The “European Forum for Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation” (Eu-SPRI Forum) was founded in Paris in June 2010 and aims to strengthen the vibrant but dispersed interdisciplinary community of researchers focusing on interdisciplinary dimensions related to policy and governance in the field of knowledge creation and innovation.
Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation (SPRI) is a growing research field since the 1960s, evolving at the encounter of economics, political science, sociology, Science and Technology Studies (STS), business administration, geography and history.
The Eu-SPRI Forum has 18 member institutions. It is governed by the General Assembly and The Executive Committee.
Typical questions
How can research and innovation policies cope with ‘grand social challenges’ in the areas of health, energy, security or the environment? Which public policies help to pro-actively shape responsible technological innovation? How to make public sector research more creative and effective? How to achieve a more intelligent interaction between investments in research and higher education policies for universities? Are there better ways to link governments’ research policies to other public policies? How to balance forces of globalization and localisation?
Policies for research and innovation are a centrepiece of the current global ‘knowledge and innovation society’.
However, the design and implementation of such policies is not a simple and straightforward business. During the past few decades, policies for research and innovation have no longer become the exclusive remit of national governments. Other public authorities at the local, regional, European and international levels intervene actively in policy design and in policy implementation. Likewise, the creation of highly specialized and professionalised agencies at each of those levels has added to this rapid decentralizing trend. Furthermore, the number and type of stakeholders in research and innovation policy is growing rapidly. NGOs, charities and other public-private actors have become very active stakeholders shaping new policy directions.
The Eu-SPRI Forum collaborates with non-European expert networks in the field of science, research, technology and innovation policy studies, such as the “Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research Network of the Americas (STIPA)”.