“Should research have societal impact? Re-evaluating broader impacts with the Inclusion-Immediacy Criterion” with Dr. Thomas Woodson

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Clara Tran

Come join Dr. Thomas Woodson from the Department of Technology and Society for a discussion of the new evaluation framework “Inclusion-Immediacy Criterion”, which is used for measuring research impact.

Date/Time: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 from 1pm-2pm
Location: Online

A major goal of government and non-profit scientific funding agencies is to support research and development (R&D) that has societal impact. The US National Science Foundation requires all grants to discuss their broader impacts and in Europe, policymakers and scientists assess the ethical value of research through the lens of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Despite the prevalence of impact-based research funding and evaluation, these types of programs are not universally popular and there are steady debates about the importance of them. This presentation debates some of the pros and cons of evaluating research based on impact and then discusses a new evaluation framework called the Inclusion-Immediacy Criterion (IIC). The IIC better determines whether research helps marginalized communities, reduces inequality, and encourages inclusive innovation.

Please register here for this special event via Zoom. You can also find more information about Dr. Woodson and the third event from the Fall 2020 STEM Speaker Series guide.