This post is
to inform about a programme evaluation endeavour, that was recently
completed & published at the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Maybe it is of interest for you.
The START
Programme and Wittgenstein Award were added to the FWF's funding portfolio in
1996. The START
Programme is designed to enable highly promising young researchers from all
disciplines to plan their research on a long-term basis and with sufficient
financial security. By assuming responsibility for the establishment/expansion
and management of a research group, the programme allows principal
investigators to gain the qualifications necessary for leading positions in the
science and research system. The Wittgenstein
Award aims to ensure that top-notch researchers who have reached
outstanding achievements in all disciplines are provided with a maximum of
freedom and flexibility in carrying out their research work. The award
therefore aims to enable an extraordinary increase in the recipients' research
output.
Between 1996
and 2014, a total of 114 START projects with an overall funding volume of EUR
132.6 million were awarded. 16% of the projects were awarded to women. The
approval rate in the START Programme is approximately 13% (based on 2002–2014
results), and the amount of grants awarded is up to EUR 1.2 million per
project.
Between 1996
and 2014, the Wittgenstein Award was conferred upon 30 researchers (including 4
women), who received EUR 42.4 million in overall funding. During that period, a
total of 278 researchers were nominated for the prize. The award carries an
endowment of up to EUR 1.5 million.
In
anticipation of the 20th anniversary of these two programmes, the
FWF commissioned a team from the Fraunhofer ISI
(Karlsruhe, Germany) and the Austrian Institute for SME
Research (Vienna, Austria) to conduct an evaluation of the START Programme
and the Wittgenstein Award. The evaluation project was led by Susanne Bührer.
The goal of the evaluation was to assess the effects of these programmes and to
lay the groundwork for a decision on how to run them in the future.
The
evaluation was based on a mixed-methods approach consisting of bibliometric
analysis with a control group comparison, online surveys of various target
groups, expert interviews, case studies, an analysis of programme and
monitoring data, and a validation workshop with key stakeholders.
The
evaluation team's assessment of the two programmes is highly positive, and the
evaluators recommend that the two programmes be continued in their current
forms:
·
"A continuation of the START Programme
in its present form is recommended without any reservations."
·
"The Wittgenstein Award seems
tailor-made to its target group and has an added value to the scientific system
in Austria.”
è Evaluation of the
START Programme and the Wittgenstein Award.
Sarah Seus, Eva Heckl, Susanne Bührer. with
the participation of Niclas Meyer, Sonia
Conchi, Tobias Burst, Christina Schmedes and Barbara
Sinnemann. Karlsruhe, 2016 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.50610
