Post:	Professor of Science and Technology Policy Studies
Other posts:	Professor of Science and Technology Policy Studies (Business and Management)
Location:	Freeman Centre
Email:	B.Martin@sussex.ac.uk
Telephone numbers
Internal:	3562
UK:	(01273) 873562
International:	+44 1273 873562

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

• the first evaluation of 'big science' facilities using the method of 'converging partial indicators'
• evaluation of the 'spin-offs' from research
• women in science and factors affecting their career development
• assessment of government research programmes
• assessment of national scientific performance and the first empirical data on the state of UK science
• pioneering the notion of 'foresight' foresight' as a tool for looking into the longer-term future of science and technology with the aim of identifying areas of research and technology likely to yield the greatest benefits
• production of the first truly comparable international statistics on government funding of academic and related research, and comparison of the inputs to research with the outputs
• analysis of the factors determining scientific performance (e.g. economies of scale in research)
• different approaches to university research assessment and the use of performance indicators
• analysis of the links between science and technology
• the nature of research collaboration
• the economic benefits of publicly-funded basic research and the rationale for government funding
• the changing nature and role of universities
• Policies for Research and Innovation in the Move towards the ERA - he helped to set up the PRIME Network of Excellence on this funded by the EU FP6

Role

Director of SPRU from 1997-2004, one of the world's leading research institutions in the field of science and technology policy research. SPRU has some 40 academic faculty and covers a wide 'waterfront' in relation to policy for, and the management of, science, technology and innovation. It received a 5A rating in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. Besides being highly regarded in the academic community, SPRU's research has had a major impact on policy in the UK and overseas. SPRU also has a large and thriving Graduate School with 60 MSc students on the four MSc programmes, and 70-80 doctoral students.

Research

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

Teaching

While Director of SPRU, Ben's teaching has been limited to occasional lectures to SPRU MSc students. However, he continues to heavily involved in supervising DPhil students as well as MSc dissertations.

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. He is currently a member of the Technical Opportunities Panel (TOP) of EPSRC.