Science System
Institutions, funding, people and infrastructure through which research is produced and governed.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
3 bundles · 4 layers · 6 findings · 13 questions
Actors and infrastructure Who performs, funds and governs research within the system.
Performers and funders
Research performing organisations, funders and policy bodies with their roles.
Actor roles
Each actor is recorded with its role as performer, funder, policy body or infrastructure.
- Which organisations perform research in this system, and in which sectors?
- Which bodies fund research, and through which instruments?
- Which body sets research policy for the system?
Research infrastructures
Shared facilities and data services that the system relies on.
- Which research infrastructures are operated within the system, and by whom?
- Who may access each infrastructure, and on what terms?
Inputs and outputs What goes into the system and what it produces.
Funding and personnel
Research expenditure and research personnel by sector and field.
Expenditure by sector
Research spending is reported by performing sector and source of funds.
- What is the reported research expenditure, by sector and source of funds, for the period?
- Which measurement manual does the expenditure figure follow?
Research personnel
Researchers and support staff counted by headcount and full-time equivalent.
- How many researchers are counted, in headcount and full-time equivalent?
- Which classification of fields and sectors is used for the count?
Outputs
Publications, data, patents and other results attributed to the system.
Attributed outputs
Outputs are attributed to actors through persistent identifiers.
- Which identifiers link outputs to researchers and organisations?
- Which output types are counted, and which are left out?
Governance and evaluation How the system is steered and assessed.
Policy and assessment
Strategies, funding rules and research assessment exercises.
Assessment practice
The system has stated rules for evaluating researchers and institutions.
- Which assessment exercise or criteria apply to institutions in the system?
- Does the assessment rely on publication metrics, peer review or both?
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Society, people and institutions
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.SOC.CIV.SCI
- Domain
- SOC.CIV.SCI
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- sciencesystemsoc.civ.sci
What it is Filled
A science system is the organised whole of institutions, people, funding and infrastructure through which a country, region or field produces and governs research. It covers research performers, funders, policy bodies, research infrastructures and the flows of money, people and outputs between them; a single study, publication or institution is a part of it, not the system.
Why it exists Filled
Institutions, funding, people and infrastructure through which research is produced and governed.
Distinguishing features Filled
- It is a system of actors and flows, not a single organisation, study or publication.
- Measured through standard input and output statistics, such as research expenditure and personnel by sector.
- Distinct from the education system, although universities belong to both.
- Distinct from a research study, which is one activity performed inside the system.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Rank researchers or institutions on a single metric presented as quality.
- Attribute outputs to people or organisations without identifier evidence.
- Mix figures compiled under different manuals without saying so.
- Disclose unpublished grant applications or peer review content.
- Present a funding or assessment decision as made when it is only proposed.
Only with a human decision
- Deciding research funding allocations.
- Approving the outcome of a research assessment exercise.
- Publishing official science and technology indicators.
May
- Compile statistics on research expenditure, personnel and outputs from official sources.
- Map actors, funders and infrastructures with their persistent identifiers.
- Report the classification and manual behind each figure.
Moral aspects Filled
- Assessment rules shape careers and research agendas, so narrow metrics can distort what science is done.
- Funding concentration can exclude regions, fields and early-career researchers.
- Research integrity depends on transparent attribution and open access to results.
Who is affected
- Researchers and research staff
- Research performing institutions
- Funders and taxpayers
- Society that uses research results
Owners Filled
Steward
A national research ministry or statistics office that maintains the official description and indicators of the system.
Master systems
- Current research information system
- National research statistics database
- Funder grant management system
- Organisation identifier registry
Links to other meta-models Filled
contains
- wm-act-036-research-study - Individual studies are activities performed within the system.
related
- wm-rec-004-scholarly-publication - Publications are a main output counted for the system.
references
- wm-org-001-organization - Performers, funders and policy bodies are organisations.
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- A science system is identified by the jurisdiction or field it covers and the reporting period.
- Its actors are identified by organisation identifiers such as ROR, and researchers by ORCID iDs.
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
A science system is an institutional arrangement with no physical properties to measure.
Recognition optional Filled
- A science system is recognised by a set of research performers, funders and policy bodies within a defined scope.
- Often confused with a single university, a funding agency or a national research strategy.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Research expenditure and personnel can be measured by sector and field.
- Outputs can be attributed to actors through persistent identifiers.
- Funding flows can be traced from funder to performer through grant records.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Metric-driven assessment that rewards volume over quality.
- Misattribution of outputs through ambiguous names and affiliations.
- Non-comparable statistics across countries using different definitions.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- OECD Frascati Manual definitions for research and development statistics.
- CERIF data model for current research information systems.
- ORCID for researchers and ROR for research organisations.
Context of use required Filled
- Used by ministries, funders and statistics offices that steer and report on research.
- International comparison relies on shared statistical manuals.
Sources Filled
- Frascati Manual: Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental Development (OECD)
- Common European Research Information Format, CERIF (euroCRIS)
- UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers (UNESCO)
Open questions
- Planned model: boundary questions, research and every section remain to be written.
Machine files
Provenance
planned (registry candidate) · todo
Built from: models/runtime-index.json, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-civ-006-science-system.json
Planned entry, hidden from the catalogue until researched.