Research!America President Mary Woolley wrote a letter to the editor, which has been published in the July 1 issue of Nature.
Woolley responded to an article called “Science Economics: What Science is Really Worth,” which was published online June 9. In that story, unnamed economists dismiss the results of studies of economic benefits of research. They say many of those studies “were undertaken with the explicit aim of building support for research investment, rather than being objective assessments.”
In her letter, Woolley responds:
Your discussion on the economic impact of science is unjustifiably critical of advocacy groups.
For example, the US advocacy group Research!America presents an annual award that recognizes outstanding work by new economists who demonstrate the impact of medical research on the economy. This award, the Garfield Economic Impact Award, was established by Eugene Garfield, founder of the Institute for Scientific Information (now Thomson Reuters) and creator of the Science Citation Index. Garfield awardees are increasingly sought as sources and advisers by the White House, other elected officials and the media.
The full letter is available here (subscription required).
Tags: Mary Woolley