The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has published today the final report of a study conducted by ZSI. The purpose of the study was to help the SNSF in their effort to assess whether and to what degree their funded research has effects on society. The study’s focus was on social innovation and its objectives a) to identify the scope and scale of SNSF-funded projects in relation to social innovation, b) to to gauge the extent of the contribution of SNSF-funded research projects to social innovation, and c) critically reflect on the potential of social innovation as valuation and outcome category of research.
Since the effects of relevant research activities can typically be perceived only in the medium or long term, the main challenge of the study was to operationalise the concept of social innovation such that contributions would become more measurable presently. Through a mixed-method approach and the involvement of more than 350 principle investigators across several funding instruments and research disciplines, the study allowed first conclusions regarding potential contributions from SNSF-funded projects toward social innovation, as well as in regard to the other study objectives.
The SNSF have published an insightful news item themselves that shows the implications in the context of their funded research. It is available in English, French, and German.
The study report itself can be viewed on and downloaded from zenodo (doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7756473).
