Nowadays, investing in scientific research to produce knowledge is considered a main asset for winning competition and contributing to the creation of economic value for the benefit of global society. Among the different phases of R&D, basic research stands out for its very high costs, risks and a time horizon of long/very long term. Nonetheless, if well-governed, it represents the component of R&D more able to produce positive externalities at a global level. In this framework, this paper aims to focus attention on the wide socio-economic value generated by basic research, conceived as an irreplaceable engine of innovation. In order to measure the performance of basic research, the paper proposes to refer to the outcome of research activity, i.e. the advancement of knowledge diffused by and through people, and discuss the results of a survey developed at CERN on the past-CERN Fellows, in order to isolate the contribution of the Fellowship Programs of CERN to the Fellows’ professional career, in primis in industry. Our findings testify that basic research produces a continued scientific ‘fertilisation effect’ of the global economic system, contributing to the creation of high skilled and professionalized human resources to the benefit of industry and other employers, so generating positive externalities wider than those measured in terms of patents and publications, the metrics traditionally used to measure the performance of research
Basic Research, Knowledge Transfer and Labor Market: Evidences from CERN’s Fellowship Programs
BRUZZI, SILVIA;
2014-01-01
Abstract
Nowadays, investing in scientific research to produce knowledge is considered a main asset for winning competition and contributing to the creation of economic value for the benefit of global society. Among the different phases of R&D, basic research stands out for its very high costs, risks and a time horizon of long/very long term. Nonetheless, if well-governed, it represents the component of R&D more able to produce positive externalities at a global level. In this framework, this paper aims to focus attention on the wide socio-economic value generated by basic research, conceived as an irreplaceable engine of innovation. In order to measure the performance of basic research, the paper proposes to refer to the outcome of research activity, i.e. the advancement of knowledge diffused by and through people, and discuss the results of a survey developed at CERN on the past-CERN Fellows, in order to isolate the contribution of the Fellowship Programs of CERN to the Fellows’ professional career, in primis in industry. Our findings testify that basic research produces a continued scientific ‘fertilisation effect’ of the global economic system, contributing to the creation of high skilled and professionalized human resources to the benefit of industry and other employers, so generating positive externalities wider than those measured in terms of patents and publications, the metrics traditionally used to measure the performance of researchI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.