The research project and academic careers

The “research project” has become a widespread form of financing and coordinating research activities. This is not only true for the natural sciences, but also for the social sciences and even the humanities. The institutionalization of project work transforms the practice of research, which no longer takes place as a “freely roaming” activity guided by the interests of the scientists, but as a sequence of clearly defined tasks delineated by deadlines and milestones. In this context, one may ask: do projects change academic careers as well? The hypothesis is that they are relevant in different respects: 1. Projects require new competences. As projects should be carefully planned and monitored, researchers must be able to behave as managers. Moreover, in order to obtain project grants, it is necessary to have the ability of translating complex findings into convincing statements. 2. Projects also influence scientific reputation, which no longer relies exclusively on publications, but also on project funds obtained. 3. At the beginning of academic careers, projects provide more people the chance to engage in research activities and be socialized in science practices in an early phase. Later on, projects allow more experienced researchers to obtain funds to engage in autonomous research on specific issues. 4. Since project planning and financing require time, the number of academic positions with managerial and administrative tasks increase in both universities and funding organizations.

Under certain circumstances, project work opens up new opportunities and scientists become an autonomous “self-entrepreneurial” workforce. In other cases, researchers experience these new arrangements as a burden, e.g., researchers who collaborate in many different projects over the years require a good deal of flexibility to adapt to the different project aims. This can be very onerous and entails the risk of losing a specific disciplinary profile as a scientist.