does not translate effortlessly into “knowing how”; in fact the gap is much greater than is often assumed

– The practical problem• The problem is no less social or cultural than psychological or

technical; in fact the point of departure may have to be the problem itself

• When you have produced your results, who is going to harness them? To what purpose?


ScienceTwo perspectives:

Science is sublimeScience is useful

A common justification for much of scientific research:

Creating understanding and coherent theories will eventually provide ample opportunities for their use at various levels, ranging from theoretical enquires to practical use.



The garage analogy? (Or, of course the library)Material immaculately arranged waiting to be used

The (institutional) problem

– The institutional or the cultural problemThe institutional framework of a research institution, e.g. a university: the importance of its culture)• Division of labour, related to interests (the role of a

scientist)• The incentive mechanisms, the ranking mechanisms

• Take multidisciplinary research as an example– Rhetorical consensus

• Take relationship with the field as another example


The problem, another takeMight present the problem as

Ensuring that the available knowledge is being used, harnessedor

Bridging the gap between declarative and procedural knowledge (even though the former may be about procedures)

or perhaps as Ensuring that those who are solving problems have access (from

several perspectives) to the relevant knowledge or are operating in a fruitful institutional or cultural environment


The way to go? The story so far

Go where? Towards solving problems.

Incentive mechanisms

Structural solutions



Incentive mechanisms• Funding applied research• Setting priorities (governments)• Making the distinction between Mode 1 and Mode 2

research, differentiated funding (Gibbons, Novotny, Scott)

• Enhancing the status of applied research– (Labaree: US universities applied on the outside, theoretical or

liberal on the inside)



Structural solutions, at the institutional level• The entrepreneurial university (Burton Clark, 1998)

Structural solutions, at the meta-institutional level• Research parks, http://www.aurp.net/about/whatis.cfm

• Clusters, Potter, J., & Miranda, G. (Eds.). (2009). Clusters, innovation and entrepreneurship: OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (See e.g. chapter 9.)

Structural solutions, at the governmental level• The triple helix environment

– university-industry-government , e.g. the Öresund, Medicon Valley

• European Cluster Policy Group (ECPG) http://www.proinno-europe.eu/page/home


The EC initiative on clusters


http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/design-creativity/index_en.htm

http://www.proinno-europe.eu/projects/homepage/public/6959

http://www.proinno-europe.eu/projects/homepage/public/1437

The way to go? The case for a public space

Lester and Piore (2004): Innovation, the missing dimension

The case for a public space for incubation of new ideas:

the importance of interpretation in addition to analysis



Two examples of research of the dynamics of innovation

Engeström’s activity theoretical environmentContradictions, the crossing of boundary

Powell+ on the notion and importance of propinquityNetworks, Propinquity and Innovation in Knowledge-Intensive Industries, with

Kjersten Whittington and Jason Owen-Smith, Administrative Science Quarterly, March 2009, pp. 90-122


http://www.stanford.edu/group/song/papers/Whittington.pdf










The way to go? The future?

• Understanding the basics of institutional dynamics• The role of the academic researchers • The role of the entrepreneurial researcher• Understanding of networks



Understanding and appreciating the climate, the network, the community of practice; we should appreciate the importance of the– institutional culture– incentive mechanisms– contradictions, tensions which may spur innovation, change– culture of cooperation– relationship between “knowing that” and “knowing how”– culture of enabling the harnessing of knowledge– interpretative dimension



You want your network to thrive; you should perhaps concentrate on the cultural aspect, ―

perhaps in particular on the creation of a culture of making knowledge operative,

of making knowledge work.



Thank you

Kærar þakkir

NOVA University network NOVA Seminar on New Strategy The Knowledge Triangle: education, research and innovation Selfoss Iceland, May 6th 2010 Making knowledge.

Documents

institutional problem

cultural problem

scientific research

practical problem

multidisciplinary research

research applicable

applied research

basic research