Biography

Professor of Science and Technology Policy Studies

BA (first class honours) degree in Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, and Kitchener Scholar (Churchill College, Cambridge); MSc ('The Structure and Organisation of Science and Technology'), University of Manchester

Professor Ben Martin studied physics as an undergraduate at Cambridge and science policy as a postgraduate at Manchester. He has carried out research for 30 years in the field of science policy, serving as the Principal Investigator or Project Leader on over 50 research projects and commissioned studies. These have been mostly concerned with the development of techniques for generating systematic information to aid decision-making in relation to science, engineering and technology.

Among the areas in which he has made a contribution are:

• the first evaluation of ‘big science’ facilities using ‘converging partial indicators’
• assessments of research performance in ‘small science’ and engineering
• evaluation of technological ‘spin-offs’ and training benefits from research
• analysis of position of women in science and factors affecting career development
• appraisal of impact of strategic and applied research government programmes
• evaluation of government support mechanisms for research
• assessment of national research performance, especially the UK’s performance
• some of the first studies of foresight in science and technology
• production of first truly comparable international statistics on government funding of academic and related research; comparison of  research inputs and outputs
• analysis of the factors determining research performance (e.g. economies of scale)
• different approaches to university research assessment, and use of indicators
• analysis of links between science and technology
• nature of research collaboration
• identifying users (and their long-term research needs) for environmental sciences
• economic benefits of publicly funded research and rationale for public funding
• evolving links between university departments and industry
• changing national research systems
• impact of social science research on non-academic audiences
• impact of the Culyer changes on R&D in the NHS
• changing ‘social contract’ between universities/research and the state
• analysis of ‘creative knowledge environments’
• assessment of research in the social sciences and arts & humanities
• the evolution of science policy and innovation studies

Some of the main contributions are summarised in the Professorial Lecture that he gave at University of Sussex.

Role

Since 1996, I have been Professor in Science and Technology Policy Studies at SPRU, one of the world's leading institutions in the area of science policy and innovation studies. I served as Director of SPRU from 1997-2004.

In addition, I am currently Associate Fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP), University of Cambridge, where I was invited to give the Second Distinguished Lecture on 3 March 2010. A video of this lecture, entitled ‘Science Policy Research – Can Research Influence Policy? How? And Does It Make for Better Policy?', is available on the web. I am also Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Business Research, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

Research

science policy research policy technology foresight science indicators research evaluation university-industry links research collaboration university policy

Teaching

For several years, I was the Convenor for the MSc course on ‘Political Economy of Science and Technology’.

From 2005-2009, I was Course Convenor for ‘Communication Skills for Business and Management’ for first-year undergraduates in Business and Management Studies.

I have supervised over 20 doctoral students, who have successfully completed their DPhil theses, and am currently supervising about 6 more doctoral students.

Each year, I also supervise around four MSc dissertations.

Student Consultation

I am currently working in Norway until mid-December 2007.

In the Spring Term, I shall be available from 1pm to 2pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please email me if you would like to come and see me.

Selected publications

Ben has published seven books, seven monographs and official government reports, and approximately 50 refereed journal articles, and produced 170 other reports and papers. He is an Editor of Research Policy, and an Editorial Adviser to Scientometrics, Research Evaluation, Social Studies of Science, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. In 1997, John Irvine and he were awarded the Derek de Solla Price Medal for Quantitative Science Studies. He helped set up the UK Technology Foresight Programme and was a member of the Foresight Steering Group from 1993 to 2000.

Journal articles

B.R. Martin et al., 2009, 'EES and the Continuing Evolution of Research Policy', Research Policy, 38, pp. 695-99.

P. Morlacchi and B.R. Martin, 2009, 'Emerging Challenges for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research: A Reflexive Overview', Research Policy, 38, pp. 571-82.

H. Bouabid and B.R. Martin, 2009, 'Evaluation of Moroccan research using a bibliometric-based approach: confirmation of the accuracy of the h-index', Scientometrics 78 (2), pp.203-217.

S. Hemlin, C.M. Allwood and B.R. Martin, 2008, 'Creative Knowledge Environments', Creativity Research Journal 20 (2), pp.196-210.

B.R Martin et al., 2007, 'Keeping plagiarism at bay-A salutary tale', Research Policy, 36, pp.905-911.

A. Geuna and B.R. Martin, 2003, 'University Research Evaluation and Funding: An International Comparison', Minerva, 41, pp.277-304.

B.R. Martin and H. Etzkowitz, 2001, 'The Origin and Evolution of the University Species', Journal for Science and Technology Studies (Tidskrift för Vetenskaps- och Teknikstudier, VEST), 13, pp.9-34.

