This conference will bring together leading and up and coming researchers across a range of social science disciplines and provide an open forum to promote the emerging academic discussion about new developments in research and innovation policy and their effects on knowledge production, innovation  and grand challenges at different levels.

The conference welcomes papers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and traditions, including policy studies, political science, sociology, science and technology studies, public administration, the economics of science and innovation, research management, entrepreneurship, technology assessment and evaluation studies. The organizers encourage contributions that conceptually and/or empirically advance the topic.

Specific Themes:

1. New patterns, drivers and models of innovation
2. Policy instruments and their coordination
3. Governance of transformative change
4. New methods of policy analysis

The conference will be a major part of Fraunhofer ISI’s 40th anniversary in 2012, and the institute organizes the Eu-SPRI Conference 2012 as a major part of the celebrations throughout the year.