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CAPABILITIES SUPPORTING AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH, 2023
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For information, feedback or suggestions, email Dr Isabel Ceron via isabel.ceron@socialsciences.org.au
WHAT ARE WE MAPPING and WHY?
WHAT ARE WE MAPPING and WHY?
Research. From up close, it appears as a multitude of intricate projects.
Collectively, though, social science research aims much simpler, bigger and higher:
To imagine and support the social innovations that will drive Australia's prosperity and wellbeing, and
To empower our citizens to achieve an ever fairer and more inclusive society.
What role does research infrastructure play in all this?
THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB
THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB
Research infrastructure is all about support.
The supports researchers need to...
Ask better questions
Find better answers
Work faster and smarter
Reach more people
Solve more problems
And overall... do more good.
We are mapping the supports, or 'capabilities', supporting these ten research functions in the Australian social sciences research ecosystem.
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY 'CAPABILITY'?
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY 'CAPABILITY'?
Anything designed to do research bigger, better or faster
That could be shared with others
And requires ongoing maintenance
FROM FUNCTIONS >>> TO CAPABILITIES
FROM FUNCTIONS >>> TO CAPABILITIES
Function
What and why
Capability examples
❶Collective memory
Making publicly available texts, images, and other records critical to Australians understanding their past, present and future.
- Public archive
- Digital library/museum
❷Citizen science
Opening channels for citizens to contribute records or materials to nationally significant projects, data lakes and collections.
- Data donation platform
- Crowdsourcing platform
❸Big data
Nurturing large, national significant collections, to serve as inputs into next-gen research (national projects, data mining methods).
- Research-ready national collections
- Training in machine learning and AI
❹Data linkage & sharing
Minimising duplication and maximising collaboration, by sharing data and tools curated or produced for individual projects.
- Linkage of government administrative records
- Longitudinal surveys
❺Promoting findings
Day-to-day promotion of scientific achievements, with an eye on improving social understanding and use of science.
- Government liaison office
- Public lecture program
❻Action research
Involving non-academic participants as equals in the design, execution and utilisation of research.
- Futures modelling labs
- Community organisation secondments
❼Design & innovation
Supporting the translation of social science research into social innovations, whether socially- or commercially-oriented.
- Social enterprise incubator
- Social-science specific industry partnerships and commercialisation support
❽Synthesis of knowledge
Keeping tab and communicating effectively what current science says about different questions, to inform the design of policy, commercial products and technologies, and public discourse.
- Research databases
- Think tanks
- Patent directory
❾Watch and safeguard
Supporting the science-based evaluation of how social technologies are performing: government, policy, legislation, education, planning and management.
- Policy observatory
- Social media observatory
❿Research agendas
Understanding the research landscape (over-studied and understudied research areas, capability gaps) to plan future research investments strategically.
- Learned academies
PROJECT PARTNERS
PROJECT PARTNERS
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