Seminario IPP: "Off the Beaten Path: What Drives Scientists’ Entry into New Fields?"

Por: Daniel Neicu (KU Leuven & University of Strasbourg)

Sala Herbert A. Simon 3D

Organiza: Francisco Herreros (IPP, CCHS-CSIC)

Abstract: This paper analyses what individual and institutional factors encourage scientists to publish in fields that are new to them. Using a ten-year panel of researchers in biomedical sciences and engineering from a large research university in Belgium, we find that higher scientific productivity and academic rank positively affect the probability of publishing in new fields and the degree of novelty of such change. Accounting for the endogeneity of funding, we also find that grants have a negative effect, driving research portfolios towards specialisation rather than diversification. Implications for university policy are discussed.

Observaciones: Financiado por Programa de Visitantes del IPP