Mapping COVID-19 research in context

Professional scientific data related to the COVID-19 pandemic is constantly increasing, yet a significant percent of all applicable knowledge remains latent and fragmented posing major challenges to information management. In order to support the global scientific fight against the pandemic, we created the COVID Knowledge Map and Knowledge Base platform (DOI: 10.14755/COVIDSCIMAP). The new site intends to map and structuralize the multidisciplinary knowledge base related to COVID-19, with special focus on the internal structures of global scientific output. While investigating the structure of scientific output related to COVID-19 in the widest sense, we primarily relied on bibliometric methods. Through the combined efforts of bibliometric and software experts, we gladly present our knowledge map on: www.covidscimap.org. This first phase of our research intelligence service came into being through a voluntary cooperation between Pro-Sharp Hungary Kft. and the Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Department of Science Policy and Scientometrics.

Career models and career building in R&D. Differences and inequalities with regard to job market opportunities, individual relation networks and work-life balance.

The aim of the OTKA (National Fund for Scientific Research) supported research project is to create an overall picture of Hungarian scientific careers, considering inequalities and job market opportunities via qualitative and quantitative methods. As a consortium member, the MTA KIK TTO is responsible for the scientometrical-quantitative analysis and modelling of academic careers. Our main goal is to reveal the macro-level characteristics of Hungarian PhD-holder careers, considering various social and career-related factors (discipline, gender, age, institutional and personal circumstances, etc.) through the research and analysis of scientific metadata.

Supervisor: Sándor Soós
Time frame: 01.02.2016–31.01.2020
Members of the consortium: ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology, MTA TK Institute for Sociology, MTA KIK Department of Science Policy and Scientometrics

PEERE – New frontiers of peer review

Within the PEERE COST Action the collaborative partners (national participants: TTO, RECENS Momentum research team) analyse the effectivity and operation of the peer review system (the anonymous, voluntary evaluation system of scientific communities) with the help of network analysis and simulation models. They also aim at giving constructive and practical advice to cope with the deficiencies of the current system.

KNOWeSCAPE – Analyzing the dynamics of information and knowledge landscapes

The Hungarian participants of the program are experts in knowledge and science mapping (a field engulfed in the methodical structure of network analysis). Prof János Kertész academician (BME, CEU) researches the structure and dynamics of complex knowledge networks, whilst Sándor Soós (MTA KIK) contributes to the aims of KNOWeSCAPE through his research in the cognitive organization of science and in science mapping.

IMPACT-EV - Evaluating the impact and outcomes of European SSH research

The main goal of the IMPACT-EV project is to create a permanently useable controlling and evaluation system with regard to the various effects of research in social sciences and humanities. In addition to making indicators and standards for the evaluation of scientific impact, the project also aims at creating indexes for political and social impact.

Supervisor: Sándor Soós

Summary of the program is available here.

Duration of the project: January 2014–December 2017

Website: http://impact-ev.eu/

Members of the IMPACT-EV consortium: CREA - University of Barcelona (Spain); MTA KIK TTO - Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Science Policy and Scientometrics (Hungary); DANS-KNAW (the Netherlands); CORe - Center for Organisational Research, Universita della Svizzera Italiana (Switzerland); CERIS-CNR - Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth (Italy); Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland); PSPC - Population and Social Policy Consultants (Belgium); HERG - Health Economics Research Group, Brunel University (United Kingdom).

MTA Career Monitoring

The aim of the MTA Career Monitoring project is to evaluate the research support schemes of the MTA available for entry level and postdoctoral researchers (Lendület Program [Momentum Program], MTA Posztdoktori Kutatói Program [MTA Postdoctoral Research Program], Bolyai János Kutatási Ösztöndíj [János Bolyai Research Scholarship] and the MTA young researcher positions), as well as the career and performance of researchers supported by these programs.

Supervisors: Sándor Soós and Éva Pálinkó
Duration of the project: March 2014–

The first phase of the project includes the thorough impact analysis of this prominent research supporting scheme using data of Lendület Program winners. The module applies both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to analyse the effects of Lendület Program on national research communities, individual careers and the operation of various Lendület research groups.

