Innovation agents and innovation tracks: CSIRO research scientists and their peers
Jane Marceau
Innovation and Technology Policy Analyst and Visiting Professor, City Futures Research Centre, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW
Tim Turpin
Centre for Industry and Innovation Studies, University of Western Sydney, Parramatta NSW
PP: 125 - 135
Abstract
Ultimately it is people who innovate; these innovators are often scientists and technologists. This paper presents data from a 2003-4 study of careers followed by research scientists working in areas of traditional strength in Australia - agriculture, earth sciences, life sciences and medical sciences.
Carried out via the web and targeted to scientists who were publishing in journals located in the Web of Science, the study received usable responses from 515 research scientists covering principally country of education, field of research, five major positions held and motivations for changing jobs, salaries, time spent on research as careers progressed.
Respondents were working largely in the public sector, mostly in higher education but with a significant sub-sample working in Commonwealth agencies, notably the CSIRO. The paper presents the experience of the general population of respondents and compares it where possible with that of CSIRO.
Keywords
science and technology research careers, qualifications of science and technology personnel, HRST mobility, innovation personnel, innovation tracks, knowledge transfer
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