Santo Fortunato, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering professor, is a co-Primary Investigator of a Novo Nordisk Foundation grant to comprehensively evaluate and predict the scientific and societal impacts of research.
The three-year grant, titled “Simulations of Science for Society (S^3),” will help researchers develop an innovative, data-driven, model-based system to evaluate scientific research. Indiana University will receive around $407,000 of the $1.5 million total.
“Leveraging advanced AI techniques and network science,” Fortunato said, “the proposed system will map the complex landscape of scientific content and contexts, creating a powerful ‘digital double’ of scientific attention and impact over time. This way we can identify gaps of knowledge,and predict future innovations and discoveries.
“The project’s multidimensional metrics will assess contributions to emerging and established areas of research, the prescience of science and technology outputs, and the disruptive nature of innovations. If successful, this pioneering approach holds the promise of transforming how foundations and organizations worldwide assess, evaluate, and drive scientific and societal progress.”
The Novo Nordisk Foundation, a Danish enterprise organization, focuses on improving health and the sustainability of society and the planet.