Jack Spaapen received his training in sociology and cultural anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. Jack’s PhD is in Science and Technology Studies, focusing on methods for the evaluation of research in the context of societal and policy demands. Jack retired in 2022 as Senior Policy Advisor at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and is now senior partner in ScienceWorks, a consultancy firm in the Hague focussing on societal impact evaluation. His expertise is in, research and innovation policy, responsible research and innovation and scientific advice.
Purpose and intended audience The purpose of this session is a debate about innovation in compreh... more Purpose and intended audience The purpose of this session is a debate about innovation in comprehensive methods for the assessment of humanities research. Input will come from preliminary outcomes of an ongoing project in the Netherlands to find adequate indicators for humanities research that will fit in the national Standard Evaluation Protocol. The project includes processes of ‘bottom up’ data collection (that is, with input coming from the research community) and discussion with Humanities researchers, investigating the specific characteristics of publication and communication cultures in the Humanities, and the prospects for the use of quantitative and qualitative indicators. The expected outcome is threefold, first we hope that the materials to be presented will enable a comparison with similar initiatives in the UK, Flanders and Norway. Second, we foresee that the session will strengthen the final outcomes of the Dutch project in view of the international feedback, and third...
This paper presents the findings of the ENRESSH network with relevance to academic and policy com... more This paper presents the findings of the ENRESSH network with relevance to academic and policy communities. As a recently completed COST action running between April 2016 and April 2020, ENRESSH consists of over 150 researchers and policy makers from 40 countries across Europe and beyond. Through its ongoing research and networking, ENRESSH has worked towards two goals: 1) to enhance the visibility of research in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), as well as its potential to address questions around major societal challenges and 2) to develop comprehensive evaluation methods that better fit how researchers in the SSH communicate. In response to the first goal, ENRESSH proposes that, in order to enhance the visibility of the SSH, impact assessments need to be more inclusive, in particular towards the values and practices of the SSH. This could be achieved by focusing on the interaction processes between researchers and stakeholders, by acknowledging different types of impact an...
The goal of this panel is to develop a strategy on how to advocate for the social sciences and hu... more The goal of this panel is to develop a strategy on how to advocate for the social sciences and humanities disciplines and to target funders and policy makers, both at national and at European level. Conclusions will be based on the professional experience of the panelists. The exchange of both advocacy experiences and as examples of actual best practices, challenges, or obstacles will help us in finding a common ground to operate on the European level while taking into account local specificities. This panel will include brief presentations on how to advocate for the social sciences and humanities disciplines in European countries by working with funders, policy makers, researchers and other stakeholders. The session will be based on actual examples of such activities. Presentations will be followed by a moderated Questions and Answers. Chairs/Moderators: Sally Chambers, Elisabeth Ernst, Mateusz Franczak Speakers: Alíz Horváth, Nina Kancewicz-Hoffman, Jane Ohlmeyer, Jack Spaapen, Ma...
Purpose and intended audience The purpose of this session is a debate about innovation in compreh... more Purpose and intended audience The purpose of this session is a debate about innovation in comprehensive methods for the assessment of humanities research. Input will come from preliminary outcomes of an ongoing project in the Netherlands to find adequate indicators for humanities research that will fit in the national Standard Evaluation Protocol. The project includes processes of ‘bottom up’ data collection (that is, with input coming from the research community) and discussion with Humanities researchers, investigating the specific characteristics of publication and communication cultures in the Humanities, and the prospects for the use of quantitative and qualitative indicators. The expected outcome is threefold, first we hope that the materials to be presented will enable a comparison with similar initiatives in the UK, Flanders and Norway. Second, we foresee that the session will strengthen the final outcomes of the Dutch project in view of the international feedback, and third...
This paper presents the findings of the ENRESSH network with relevance to academic and policy com... more This paper presents the findings of the ENRESSH network with relevance to academic and policy communities. As a recently completed COST action running between April 2016 and April 2020, ENRESSH consists of over 150 researchers and policy makers from 40 countries across Europe and beyond. Through its ongoing research and networking, ENRESSH has worked towards two goals: 1) to enhance the visibility of research in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), as well as its potential to address questions around major societal challenges and 2) to develop comprehensive evaluation methods that better fit how researchers in the SSH communicate. In response to the first goal, ENRESSH proposes that, in order to enhance the visibility of the SSH, impact assessments need to be more inclusive, in particular towards the values and practices of the SSH. This could be achieved by focusing on the interaction processes between researchers and stakeholders, by acknowledging different types of impact an...
The goal of this panel is to develop a strategy on how to advocate for the social sciences and hu... more The goal of this panel is to develop a strategy on how to advocate for the social sciences and humanities disciplines and to target funders and policy makers, both at national and at European level. Conclusions will be based on the professional experience of the panelists. The exchange of both advocacy experiences and as examples of actual best practices, challenges, or obstacles will help us in finding a common ground to operate on the European level while taking into account local specificities. This panel will include brief presentations on how to advocate for the social sciences and humanities disciplines in European countries by working with funders, policy makers, researchers and other stakeholders. The session will be based on actual examples of such activities. Presentations will be followed by a moderated Questions and Answers. Chairs/Moderators: Sally Chambers, Elisabeth Ernst, Mateusz Franczak Speakers: Alíz Horváth, Nina Kancewicz-Hoffman, Jane Ohlmeyer, Jack Spaapen, Ma...
Improving pathways to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: first lessons from the SHAPE-ID project – Policy Brief, 2020
This policy brief presents key issues and challenges for fostering interdisciplinary and transdis... more This policy brief presents key issues and challenges for fostering interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in Europe, focusing on the participation of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in such research. It provides concrete guidance to policy makers and funding organisations on how to tackle those issues and maximise the participation of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Final Report on Understandings of Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research and Factors of Success and Failure, 2020
This report presents findings from a literature review and survey undertaken as part of the SHAPE... more This report presents findings from a literature review and survey undertaken as part of the SHAPE-ID Horizon 2020 project (https://www.shapeid.eu), which addresses the challenge of improving interdisciplinary research (IDR) and transdisciplinary research (TDR) between Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines. One of SHAPE-ID’s first objectives was to review existing research on IDR/TDR. Through an extensive evidence-scanning exercise drawing on previous work undertaken and complemented by a survey and interviews, the project aimed: (i) to disentangle the different understandings of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity; (ii) to identify the factors that hinder or help inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration; (iii) to clarify which understandings of IDR/TDR and which factors of success and failure are specifically relevant for integrating AHSS in IDR/TDR.
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