Research

Research conducted by the Unit for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies is divided into three theme areas: research communities and organizations, innovation activities and environments, and science and innovation policies. Research creates connections between the three areas, and several research projects can be placed in two or more theme areas.

Research communities and organizations

Research in the theme area concentrates on epistemic, social and cultural structures and processes of knowledge production. Topics include research practices and ideals in various scientific disciplines and in various research environments, research networks and collaboration, scientific productivity, identity formation of the disciplines, and the construction of expertise and careers in different environments of research and higher education.

Innovation activities and environments

Research in the theme area concentrates on the forms and processes of the innovation activity of firms, as well as actors, social structures and institutional factors that influence the innovation activity of firms. Central topics are innovation systems, especially from the comparative viewpoint, knowledge-intensive services (especially KIBS firms), innovation intermediaries, and expertise-based clusters as innovation environments. A new topic is international mobility of labor and experts, and innovation systems from the viewpoint of  internationalization of labor markets.  

Science and innovation policies