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New Linked Data on Research Investments: Scientific Workforce, Productivity, and Public Value

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  • Julia Lane
  • Jason Owen-Smith
  • Rebecca Rosen
  • Bruce Weinberg

Abstract

Longitudinal micro-data derived from transaction level information about wage and vendor payments made by federal grants on multiple U.S. campuses are being developed in a partnership involving researchers, university administrators, representatives of federal agencies, and others. This paper describes the UMETRICS data initiative that has been implemented under the auspices of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. The resulting data set reflects an emerging conceptual framework for analyzing the process, products, and impact of research. It grows from and engages the work of a diverse and vibrant community. This paper situates the UMETRICS effort in the context of research evaluation and ongoing data infrastructure efforts in order to highlight its novel and valuable features. Refocusing data construction in this field around individuals, networks, and teams offers dramatic possibilities for data linkage, the evaluation of research investments, and the development of rigorous conceptual and empirical models. Two preliminary analyses of the scientific workforce and network approaches to characterizing scientific teams ground a discussion of future directions and a call for increased community engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Lane & Jason Owen-Smith & Rebecca Rosen & Bruce Weinberg, 2014. "New Linked Data on Research Investments: Scientific Workforce, Productivity, and Public Value," NBER Working Papers 20683, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:20683
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    2. Wang, Jian & Lee, You-Na & Walsh, John P., 2018. "Funding model and creativity in science: Competitive versus block funding and status contingency effects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(6), pages 1070-1083.
    3. Nathan Goldschlag & Ron Jarmin & Julia Lane & Nikolas Zolas, 2019. "Research Experience as Human Capital in New Business Outcomes," NBER Chapters, in: Measuring and Accounting for Innovation in the Twenty-First Century, pages 229-254, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Wei Yang Tham, 2023. "Science, interrupted: Funding delays reduce research activity but having more grants helps," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(4), pages 1-40, April.
    5. Wan-Ying Chang & Wei Cheng & Julia Lane & Bruce Weinberg, 2017. "Federal Funding of Doctoral Recipients: Results from new Linked Survey and Transaction Data," NBER Working Papers 23019, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Jason Coupet & Yuhao Ba, 2022. "Benchmarking university technology transfer performance with external research funding: a stochastic frontier analysis," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 605-620, April.
    7. Erjia Yan & Chaojiang Wu & Min Song, 2018. "The funding factor: a cross-disciplinary examination of the association between research funding and citation impact," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 115(1), pages 369-384, April.
    8. Stephane Lhuillery & Julio Raffo & Intan Hamdan-Livramento, 2016. "Measuring creativity: Learning from innovation measurement," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 31, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    9. Michele Pezzoni & Jacques Mairesse & Paula Stephan & Julia Lane, 2016. "Gender and the Publication Output of Graduate Students: A Case Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, January.
    10. Nathan Goldschlag & Julia Lane & Bruce A. Weinberg & Nikolas Zolas, 2019. "Proximity and economic activity: An analysis of vendor‐university transactions," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(1), pages 163-182, January.
    11. Funk, Russell J. & Glennon, Britta & Lane, Julia & Murciano-Goroff, Raviv & Ross, Matthew B., 2019. "Money for Something: Braided Funding and the Structure and Output of Research Groups," IZA Discussion Papers 12762, IZA Network @ LISER.
    12. Glennon, Britta & Lane, Julia & Sodhi, Ridhima, 2018. "Money for Something: The Links between Research Funding and Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 11711, IZA Network @ LISER.
    13. Yu, Yan & Ibarra, Julio E. & Kumar, Kuldeep & Chergarova, Vasilka, 2021. "Coevolution of cyberinfrastructure development and scientific progress," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    14. Cinzia Daraio, 2017. "A framework for the Assessment of Research and its impacts," DIAG Technical Reports 2017-04, Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Universita' degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza".
    15. Chang, Wan-Ying & Cheng, Wei & Lane, Julia & Weinberg, Bruce, 2019. "Federal funding of doctoral recipients: What can be learned from linked data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(6), pages 1487-1492.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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