A.J. Salter and B.R. Martin, 2001, 'The Economic Benefits of Publicly Funded Basic Research: A Critical Review', Research Policy, 30, pp.509-32.

B.R. Martin and R. Johnston, 1999, 'Technology Foresight for Wiring Up the National Innovation System: Experiences in Britain, Australia and New Zealand', Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 60, pp.37-54.

M. MacLean, B.R. Martin and J. Anderson, 1998, 'The Identification of Research Priorities: Mapping Science Outputs onto User Needs', Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 10, pp.139-55.

S. Katz and B.R. Martin, 1997, 'What is Research Collaboration?', Research Policy, 26, pp.1-18.

D. Hicks, P.A. Isard and B.R. Martin, 1996, 'A Morphology of Japanese and European Corporate Research Networks', Research Policy, 25, pp.359-78.

B.R. Martin, 1995, 'Foresight in Science and Technology', Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 7, pp.139-68.

J. Irvine, B.R. Martin, J. Abraham and T. Peacock, 1987, 'Assessing Basic Research: Reappraisal and Update of an Evaluation of Four Radio Astronomy Observatories', Research Policy, 16, pp.213-27.

B.R. Martin and J. Irvine, 1985, 'Evaluating the Evaluators: A Reply to Our Critics', Social Studies of Science, 15, pp.558-75.

J. Irvine and B.R. Martin, 1985, 'Basic Research in the East and West: A Comparison of the Scientific Performance of High-Energy Physics Accelerators', Social Studies of Science, 15, pp.293-341.

B.R. Martin and J. Irvine, 1984, 'CERN: Past Performance and Future Prospects - III - CERN and the Future of World High-Energy Physics', Research Policy, 13, pp.311-42.

J. Irvine and B.R. Martin, 1984, 'CERN: Past Performance and Future Prospects - II - The Scientific Performance of the CERN Accelerators', Research Policy, 13, pp.247-84.

B.R. Martin and J. Irvine, 1984, 'CERN: Past Performance and Future Prospects - I - CERN's Position in World High-Energy Physics', Research Policy, 13, pp.183-210.

B.R. Martin and J. Irvine, 1983, 'Assessing Basic Research: Some Partial Indicators of Scientific Progress in Radio Astronomy', Research Policy, 12, pp.61-90.

J. Irvine and B.R. Martin, 1983, 'Assessing Basic Research: The Case of the Isaac Newton Telescope', Social Studies of Science, 13, pp.49-86.

B.R. Martin and J. Irvine, 1981, 'Spin-Off from Basic Science: The Case of Radio Astronomy', Physics in Technology, 12, pp.204-12.

Book chapters

B.R. Martin and R. Whitley, 2010, 'The UK Research Assessment Exercise: a Case of Regulatory Capture?', Chapter 2 (pp.51-80) in R. Whitley, J. Gläser and L. Engwall (eds), Reconfiguring Knowledge Production: Changing Authority Relationships in the Sciences and their Consequences for Intellectual Innovation, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

J. Calvert and B. Martin, 2001, 'Science Funding: Europe', pp.13676-80 in N.J. Smelser and P.B. Baltes (eds), International Encyclopaedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 20 (S. Jasanoff (ed.), Science and Technology Studies) Oxford and New York: Elsevier Science.

Reports

Lord Sutherland et al., 2010, Setting Priorities for Publicly Funded Research, Science and Technology Committee 3^rd Report of Session 2009-10, London: House of Lords HL Paper 104-I (contributed to preparation of report as Specialist Adviser).

Sir M. Taylor et al., 2010, The Scientific Century: securing our future prosperity, London: The Royal Society (co-author as member of Royal Society Advisory Group on 'The Fruits of Curiosity').

D.C. Mowery, R.R. Nelson and B.R. Martin, 2009, Technology Policy and Global Warming: Why New Policy Models are Needed (Or Why Putting New Wine in Old Bottles Won't Work), National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), London.

B.R. Martin and P. Tang, 2006, The Economic and Social Benefits of Publicly Funded Basic Research, Report to the Office of Science and Innovation, Department of Trade and Industry, Brighton: SPRU.

J. Calvert and B.R. Martin, 2001, 'Changing Conceptions of Basic Research?', Background Report prepared for the OECD Workshop on Policy Relevance and Measurement of Basic Research, Oslo 29-30 October 2001.

B.R. Martin, 2001, 'Technology Foresight in a Rapidly Globalizing Economy', Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Technology Foresight for Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States', Vienna, Austria, 4-5 April 2001.

Working papers

B.R. Martin, 2008, 'The Evolution of Science Policy and Innovation Studies'.