How (not) to design and implement a large-scale, interdisciplinary research infrastructure
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Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2020
Type of student thesis
Course of study
Type
01A - Journal article
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Editor (Corporation)
Supervisor
Parent work
Science and Public Policy
Special issue
DOI of the original publication
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Series
Series number
Volume
47
Issue / Number
6
Pages / Duration
818-828
Patent number
Publisher / Publishing institution
Oxford University Press
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Edition
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Abstract
Research is increasingly carried out in large-scale, interdisciplinary research programs that aim to tackle complex, multidimensional, and future-oriented challenges. We explore the case of the Swiss Initiative in Systems Biology (SystemsX.ch), the largest ever Swiss research program, and more specifically the partial failure of the program’s IT-project SyBIT. Apart from providing IT and data science support, SyBIT aimed to establish a common data repository. The establishment of this common data repository failed. Based on an interdisciplinary analytical framework, we propose that five explanatory factors account for this failure: a lack of demand from researchers, technological complexity of heterogeneous data formats, absence of governance decisions in favor of the data repository, interpersonal problems, and political difficulties. We conclude that for large-scale research infrastructure, the policy design is crucial for success, given that it can result in positive or negative after effects, such as user resistance versus acceptance and technological complexity versus coherence.
Keywords
data repository, systems biology, IT project, large-scale, research program, design failure, implementation failure, success factors
Subject (DDC)
Event
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ISBN
ISSN
1471-5430
0302-3427
0302-3427
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
No
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Closed
License
Citation
Kaufmann, D., Künzler, J., & Sager, F. (2020). How (not) to design and implement a large-scale, interdisciplinary research infrastructure. Science and Public Policy, 47(6), 818–828. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scaa042