The potential theoretical effects of structured dialogue in public research funding processes
Illustrated with a medical research case from a high-income country in Europe
Keywords:
public research funding, dialogue, document analysis, dementia, world caféAbstract
European medical research projects are becoming increasingly diverse and international. Researchers are encouraged to engage with stakeholders in society to ensure that research and innovation make substantive contributions to societal well-being. The medical and social cost of dementia for society is higher than for cancer, but dementia researchers are awarded only a fraction of the cancer research funding amount. This theoretical study, accompanied by an empirical case from a high-income country in Europe, suggests that public research funding models do not align the medical research objectives of policymakers, public decision-makers and executing researchers and that the introduction of structured dialogue between the parties can mitigate this misalignment. This impacts the research in less mature sciences, such as dementia research, more negatively. Implementation of structured dialogue in the public research funding processes will reduce stakeholder tensions and improve the achievement of the participating parties' objectives. Structured dialogue can be implemented through a proven World Café dialogue method.
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