MTMT2 Project

The TTO's role in the MTMT2 project: to prepare the MTMT (The Hungarian Scientific Bibliography) for research evaluation purposes.

Website: https://www.mtmt.hu/

SISOB – An Observatorium for Science in Society based in Social Models

The project is supported by the EU FP7, and it is aimed at developing new tools for the identification of socially relevant researches (analysis and measurement of social impact.) With regard to the applied methods, the analysis of social networks had an essential role in the project, including the social background and circumstances of individual or collaborative scientific achievements and the impact of various social networks on research projects. The main task of the consortium: the development and testing of indicators to evaluate the above features.

Supervisor: Sándor Soós

Duration of the project: 1 January 2011–2013.

Website: http://sisob.lcc.uma.es

The leader of SISOB consortium is Beatriz Barros (University of Malaga). The consortium members: University of Malaga (Spain), Conserjeria de Innovación Ciencia y Empresa (Spain), University of Duisburg Essen (Germany), MTA KSZI/MTA KIK (Hungary), Fondazione Rosseli (Italy), Frontiers Research Foundation (Switzerland), Asociación Civil Grupo Redes (Argentina).

Scientometrics Projects

The employees of the department compare the scientific performance of academic and other national researchers; they continuously produce international comparative analyses about the performance of the overall Hungarian scientific performance, the performance and citation impact of each discipline and their prominent researchers applying data from national and international bibliographic databases. The methodological and theoretical developments that enable the introduction of new bibliometric services are constructed with the assistance of András Schubert (editor of Scientometrics, an international journal in scientometrics) and Wolfgang Glänzel (professor of the Catholic University of Leuven, co-editor of Scientometrics).

Data Collection about Careers of Doctorate Holders

The financial support acquired by the KSH [Hungarian Central Statistical Office] via a Eurostat tender in 2010 enabled Hungary to join an international program dealing with postdoctoral career monitoring (Careers of Doctorate Holders, CDH). The KSH and the MTA Institute for Research Organization signed a co-operation agreement regarding CDH research. A detailed analysis of the survey can be foundhere (in Hungarian).

The Young Researcher Tender System within the MTA Research Network

The 1991 annual general assembly of the MTA called attention to the fact that financial complications may have harmful consequences on the next generation of researchers. "The General Assembly believes that it is mandatory to validate additional resources to support entrant researchers." (Akadémiai Értesítõ, 10 March 1992, p. 28). The Young Researcher Tender System of the Academy was created in 1992, after the parliament had passed a national budget bill including a 30 million HUF additional support (wage-fund) for the employment of young researchers at the Academy. This highly beneficial form of state aid is still in practice: the support of young researchers is a separate item in the MTA budget. The number of new employees via this support scheme shows an annual fluctuation. In recent years the Academy took up 60-70 young researchers when sources were low, and 100-120 when sources were more favourable. Employment contracts are fixed term, 3 years in general.

Following the approval of the assembly of the MTA secretary in 2010, the Institute for Research Organization started the analysis of the Young Researcher Tender System's operation for the 1992-2010 period. A summary of this research is available here (in Hungarian).

Researcher Career Monitoring (KPR)

The KPR was created with the aim of providing useful information for the MTA, the national higher educational institutions and other participants of the R&D sector about the career characteristics of (young) researchers, about their mobility and their job market expectations. This information may be utilised in the decision making procedures of the R&D sector. The main parts of the system are as follows:
- stages of a research career
- essential factors of a research career
- research strategies
- ways of advancement on the job market with special attention to the differences between the Hungarian and international job market
- mobility trends,
- attrition

The project focuses on those researchers who committed themselves to a scientific career (from PhD students planning on becoming researchers to the winners of the above mentioned Lendület program). The TTO regularly conducts qualitative research (interviews). Quantitative career monitoring is done through cyclical data collection.