39,124 research outputs found
âExcellence R Usâ: university research and the fetishisation of excellence
The rhetoric of âexcellenceâ is pervasive across the academy. It is used to refer to research outputs as well as researchers, theory and education, individuals and organisations, from art history to zoology. But does âexcellenceâ actually mean anything? Does this pervasive narrative of âexcellenceâ do any good? Drawing on a range of sources we interrogate âexcellenceâ as a concept and find that it has no intrinsic meaning in academia. Rather it functions as a linguistic interchange mechanism. To investigate whether this linguistic function is useful we examine how the rhetoric of excellence combines with narratives of scarcity and competition to show that the hypercompetition that arises from the performance of âexcellenceâ is completely at odds with the qualities of good research. We trace the roots of issues in reproducibility, fraud, and homophily to this rhetoric. But we also show that this rhetoric is an internal, and not primarily an external, imposition. We conclude by proposing an alternative rhetoric based on soundness and capacity-building. In the final analysis, it turns out that that âexcellenceâ is not excellent. Used in its current unqualified form it is a pernicious and dangerous rhetoric that undermines the very foundations of good research and scholarship
Health Biotechnology Innovation for Social Sustainability -A Perspective from China
China is not only becoming a significant player in the production of high-tech products, but also an increasingly important contributor of ideas and influence in the global knowledge economy. This paper identifies the promises and the pathologies of the biotech innovation system from the perspective of social sustainability in China, looking at the governance of the system and beyond. Based on The STEPS Centreâs âInnovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifestoâ, a â3Dâ approach has been adopted, bringing together social, technological and policy dynamics, and focusing on the directions of biotechnological innovation, the distribution of its benefits, costs and risks and the diversity of innovations evolving within it and alongside it
Technological requirements for solutions in the conservation and protection of historic monuments and archaeological remains
Executive summary: This Study has discovered many achievements associated with European support for
scientific and technological research for the protection and conservation of cultural
heritage. The achievements to date are:
1. Creation of an active research community
2. A body of research of unparalleled and enviable international quality and character
3. Ongoing effectiveness of research beyond initial funding
4. Substantial rate of publication
5. Imaginative tools of dissemination and publication
6. Clear spin-offs and contribution to European competitiveness often going outside
the European cultural heritage area
7. Contribution to emerging European legislation, for example, air quality
management.
The Study has also uncovered important research gaps associated with this field that have
yet to begin to be investigated. It has also discovered the need for continuing fine scale
advancement in areas where researchers have been active for a number of years. The
overall picture is that European research in the field of cultural heritage protection must be
put on a secure footing if it is to maintain its commanding lead over other regions of the
world.
This Study concludes that:
1. It would be invidious to attempt to separate basic and applied research in this area
of research. Like any other scientific endeavour, this field needs to integrate basic
and applied research if it is to continue to thrive.
2. Small, flexible, focused interdisciplinary teams responsive to European needs, must
be sustained, promoted and celebrated as models of sustainability and that what is
proposed under the European Research Area (ERA) for large and complex
research projects, could inflict serious damage on this area of research.
3. Resources cannot be delegated to Member States because of the interdisciplinary
nature of cultural heritage and the need for a co-ordinated pan-European
perspective across this research that helps to define the essential character of
European cultural heritage. National programmes only serve local needs, leading
to loss of strategic output, lessening of competitiveness and risk of duplication.
4. A mechanism needs to be created to help researchers working in this field to
communicate and exchange information with related sectors such as construction,
urban regeneration, land reclamation and agriculture.
5. There is overwhelming agreement over the need for sustainable research funding
for cultural heritage and for an iterative process of exchange among researchers,
decision-makers and end-users in order to maximize benefits from project
inception through to dissemination, audit and review.
For all the reasons mentioned above, the most significant recommendation in this Report is
the identification of the need for a European Panel on the Application of Science for Cultural Heritage (EPASCH)
A Scientific Roadmap for Antibiotic Discovery: A Sustained and Robust Pipeline of New Antibacterial Drugs and Therapies is Critical to Preserve Public Health
In recent decades, the discovery and development of new antibiotics have slowed dramatically as scientific barriers to drug discovery, regulatory challenges, and diminishing returns on investment have led major drug companies to scale back or abandon their antibiotic research. Consequently, antibiotic discoveryâwhich peaked in the 1950sâhas dropped precipitously. Of greater concern is the fact that nearly all antibiotics brought to market over the past 30 years have been variations on existing drugs. Every currently available antibiotic is a derivative of a class discovered between the early 1900s and 1984.At the same time, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has accelerated, giving rise to life-threatening infections that will not respond to available antibiotic treatment. Inevitably, the more that antibiotics are used, the more that bacteria develop resistanceârendering the drugs less effective and leading public health authorities worldwide to flag antibiotic resistance as an urgent and growing public health threat
- âŠ