A year in review

It being year's end, I'd like to reflect on what has gone into this blog. I began with a broad agenda to advocate research and describe research efforts around the world.

I followed a few hot topics, for example biodiversity and the application of systems biology to biomedical research. But science communications is just one facet of my blogging interests.

I am also interested in the centers that do the research, and especially, the research policy behind these centers. I am keen to compare the policy experiments in Europe, the US and Asia.

Places like Biopolis, in Singapore, are successfully forging links between government and industry to support research. Biopolis is well funded and now employs high calibre researchers trained in Europe and the US.

Attempts to fund research with joint public/private partners can be found everywhere. Biopolis represents one approach to joint funding, with research interests extending across the biological sciences.

Another approach is found at the Kluyver Centre in the Netherlands, which focuses on a particular application, namely industrial fermentation. Kluyver's strategy has also been successful, as is evident from the generous support added by its new industrial partner Tate and Lyle.

I learned a lot while writing this blog. I discovered Euractiv, Cordis and AlphaGalileo, three excellent news distribution organizations with a focus on research news. Euractiv and AlphaGalileo are independent, while Cordis is an official news channel for European Commission research activities.

All three channels are rich sources for breaking news about scientific discoveries and for science policy developments. I gained from them a steady stream of facts and figures with which to form opinions about European research.

What defines a good research environment? Should research be conducted in fast- paced research hotels with precise goals and short to medium term time horizons? What role should institutes and university faculties play in research?

Should research aim to bring a direct commercial benefit to the funding agencies that support them? Should the private sector pay for fundamental research, or should it become involved only during the final commercialization phase of research and development?

These are key questions towards understanding where research is headed, and the kinds of research cultures we should expect to see in future.