EFC Research Forum's Fifth Stakeholders' Conference
Research and Social Innovation
The Potential for European Foundations to Pave the Way
Wilhelm Krull
Barcelona, February 9, 2012
Change is the only thing in the
world which is unchanging.
Heraklitos
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And What Does Vincent Cerf Think?
Q: You’re called by many, one of the ‘fathers of the internet’. What
do you think of your baby now?
A: Astonished at its evolution and growth,
Hopeful that it will reach well beyond the present 2 billion users,
Amazed at the response to the WWW infrastructure,
Worried about government intervention that might seriously harm the
openness that has driven innovation in and around the Internet,
Excited by the possibility of extending its operation across the solar
system to support manned and robotic space exploration (…).
Source:http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/01/24/father-of-the-internet-knows-best/
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Content
1. Defining “Innovation”
2. Online Knowledge
3. Online Philanthropy
4. Social Innovation through
Research
5. Conclusions
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404,000,000 x “Innovation”
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Top 10 Overused Terms
The career networking site LinkedIn studied 135 million member
profiles and came up with a list of top ten over-used business
buzzwords.
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“The word innovation is one of the most overused, underdefined
terms in organizational life.
No one seems to be sure just what the word means. Is it merely
something new to a given organization or a development that
challenges the prevailing wisdom in a field? Is it an initiative that
achieves a certain cachet as the fashion of the moment or
something that actually changes the course of practice?.”
Paul C. Light: Sustaining Innovation. Creating Nonprofit and Government Organizations
that Innovate Naturally, San Francisco 1998, p. XIV.
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Source: www.merriam-webster.com
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Content
1. Defining “Innovation”
2. Online Publishing
3. Online Philanthropy
4. Social Innovation through
Research
5. Conclusions
The First Plea for Open Access?
Patet omnibus veritas.
Truth lies open to all.
Seneca
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German Daily Newspapers:
Minus 10-15 % Readers Each Year
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Source: www.wellcome.ac.uk
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E-Research with Ancient Documents
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BTU Cottbus: The Transformation of a Library into an
Information, Communications and Media Centre
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Content
1. Defining “Innovation”
2. Online Knowledge
3. Online Philanthropy
4. Social Innovation through
Research
5. Conclusions
New Modes of Fund Raising…
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Content
1. Defining “Innovation”
2. Online Knowledge
3. Online Philanthropy
4. Social Innovation through
Research
5. Conclusions
The Five “Is” of 21st Century Research
Internationalisation
Interdisciplinarity
Innovativeness
Infrastructure
Information Technology
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Funding Research Means Investing in…
… the production of new knowledge.
… the tearing down of intellectual walls.
… the qualification of the next generation of researchers.
… the innovativeness of science, society, and the economy.
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What Do Private Foundations Need to Foster Socially
Innovative Research?
1.
Foresight and Autonomy
2.
Originality and Innovativeness
3.
Risk-taking and Courage
4.
Persistence and Perseverance
5.
Diversity and Interaction
6.
Responsibility and Ownership
7.
Networking and Joint Funding
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A Volkswagen Foundation Funding Initiative:
Future Issues of Our Society
Individual and Societal Perspectives of Ageing
Study Groups on Migration and Integration
European Foreign and Security Policy Studies
Bridging the Gap: Welfare State Transformation.
Europe and Global Challenges
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Europe and Global Challenges –
a Joint Initiative for Transnational Research
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Focus on the Humanities –
a Joint Initiative of the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung and the Volkswagen
Foundation
Opus magnum
Persons wishing to draft a major publication on a challenging
subject can secure the necessary freedom for these studies by
financing deputy teaching through an “opus magnum” grant.
Dilthey Fellowships
These fellowships are directed at excellent young researchers
who on completion of their doctorate wish to open up new areas
with their longer-term and possibly risky projects.
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Content
1. Defining “Innovation”
2. Online Knowledge
3. Online Philanthropy
4. Social Innovation through
Research
5. Conclusions
Conclusions
Electronic communication and e-research are clearly on the rise:
New opportunities, also with respect to the past.
Open access to source materials and publications has become a
necessity.
Transformative research requires collaborations across disciplinary,
institutional, and national boundaries.
Also among foundations there is an increasing tendency towards
collaborative initiatives: Joint efforts for the sake of higher impact!
To bring about fundamentally new thoughts, inventions and
innovations requires different modes of funding: Moving from shortterm low trust relationships towards medium- to long-term
environments.
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The Way Ahead
Pushing the limits of knowledge creation:
How can artists and researchers join forces?
Beyond the cages of project funding:
How can we provide more time and space for creativity?
Exploring new grounds off the beaten track:
How are we to stimulate new approaches towards ‘wild ideas’?
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Non est enim in rebus vitium, sed in ipso
animo.
For the fault is not in the wealth, but in the
mind itself.
Seneca
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