This document summarizes a conference held on April 24, 2008 at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) in Berlin. The conference discussed the international career of quality control instruments and new challenges. It focused on how scientific research is seen as important for economic growth and solving social and environmental problems, and how funders are increasingly considering potential societal impacts when deciding which research projects to support. Societal impacts include demands from stakeholders, actors, and social groups related to commercializing research, transferring knowledge between regions and organizations, and other issues.