Philippe Larédo

Innovation and research policy in France (1980–2000) or the disappearance of the Colbertist state

Abstract This paper is concerned with the dynamic of intervention by public authorities in the domain of research and innovation. It has a dual objective. On the one hand, it seeks to challenge the stereotyped image of the French system, presented in the literature as completely characterised by the dominant role of a Colbertist state (that is to say an interventionist model which places emphasis on the dominant weight of large civil and defence programmes, on the division between the universities and the CNRS, on the congenital separation between research and firms, on the monopolisation of public support by certain large industrial groups). Evolutionary changes are described, which prove that this classic image is no longer relevant in capturing the current dynamic of the French research and innovation system. On the other hand, this paper seeks to show that this challenge is a consequence of close examination of the relevance of the notion of “national policy for research and technology” itself. Alongside national policy, regional and European policies are emerging, the effects of which are so important that public intervention can no longer be seen only in terms of national policy.

BENCHMARKING OF RTD POLICIES IN EUROPE: RESEARCH COLLECTIVES AS AN ENTRY POINT FOR RENEWED COMPARATIVE ANALYSES

Following the results of science studies, the paper proposes that international comparisons of RTD policies must, before everything else, focus on the productive entities in research (research laboratories, collectives and so on). Before going to the comparison of performance, account must be taken of the vector of outputs constituting research activities and of the choices made by laboratories as witnessed by their effective activity profiles. This is illustrated by an experiment done on 400 labs in human genetics in six European countries. It shows that the well known and striking differences between European Union nations, in terms of institutional structures and access to resources, do not directly translate into different productive patterns of research collectives, thus emphasising the self-dynamics of both the given organisations and, more important, their research collectives. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Tools for the evaluation of technological programmes: An account of work done at the centre for the sociology of innovation

Innovation depends on the e~istcnce of close links between science, technology and the market-place. Technological proi;:rurnmes seek to develop and organize collaboration between the various actors i n these fields i n order to develop strategic skills. This article focuses on tools for managing anti evaluating such programmes, i n terms of quality and relevance of research outfml, effects of the research, and management efficiency. It presents the variety of tools and procedures adopted by the Centre for the Sociology of Innovation (CSI) for the etlale!ation of technological programmes. The tools presented combine quantitative and quditatiue nzethods, interpretation and numerical analysis. It is shown that w~ethods used depend on the questions asked, and that often new tools need to be developed to solve the problems posed.

Structural effects of EC RT & D programmes

Taking advantage of both “vertical” evaluations (of the JOULE and MHR programmes) and of the “transversal” study of the effects of all shared-cost programmes in France, the paper argues that such actions have already built large, heterogeneous, trans-border networks, out of which most are nearly stabilized but still in a learning process about collaborative research practices. It also shows that most networks fall under a limited set of collaborative patterns which focus on different outcomes and, in turn, have different structural effects. It, in turn, questions both the articulation and implementation mechanisms of the present framework programme.

A network approach to studying research propammes: mobilizing and coordinating public responses to hiv/aids

Based on the anahsis ofthe Medical and Public Health Research programme (Commis- sion of the European Communities), the paper shows how new scientific communities are created in response to the HIV/AIDS problem. W e anahze how actors are mobilized (three mobilization modes: public impetus, scientists ‘initiative, scientists’ initiative with public networking) and how their work is coordinated. We defend the hypothesis that these new scientific communities are flexible cooperation networks. In the case of AIDS research, there are onb a limited number o f network types (the data collection structure, the forum, the thematic partition with harmonization o f research practices, the starred around a central facilip). The coordination of these scientific cooperative networks passes through fixed and circulating intermediaries. The management of these intermediaries is a major activity for involved actors. Thus, our aim is not to study the wider social context, but to analyze networking in response to policy, in...