Science of Science Funding

Paula Stephan and Reinhilde Veugelers, Organizers

July 18-19, 2019

Skyline Rooms A and B

Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge, MA

Conference Code of Conduct

Thursday, July 18
Coffee and Pastries
8:45 am
Introduction and Welcome
Paula Stephan, Georgia State University and NBER
Reinhilde Veugelers, KU Leuven
9:00 am
SESSION I: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF SCIENCE FUNDING
Chair: Adam B. Jaffe, Brandeis University and NBER
A. Relationship of funding to Patents:
Lee Fleming, University of California, Berkeley
Hillary Greene, University of Connecticut
Matt Marx, Cornell University and NBER
Dennis Yao, Harvard University

Government-funded Research Increasingly Fuels Innovation
Discussant: Neil Thompson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Relationship of funding to Publishing:
Reza Sattari, The Ohio State University
Bruce A. Weinberg, The Ohio State University and NBER

The Marginal Scientific Product of Investments in Science
Discussant: Pierre Azoulay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER
10:45 am
Break
11:00 am
C. Impact on Policy Making
Danil Mikhailov, Data.org
Chonnettia Jones, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research

Data Science Methods to Assess the Influence of Scientific Research on Policy (slides)
Jonas Hjort, University College London
Diana B. Moreira, University of California, Davis and NBER
Gautam Rao, University of California, Berkeley and NBER
Juan Franc. Santini, Innovations for Poverty Action

Do Research Findings Influence Policy? Experimental Evidence from 2,145 Brazilian Municipalities
Discussants: Kei Koizumi, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Daniel Goroff, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
12:15 pm
Lunch
1:00 pm
SESSION II: RISK TAKING IN SCIENCE FUNDING
Chair, Chiara Franzoni, Politecnico di Milano
A. Insights from the literature and from a small scale survey, Chiara Franzoni
B. Examples of Funders approaches for increasing risk taking:
• NIH Approaches to Support High Impact High Risk Research; Nicole Garbarini (NIH)
• Pew Foundation, Kara Coleman (Pew Charitable Trust)
• Scialog, Dr. Richard Wiener (Research Corporation)
• ERC, Theodore Papazoglou
C. Assessing risk in selection bias and treatment effect
Reinhilde Veugelers, KU Leuven
Jian Wang, Leiden University
Paula Stephan, Georgia State University and NBER

Do Funding Agencies Select and Enable Risky Research? (slides)
Discussant: Karim Lakhani, Harvard University
D. Open discussion
2:30 pm
Break
2:45 pm
SESSION III LINKING SCIENCE/PUBLICATIONS TO TECHNOLOGY/PATENTS
Chair: Benjamin Jones, Northwestern University and NBER
Data-methodology session: what is currently the state of the art on how to link science and technology? Best practices? Pitfalls? How to move forward?
• Introduction/overview by the Chair:
• Examples of current practices
Felix Pöge, Boston University
Dietmar Harhoff, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition
Fabian Gaessler, Pompeu Fabra University
Stefano Baruffaldi, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Science Quality and the Value of Inventions
Martin Watzinger, University of Muenster
Monika Schnitzer, University of Munich

Standing on the Shoulders of Science
Discussants: Bhaven N. Sampat, Arizona State University and NBER
Andrew Toole, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
4:15 pm
SESSION IV: SSF-FUNDED SMALL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Chair: Kaye Husbands Fealing, Georgia Institute of Technology
Gaétan de Rassenfosse, École Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne
Emilio Raiteri, TU Eindhoven

The Prevalence of NIH-Funded Research in Commercial Products
Discussants: Anna Calcagno, National Institutes of Health
Danielle Li, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER
Other project presentations:
• Adam B. Jaffe, Brandeis University and NBER; Bev Holmes, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
• Charles Ayoubi, EPFL; Fabiana Visentin, Maastricht University, UNU-MERIT; Michele Pezzoni, Université Nice; Sandra Barbosu, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
• Chiara Franzoni, Politecnico di Milano; Henry Sauermann, European School of Management and Technology
• Valentina Tartari , Copenhagen Business School; Henrik Barslund Fosse, Novo Nordisk Foundation; Rikke Nording Christensen, Novo Nordisk Foundation
5:15 pm
Adjourn
7:00 pm
Dinner at Bambara Restaurant (across the street from the Royal Sonesta Hotel)
Friday, July 19
8:30 am
Coffee and Pastries
9:00 am
SESSION V: ORGANIZING SCIENCE FUNDING
Chair: Megan MacGarvie, Boston University and NBER
Matthias B. Wilhelm, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Truly Legendary Freedom: Funding, Incentives, and the Productivity of Scientists (slides)
Marco Ottaviani, Bocconi University

Resource Allocation across Fields: Proportionality, Demand Relativity, and Benchmarking (slides)
Discussants: Timothy Simcoe, Boston University and NBER
Reinhilde Veugelers, KU Leuven
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
SESSION VI: SPECIAL TOPIC: GENDER BIASES IN SCIENCE FUNDING EVALUATION
Chair: Henry Sauermann, European School of Management and Technology
Julian Kolev, US Patent and Trademark Office
Yuly Fuentes-Medel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Fiona Murray, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER

Is Blinded Review Enough? How Gendered Outcomes Arise Even Under Anonymous Evaluation
Discussants: Donna K. Ginther, University of Kansas and NBER
Zach Charat, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
12:00 pm
SESSION VII: MOVING THE SSF AGENDA FORWARD
Chairs: Paula Stephan, Georgia State University and NBER and Reinhilde Veugelers, KU Leuven
Views from funders; views from academics
12:30 pm
Adjourn