Abstract
This paper is based on published evidence of such funding of design research activities. It seeks to describe principles that have generated abilities to establish and increase streams of funding from governmental sources and the private sector with a stake in design research. Dipping into such streams of research funding, or creating them, is possible through mixing appropriate tactics and strategies of research approaches and methods. Ideas for such approaches are influenced by levels of realisation of the different needs of agents involved in creating worthwhile research. Prime movers for this process are of course the individuals concerned, but obtaining access to research resources, including time allocation, depends on the academic infrastructure in which people work. Such infrastructures are influenced by ideologies, which in the main only consider design research funding worthwhile if the work is evidently relevant to aspects that increase the status of their operations. The crucial part of this equation, to supply the economic conditions for research, is therefore dependent on individual ability and acceptable aspiration levels. These are based on utilitarian concerns on a tactical level within an overall ideological framework that sets conditions for design research funding. Successfully tapping various and continuing research funding streams is repeatedly done by a number of design researchers. Others who also like to do funded design research have to familiarise themselves with tactical aspects of focusing research and the strategic capability to cluster efforts in order to steer emerging research philosophies towards local and international recognition.
Citation
van der Lem, P. (2004) Conditions for Research Funding., in Redmond, J., Durling, D. and de Bono, A (eds.), Futureground - DRS International Conference 2004, 17-21 November, Melbourne, Australia. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2004/researchpapers/6
Conditions for Research Funding.
This paper is based on published evidence of such funding of design research activities. It seeks to describe principles that have generated abilities to establish and increase streams of funding from governmental sources and the private sector with a stake in design research. Dipping into such streams of research funding, or creating them, is possible through mixing appropriate tactics and strategies of research approaches and methods. Ideas for such approaches are influenced by levels of realisation of the different needs of agents involved in creating worthwhile research. Prime movers for this process are of course the individuals concerned, but obtaining access to research resources, including time allocation, depends on the academic infrastructure in which people work. Such infrastructures are influenced by ideologies, which in the main only consider design research funding worthwhile if the work is evidently relevant to aspects that increase the status of their operations. The crucial part of this equation, to supply the economic conditions for research, is therefore dependent on individual ability and acceptable aspiration levels. These are based on utilitarian concerns on a tactical level within an overall ideological framework that sets conditions for design research funding. Successfully tapping various and continuing research funding streams is repeatedly done by a number of design researchers. Others who also like to do funded design research have to familiarise themselves with tactical aspects of focusing research and the strategic capability to cluster efforts in order to steer emerging research philosophies towards local and international recognition.