ARENA Report 06/2009
Ingrid Weie Ytreland
This report aims to explain how nations, organizations and individuals respond to opportunities for research collaborations provided by the European Framework Programme. National research policy and organizational strategies as well as individual initiative might affect the decision on whether researchers should engage in Framework funded research. Based on these assumptions this thesis examines internal and external determinants for participation in the European Framework Programme.
Based on a case study of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) I explain how changes in national research policy might lead to organizational changes using the theoretical framework of Europeanization and neo-institutional theory. The changes in national research policy is explained using theories such as Mode 2 knowledge production, the science-society contract and collaborative research originating from invisible colleges. The theoretical framework further describes central elements in collaborative research such as transfer of tacit and explicit knowledge in addition to social capital and collaborative ties. The empirical analysis consists of national, organizational and individual response to internationalization of research. I have used governmental documents and interviews with NIPH management and researchers to illustrate internationalization of research on three levels. The results from the empirical analysis indicate that participation in Framework funded projects is based on both organizational obligation and individual initiative. It also shows that the main motivational factor for participation is access to external knowledge.
ARENA Report 06/2009 (pdf)
ISBN 978-82-93137-71-9 (online) 978-82-93137-21-4 (print)