Doing science an approach to a comprehensive assessment of the business climate for science and technology

Assessment of science and technology has become widespread in policy making to measure the impact of public funding, align respective policy portfolios and initiate changes in the national institutional environment. In that respect, evaluations of different scope, shape and size and for different purposes are developed and implemented. Such exercises mainly focus on institutions or projects with some consideration of the surrounding framework conditions. Broader assessments at a country level are mainly build on macro indicators derived from national statistics with the framework conditions for research only fragmentarily covered. The approach described in the paper is a survey-based bottom-up assessment by the managers of research institutions of the framework conditions relevant for undertaking scientific activities. It introduces a composite “Doing Science” indicator which consists of such dimensions as human resources, funding, research equipment, information infrastructure, research cooperation, research results and their commercialization, engagement with society, and institutional conditions. The approach delivers a realistic assessment of the attractiveness and suitability of the country's science base to generate scientific results and achieve impact on economy and society, and may serve as a model feedback-based policy evaluation tool for decision makers worldwide.