Do strategic research agendas change over time?

Abstract

Strategic Research Agendas (SRAs) play a crucial role in shaping research behaviors, conceptions of science, and scientific productivity, yet their dynamic nature over time remains underexplored. This study investigates whether SRAs are static or dynamic and the extent to which institutional and individual factors may affect these orientations. Drawing on a longitudinal dataset of survey responses from 2,337 researchers across all fields of science, we explore whether these researchers’ SRAs shifted over a 6-year span. Using cluster analysis and logistic regression, we analyzed the data and found that SRAs are dynamic, changing over time, albeit slowly. Two broad archetypal shifts were identified: from Cohesive (consolidative) to Trailblazing (innovative) agendas, and vice-versa. Key drivers of these shifts include increased social satisfaction, positively associated with Trailblazing agendas, and higher levels of institutional unconstraint (i.e., the freedom to focus solely on research), associated with a reduced likelihood of adopting Trailblazing agendas. Disciplinary differences also emerged, with researchers in the Natural, Agricultural, Medical, and Health Sciences more likely to shift toward Trailblazing agendas than those in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Female researchers were also less likely to transition to Trailblazing agendas than their male counterparts, suggesting persistent gendered patterns in science.