Positioning indicators 

The aim of "positioning indicators" proposed by OST is to compare the changing profiles and positions of R&D actors

OST-produced indicators make it possible for each research actor – whether a country, a region or a research institution – to characterise its own scientific activity and to compare it with the activity of other partners or competitors, as well as to track its development over time.

A Versatile and Well-Equipped Staff

The OST staff comprises complementary skill sets, centered around the specialised OST database

The OST database is a large tool made up of data on budgets, expenditures, human resources, scientific publications, patent filings, and the like. For over 15 years, the OST team (computer scientists, statisticians, policy researchers, and others) has produced indicators that are comparative, robust, and normalised.  The OST production process is the object of quality-assurance controls to improve its performance.

New and growing needs for indicators

The internationalisation of R&D means new needs for indicators

Indicators have proven to be powerful tools for organisational planning. In France for example recent legislation governing public finance (LOLF) has instituted a process of public sector management based on policy performance as measured by quantitative indicators. In an international context characterised by increasing levels of collaboration and competition, the demand for new and more diverse indicators is growing.

An inter-institutional platform

OST is an inter-institutional platform founded and overseen by the main institutional actors of the French research system

OST was founded in 1990 as a Public Interest Group (GIP), a legal status that reflects its mission to serve the needs of institutional R&D actors. Current members of the Group include French government ministries for higher education, research, defense, industry, infrastructure and foreign affairs, in addition to the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and other public research establishments like CIRAD (agriculture and development), CNES (space studies), CNRS (scientific research), INRA (agronomic research), INRIA (research in computer science), INSERM (biomedicine), IRD (research for development), CPU (an organization assembling boards of French universities) and, representing private research, the National Association for Research and Technology (ANRT).

 

Main activities:

• Biennial publication of the OST Report on Science and Technology Indicators, available on line;
• On-demand production of quantitative indicators;
• Specific studies;
• Participation in research and development projects.

OST in figures:

• A staff of approximately 20 persons
• An annual budget of around 2 million euros, of which nearly half is generated by work performed on contract
• A 5,5-terabyte database comprised of sets of data covering research spending and personnel, students, publications and patents, the participations in European Commission’s Framework Programmes, and other pertinent areas.

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