Knowledge Flow

The research collaboration facilitated by the Internet and the greatly increased global mobility of high quality researchers have resulted in a new highly dynamic global marketplace for ideas. The possession of knowledge, the value of which depreciates at an increasingly rapid rate, is no longer as valuable as the ability to participate in the knowledge flows associated with these marketplaces. As observed by John Hagel, et al in the context of business competitiveness, “Knowledge flows – which occur in any social, fluid environment where learning and collaboration can take place – are quickly becoming one of the most crucial sources of value creation.*  A research landscape can thus no longer be thought of as static. Rather, it requires understanding the dynamics of the relevant knowledge flows.   We are developing bibliometric techniques based on publication and citation data to map flows of scientific knowledge between countries and between institutions, to quantify them, and to semantically analyze them in order to understand what knowledge is being used in what way. This work will provide a basis for the definition of new indicators of research impact and research competitiveness.

^* J. Hagel III, Seeley Brown, L. Davison, Measuring the forces of long-term change, The 2009 Shift Index, Deloitte Center for the Edge, 2009.