RETHINKING RESEARCH

APPROACHES

ECHOES FROM

THE NETHERLANDS

Abiodun Egbetokun

TIES, NACETEM

28 December

2010

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OUTLINE

Background

Research in the 21st Century

Exploring the state-of-the-art (key e.g.)

Innovation (report content analysis)

Entrepreneurship (report content analysis)

Qvo Vadis?

NACETEM (teamwork; encouragement; fairness/equity; research

groups)

You and Me (focus; research agenda; reading/studying; contacts;

milestones; capacity building; openness/team spirit)

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Background

NACETEM has the vision of

being a COE in STI policy research/mgt

Which will essentially be driven by

A commitment to excellence

High-quality staff

World-class research output

Global participation

Local relevance

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And then…

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We always assume that people know whereas they

don't - DG

Research methodology is generally weak around

here – General consensus???

Research in the 21st Century…

So much gap in knowledge…

Very much getting known every passing day…

Knowledge production still skewed…

Long way to go for us…

Competition getting more intense…

Horizon getting broader…

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Some Empirics

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…on the innovation strategies and capabilities of African

firms in particular, little evidence exists...(EJDR

Reviewer)

…much scholarly work…have been carried out within

the continent but the question to answer is: To what

extent are these research works positioned for global

impact?

Some Empirics:

entrepreneurship

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22 November, 2008

Google: -

entrepreneurship 19,100,000 hits.

Entrepreneurship Nigeria 772,000 hits (-96% )

Entrepreneurship China 3,060,000 hits

Entrepreneurship South Africa 2,900,000 hits

Entrepreneurship South Korea 979,000 hits

Some Empirics :

entrepreneurship

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22 November, 2008

ScienceDirect (about 2,500 journals, 6,000 books and almost nine million full-text articles; 7 of 10 top innovation mgt journals): -

Entrepreneurship 9,829 articles

Nigeria in any part of the text: 324 articles

entrepreneurship in title and Nigeria in other parts of the article: 12 articles

entrepreneurship and Nigeria in titles: 2 articles

Most of these publications are not recent

Some Empirics: innovation

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22 March, 2009

Google: -

innovation 109,000,000 hits.

Innovation Nigeria 4,780,000 hits (-96% )

Innovation China 24,000,000 hits

Innovation South Africa 12,700,000

Some Empirics: innovation

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22 March, 2009

ScienceDirect (about 2,500 journals, 6,000 books and

almost nine million full-text articles; 7 of 10 top

innovation mgt journals): -

Innovation 181,080 articles

Nigeria in any part of the text: 3,209 articles

innovation in title and Nigeria in other parts of the article: 66

articles

Nigeria in the title and innovation elsewhere: 196 articles

innovation and Nigeria in titles: 7 articles

Summary/Implications of

Empirics

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Nigeria, in particular, is under-represented in

the literature

There is a lot of opportunities

… & beyond this century…

Research is all about…

DEMAND

DEMAND

DEMAND

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WHY???

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I have found that all ugly

things are made by those

who strive to make

something beautiful, and

that all beautiful things

are made by those who

strive to make something

useful.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900, Anglo-Irish playwright, author, The Value of Art in Modern Life, 1884).

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NACETEM

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Encouragement

Fairness/equity

Teamwork

Formalise research groups

YOU & ME

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Know your subject by reading, tutelage and study

Learn to write/communicate: English and not EngliS!

Learn to read and understand data (Hans Rosling

Video)

Contacts: you’re only as good as your network

Capacity building

Openness/Team spirit: the best things are done by

TEAMS

That’s why more people would watch Champions League

than Grand Slam!

FOCUS

Evolve Research groups: no point standing out if

you’re in the wrong audience

Are you a flash light ?...

Very bright at the on set

Travels far with white light

Lacks focus and concentration

When seen from afar can not tell whether it is

head lamp for bike, bus, truck.

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…Or an Infra Red Ray?

Focused from beginning to the end

You must be able to use your strength to mask

your weaknesses.

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Simple Issues…Platform

Impact

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Course coordination

Photocopying

Resumption and Closing Time

Money

A Network Example: DIME

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DIME (Dynamics of Institutions and Markets in Europe) is a network of social scientists in Europe, working on the economic and social consequences of increasing globalization and the rise of the knowledge economy.

DIME is sponsored by the 6th Framework Programme of the European Union.

The network brings together a wide variety of scholars, for example from economics, geography, sociology, history, political science and law.

DIME is a formal organization, of which over 50 universities or other public research organizations are members (and still counting).

Most of the activities in the network are open to scholars from outside the DIME membership list.

A Network Example: DIMETIC

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Formed as ETIC by 3 institutions: UNU-MERIT, BETA (Bureau

d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, in Strasbourg, France), and

IKE (Institute of Production) at Aalborg University, Denmark.

The focus: Research & Training in

Micro approaches to innovation and innovation networks

Geography of innovation and growth: theory, empirics and policy

Modelling - Regional innovation systems, clusters and dynamics.

Initially funded for three years, starting in 1997, by the European

Union.

Became part of DIME and the name was changed to DIMETIC.

DIMETIC

UNU-MERIT, THE NETHERLAN

DS

BETA, FRANCE

EU

IKE, DENMARK

An Institutional Example: UNU-

MERIT

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UNU-MERIT's research programme is organized around five research

themes:

1. Micro-based evidence research on innovation and technological

change

2. The role of technology in growth and development

3. Knowledge and industrial dynamics

4. Innovation, global business strategies and host country development

5. The governance of science technology and innovation

All researchers have world-class training; work in teams and attract

significant funding to the institution. PhD students get monthly

stipends, conference allowances and fee waivers.

Major output include EU-funded European Innovation Scoreboard;

ERAWATCH; Euregov

http://www.merit.unu.edu/research/websites.php

http://www.merit.unu.edu/research/

Test YourselfS/N Name First Name Spec(s) Institution(s)

1 Lundvall

2 Freeman

3 Soete

4 Szirmai

5 Cooke

6 Stiglitz

7 Cabral

8 Oyelaran-Oyeyinka

9 Israel

10 Linton

11 Thurik

12 Malerba

13 Audretsch

14 Hobday

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THANK YOU FOR BEING

THERE

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