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Promoting diversity in science in Japan through mission-oriented research grants

Author

Listed:
  • Yoshi-aki Shimada

    (National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
    Japan Science and Technology Agency)

  • Naotoshi Tsukada

    (National Institute of Science and Technology Policy)

  • Jun Suzuki

    (National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS))

Abstract

In this study, we quantitatively compared the impact of mission-oriented research grants and curiosity-driven grants on the diversity of research subjects in Japan. First, we examined data for Japanese principal investigators receiving research funding between 2000 and 2010 in the field of nanotechnology and materials science, and identified groups of researchers whose publication performance was positively affected by the mission-oriented grant, CREST. We then compared the effect of CREST with that of the curiosity-driven grant, KAKENHI. The analysis uses both propensity score matching and difference in differences (PSM-DID) methodologies. Our results show that for participants in the CREST program there was an increase in number of publications of more than 10% per year, for periods of both 5 and 3 years after the funding ended, even though the observed average effect on citation was not statistically significant. Second, we evaluated the diversity of research subjects through analysis of the distribution of the classification codes applied to articles published between 1996 and 2013, utilizing the J-Global database, which has the finest granularity of category among existing bibliographic scientific publication databases. Research subjects were better conserved under the mission-oriented program than the curiosity-driven one, a finding contrary to predictions of conventional theory. We also found that under mission-oriented funding, there was an increase in diversity in the sense of marginal utility. These findings should be of use in the “diversity-aware” design of programs for the funding of fundamental research.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoshi-aki Shimada & Naotoshi Tsukada & Jun Suzuki, 2017. "Promoting diversity in science in Japan through mission-oriented research grants," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 110(3), pages 1415-1435, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:110:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s11192-016-2224-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-2224-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hugo Horta, 2023. "Emerging and Near Future Challenges of Higher Education in East Asia," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 18(2), pages 171-191, July.
    2. Yoshi-aki Shimada & Jun Suzuki, 2017. "Promoting scientodiversity inspired by biodiversity," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(3), pages 1463-1479, December.

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