Originally launched in Turin, the workshop location rotates between major European research locations such as the Centre for Research on Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Bath (2018), the GREThA at the Université de Bordeaux-CNRS (2019), and KU Leuven in (2022). Already in 2020, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition hosted the 14th WOEPSR. However, it could only take place online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Next year, the workshop is set to return to its founding institution, the University of Turin.
The organizing team of WOEPSR 2023 included Dietmar Harhoff, Michael E. Rose, and Elisabeth Hofmeister from the Max Planck Institute of Innovation and Competition. Joint organizers were Hanna Hottenrott, Thomas Schaper, and Julian Schwierzy from TUM.
This year’s workshop was finally held in person again. Everyone markedly enjoyed the personal exchange over the course of the workshop: recurring participants reunited, while aspiring researchers had an excellent opportunity to network within this enthusiastic community.
The 18 presentations in five sessions over two days were very well received by up to 60 participants. A particular highlight was the panel discussion themed “AI and Science” that included panelists from both industry and academia. The audience could engage in an in-depth discussion of what AI changes in science ‒ and what remains untouched.
The Topics at a Glance
The first day started with presentations on the role of universities in coordinating scientific research as well as the impact of the working language in research institutions on attracting scientific talent. In the second session, presenters investigated the effects of different political shocks on scientists’ productivity as well as the ties between domestic and foreign scientists. The day continued with questions related to different ways of research funding, such as grant schemes and procurement measures. In the last session, presenters examined the search process of scientists as well as the impact of advisor relationships on individual careers.
As a tribute to the late Paul A. David, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, the first day concluded with a memorial session. Paul, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was not only a pivotal scholar in the economics of scientific progress and technical change, but an esteemed and long-standing member of the WOEPSR scientific committee. Many friends and family members attended the session, both in person and online, to share their personal memories.
In honor of Paul David’s contributions to this field, the “2023 WOEPSR Award in Memory of Paul A. David” was presented to Dror Shvadron for his work “Bread Upon the Waters: Corporate Science and the Benefits from Follow-on Public Research”. The award will be given annually to a young economist under the age of 40 or within less than 10 years of receiving a doctoral degree.
The second day began with two presentations on the benefits of publicly funded research. The final session of the workshop titled “AI in Science and Innovation” took up questions from the panel discussion. Presenters not only investigated how AI can act as a manager in science projects, but also showed how novel AI applications can be used to better measure two common concepts in the economics of science: the impact of science and the origin of ideas.
See the complete program with all topics here.
More information on the workshop website and further impressions on Twitter under #woepsr2023.
We thank all organizing parties involved as well as all participants, speakers and discussants for a truly exceptional and inspiring workshop and look forward to WOEPSR 2024 in Turin.