Diagnosis of Science Research. Discussion from the Science Policy Perspective

The presentation is going to investigate science from the European Union perspective and next more specifically refer to the Polish case study. The research is seeking answers to the following questions: a) what is/what are the model(s) of science in the contemporary European Union ? and consequently b) what is the understanding of science based on various discourses?

The suggested presentation is an ongoing PhD research. The main research problem is to conceptualize and empirically reconstruct the understanding of science. The research is based on the three steps of analysis: first one includes the methodology of grounded theory to make the analysis of legal documents from the sociological point of view, second refers to the media debate upon science and the content analysis is used and third assumes the process of conducting interviews with scientists and project managers. The analysis runs from the most abstract macro level towards more micro and concrete evidences in the process of reconstruction science understanding in Poland.

The perspective of science policy is highlighted to visualize the phenomenon of  “politicisation of science”, changing roles of scientists and discuss a contradiction between openness  in science and bureaucratization of science. The key concept recalls the ethos of science understood as academic versus post-academic science where classical meaning of science is constituted on external factors driven by the pursuit of research funds (Sztompka 2007).