zum Nachdenken

In three ceremonial addresses and his words of farewell as president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Peter Schuster comments on the role of scientific academies in the 21st century. What is the role that Austria plays today in national and international scholarly research? Research is expensive, especially in the natural sciences, engineering and medicine, and thus, substantial resources are being directed towards its financing. The public's demand for clear documentation of what this research has accomplished is therefore well justified. The author provides a detailed account of the various quantitative and qualitative means that exist for measuring excellence in research. A fair and constructive evaluation of scholarly performance is impossible without the well-founded opinion of experts within each scientific discipline. In his farewell speech, the author examines the unique challenge of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, which functions jointly as society of scholars and an institution actively involved in research. Peter Schuster, who has worked as a scientist for many years, presents his views and opinions in this booklet, and attempts to offer constructive ideas on how to ensure the success of scientific research in Austria, as well as how to make it ready for a future that becomes more competitive every day.