Blue Sky 19/09/16 Plenary 3

1. OECD Blue Sky Forum III
“Informing science and innovation
policies: towards the next generation of
data and indicators”
19-21 September, Gent, Belgium
Towards more inclusive science
and innovation indicators

2. Panelists
• Eric von Hippel, MIT Sloan School of
Management, United States
• Ismael Ràfols, Universitat Politècnica de
Valencia, Spain
• Cassidy R. Sugimoto, Indiana University
Bloomington, United States
• Ingeborg Meijer, Leiden University, the
Netherlands

3. Questions
• Can indicators be developed that capture science and
innovation in a broader set of environments, such as
research areas outside the mainstream, socially excluded
groups, local realities, developing world, users and users
communities?
• What policy processes would enable adoption of these new
indicators?
• Is it possible to measure the culture of innovation in a
society and its relevance to inclusive and sustainable
growth?
• Can indicators be used to promote socially responsible and
inclusive research and innovation policies, practices and
outcomes?
• Are there any relevant examples that can be recommended
for broader international adoption?

4. Conflicting trends?
• Globalization of scientific work: traditional
indicators and metrics
– Flattening world
• To be more inclusive, adopt new ideas, novel
metrics
– Locally and context relevant
• Diversity, use different lenses to look at STI
activities
– Community of practice is alive and open to see
new ways of addressing challenges posed by
various stakeholders

5. What and whom need to be included?
• Include new performers of STI activities: e.g.
user/consumer innovators, free/open innovation
• Include geographical and cognitive peripheries:
locally relevant R&D, invisible science, agriculture,
social sciences and humanities,
• Include new sources of info: e. g. big data, social
media ….. altmetrics
• Include new stakeholders in the community of
practice of STI indicators: e.g. citizens (public
engagement)

6. Suggestions-Precautions
• Define theoretical and conceptual framework
to understand what is being measured
• Establish a priori: what, why and for whom is
going to be measured
• Include what can be applied, replicated and
validated in different contexts
• Evaluate new metrics: scope, coverage,
impact (policy and academic communities,
society in general)

7. Suggestions-Precautions
• Define theoretical and conceptual framework
to understand what is being measured
• Establish a priori: what, why and for whom is
going to be measured
• Include what can be applied, replicated and
validated in different contexts
• Evaluate new metrics: scope, coverage,
impact (policy and academic communities,
society in general)