The Science of Science Management strives to systematically study NIH’s management of biomedical research and development to improve decision making in planning, implementing, and disseminating biomedical research for the improvement of public health.  Initial efforts will focus on the development of needed infrastructures and strategies in order to systematically study science management topics.  The objectives below capture the initial focus. For instance, exploring patterns, pathways, and profiles may reveal more appropriate methods for assessing science.  Findings from these efforts are likely to provide evidence-based results as a basis for decision making.  As capacity is built to conduct assessment studies and the benefits of the results are distributed, it is likely that enhanced and more appropriate assessment metrics, strategies, and tools will emerge.  These enhancements may help assess science and science management, especially for high reward/high risk, innovative, and transformative research. 

Science of Science Management Objectives:

Objective 1: Identify potential science management intervention or tension points by studying patterns, pathways and profiles of science discoveries and scientists’ careers.

Objective 2: Provide evidence-based results that can be utilized for science decision-making, planning, prediction, and policies.

Objective 3: Build capacity and infrastructure to conduct science management assessment projects that result in enhanced approaches for assessing performance.

Objective 4: Develop dissemination and communication strategies and resources that enable the diffusion of assessment strategies into science management practices.