Challenges in Research and Innovation Policy Studies

Please find attached Conference Call Eu-SPRI PhD and Early Career Researcher Conference

Challenges in Research and Innovation Policy Studies,

Conference Call
Eu-SPRI PhD and Early Career Researcher Conference
Challenges in Research and Innovation Policy Studies

Dates: 28th – 30th June 2011
Location: Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School

Academic Organisers: Kate Barker, Philippe Laredo and Finn Hansson
Administrative Support and Conference Management: Siobhan Drugan

Aims of the Conference
This event marks the first PhD/Early Career Researcher conference of the newly formed Eu-SPRI Forum. The aim of the conference is to gather together outstanding doctoral candidates and early career researchers with established academics, for a series of exchanges about ongoing and new research, in research and innovation policy. Delegates will be able to network with one another, across institutions and countries, with established researchers, and gain critical feedback on their work, as well as experience in critiquing the work of peers. Some key principles of the conference are as follows:

• Adequate time to present work (20 minutes presentations)
• Junior and senior discussants respond to each presentation, followed by plenary questions
• Keynote speakers on current themes
• Publishing workshop from a journal editor in the field
• Adequate free time for networking as well as social events.
  

Conference Themes
The main themes of the conference cover the interests of the Eu-SPRI Forum which is broadly defined as research and innovation policy. Proposals for papers are invited according to the seven themes below:

1. Theories, frameworks and approaches of knowledge dynamics, their characterisation, their effects on knowledge production situations (and especially on forms of agglomeration, networks, and districts), and on knowledge circulation (IP, start-up firms and venture capital), and their interactions with institutional arrangements and policies. Foci can be on new ‘leading sciences’ (such as NBIC sciences and technologies and their convergence) but also on new service industries (such as the creative industries).
2. Globalisation of large firms and of markets, localisation of business knowledge production activities how ‘national’ policies are evolving in this context (e.g. so-called attractiveness policies).
3. Policy developments at different legal levels both at sub-national level and supra-national level, especially at European level, including tackling global challenges; issues around multi-level governance.
4. Policy-shaping processes: role of public debates and participative democracy, developments in support tools and processes such as evaluation and foresight, evolving views on implementation structures (and in particular funding agencies)
5. Evolving policy mixes and instruments portfolio, in particular evolving roles of fiscal policies, procurement policies, entrepreneurship and small firms policies, changing missions of funding agencies, and a revised role for mission-oriented labs.
6. Changes in higher education institutions and policies, such as autonomy and differentiation : specialisation of universities, governance issues.
7. New indicator design addressing these issues, in particular indicators of the knowledge-based society, dealing with human resources, and dealing with integration (a central issue for the dynamics of the European Research Area).

Who is eligible to participate?

1. Doctoral researchers in their third year or beyond
2. Post-doctoral researchers (having obtained their PhD within the last 3 years)
   

Funding
Applicants from an Eu-SPRI Forum member have their registration, accommodation and all catering costs met. They must fund the travel costs to and from the conference.
Applicants from outside the Forum must pay a fee of €300 to cover accommodation and catering. There are no bursaries available. Check here for Eu-SPRI members: http://www.euspri-forum.eu/

Timetable and organisation
- extended abstracts have to be submitted before 29th April.
- evaluation and selection will take place in May and selected applicants will be informed by 13th May
- full papers sent by June 15th and will be posted on the dedicated conference website.

Format of abstracts:
Abstracts must indicate the full name and institutional affiliation of the applicant and the name(s) of their supervisor(s), year of study and title of paper. The paper should indicate clearly the argument to be made and the nature of the supporting evidence. Selection will be made on the basis of quality of the abstract, interest, and relevance to the themes of the conference. Selection will be made by the conference committee. Please note – papers should be the work of the early career researcher and not that of the supervisor.

Please submit by email to
Siobhan.Drugan [at] mbs.ac.uk