The Swiss Army Knives of Academia: Evaluating the Impact of University-Based Research Centers

Abstract

University-based research centers today form an integral part of the global research landscape. Due to their versatility, they have become a popular instrument of strategic research policy over the past few decades. At the same time, the growing demand for accountability has moved research centers along with universities into the focus of evaluation and impact assessment. The most widely used evaluation approaches in the university context, however, fall short in the case of inter- and transdisciplinary research centers as they do not adequately take into account some of their characteristic features. In view of the current academic reward system, which stresses disciplinary productivity, this shortcoming has far-reaching implications for the reputation of inter- and transdisciplinary research and the willingness of individual researchers to engage in corresponding research centers. Against this background, this dissertation aims to contribute to a better understanding of research centers, their impact potential, and the methodological challenges associated with their evaluation. Conceived as a cumulative dissertation, three journal articles constitute the main body of the work. The case study is a research center in the field of sustainability science, the Competence Center Environment and Sustainability (CCES) of the ETH Domain in Switzerland. The dissertation is largely based on archival data from the research center under scrutiny, bibliometric data, and expert interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed, inter alia, within the framework of a quasi-experimental research design. Statistical analyses were carried out using different methods, including multiple regression, multi-level analysis, and growth curve modeling. The dissertation comes to the conclusion that a comprehensive evaluation of research centers requires methodological triangulation. While quantitative evaluation approaches can shed light on key aspects, their results have to be interpreted in a wider context, including qualitative evidence. Research centers can contribute to a cultural change in the academic reward system by mobilizing a critical mass of researchers. Finally, the dissertation provides empirical evidence suggesting that engagement in research centers does not have a negative impact on the research productivity of individuals and their groups. On the basis of its main findings, the dissertation discusses recommendations that aim at improving evaluation practice in the context of inter- and transdisciplinary research centers and beyond.