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:

Government-funded Research Increasingly Fuels Innovation
Discussant: Neil Thompson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Relationship of funding to Publishing:

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

Data Science Methods to Assess the Influence of Scientific Research on Policy (slides)

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

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

Science Quality and the Value of Inventions

Standing on the Shoulders of Science
Discussants: Bhaven N. Sampat, Johns Hopkins 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

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

Truly Legendary Freedom: Funding, Incentives, and the Productivity of Scientists (slides)

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

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