Abstract
In the past two decades, centres of excellence (CoE) and
other 'research excellence initiatives' likely to
increase the cumulative advantages and stratification of
science, have been implemented in many countries. Based
on empirical studies of CoE in four Nordic countries,
this paper examines how the resources provided by CoE
schemes (generous long-term funding, prestige and
visibility) add to the success and growth dynamics of the
CoE. The data indicate a modified Matthew effect with
ceilings and limits avoiding excessive accumulation of
resources. Important impacts of the CoE are found, in
particular in terms of enabling more interdisciplinary
collaboration and risk-taking and enhancing international
recruitment to the research areas involved. But, in
contrast to what might be expected, the CoE grant seem to
add less to the relative citation rate of those already
performing at the highest level, than for those
performing at a somewhat lower level prior to the CoE
grant.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 661-675 |
Journal | Science and Public Policy |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- centres of excellence
- impact of funding instruments
- cumulative advantages
- Nordic countries