Academic Research Centers: Platforms for Convergence of Science, Technology, and Innovation

Abstract

This chapter contains a brief survey of a representative set of established academic research centers programs, which provide platforms for the convergence of science, technology, and innovation in the academic world. Three programs are discussed: Science and Technology Centers supported by the National Science Foundation (US), Centers of Excellence supported by the Danish National Research Foundation, and the Centres for Science and Engineering Technology supported by the Science Foundation Ireland, as well as the impact they have had on the research landscapes within their purview. The description of the aforementioned academic research centers programs includes their center models and evaluation processes. Two representative examples of each program’s centers are used to illustrate a broad range of research areas and organizational structures and to elucidate developing trends. Next, the common and distinctive features of these programs are delineated with an emphasis on the role that academic research centers play as agents of change and, more importantly, the all-pervasive role of their knowledge transfer models as platforms for convergence and how these fit within the context of the Convergence of Knowledge, Technology, and Society. Finally, the last section summarizes some of the emerging trends that reveal how centers respond to the evolving interaction between scientific research, and societal needs, and identifies the pièce de résistance, the emerging model of what can be termed a “center without borders” – a dynamic center model that facilitates amassing resources as needed – to attack some of the most challenging problems facing society.