Evaluation of the Minerva Research Initiative (2020) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 7-26
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From page 7... ...
. The program funds unclassified academic social science research "aimed at improving our basic understanding of security, broadly defined." As described further below, the program is a collaboration across several DoD units, designed to bring together leadership from different divisions to "identify and support basic social science research issues in need of attention and to integrate those research insights into the policy-making environment" (Minerva Research Initiative, n.d.)
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From page 8... ...
After the September 11, 2001, attacks, interest in utilizing insights from social science research in the realm of national security reemerged. In a speech delivered at a meeting of the Association of American Universities in 2008, Secretary Gates elaborated on his thoughts and intentions with respect to the Minerva program: Let me be clear that the key principle of all components of the Minerva Consortia will be complete openness and rigid adherence to academic free dom and integrity.
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From page 9... ...
To address such concerns, DoD signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NSF in 2008 "to support high-quality basic research in the social and behavioral sciences that has the potential for beneficial application and use in military contexts." According to this MOU, "coordination between the agencies will include the development of solicitations and a management plan for the competition, cooperation in the selection of reviewers and advisory panel members, and cooperation in the selection of proposals to be awarded" (National Science Foundation and Department of Defense, 2008)
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The program's grants are executed by and receive technical oversight from program managers from the basic research units of the service branches: the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) , the Army Research Office (ARO)
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The service branches have their own basic research programs, and the structure of these programs does not necessarily overlap with how NSF collects the data, which likely means that there are inconsistencies in reporting. These data are not sufficient to compare the Minerva program's size with that of other, similar programs without making assumptions, but the program's focus on funding academic researchers to conduct unclassified basic social science research on issues relevant to national security means that Minerva has a unique role in the funding landscape for social science research.
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The service branch program managers had only minor input into this part of the process, and were assigned topics and specific grants to manage on behalf of the program. This arrangement led to some discontent among the service branches, in part because the topics and methodological approaches valued in basic research are often not the ones that are clearly associated with immediate policy implications.
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From page 13... ...
On the 2018 list, "Economic Interdependence and Security" and "Alliances and Burden-Sharing" are examples of topic areas that reflect OSD priorities, based on the National Defense Strategy. Since 2017, service branch program managers also have been taking a more active role in the white paper review process, including nominating reviewers and providing recommendations on the ranking of projects to fund.
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From page 14... ...
These awards were not included in the committee's evaluation. As noted earlier, initially, the projects funded by the Minerva program were fairly large (several million dollars)
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INTRODUCTION 15 $6 $5 $4 $3 $2 $1 $0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 FIGURE 1-4 Average size of Minerva grants, by year, in millions of dollars. NOTE: One very large grant of around $20 million was awarded in 2008.
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From page 16... ...
2011 Broad Agency Announcement DoD Army Research Office $35,000,000 over 5 years Single-investigator small-team awards (W911NF-11-R-0011) from $30,000 to $500,000 per year, with typical awards in the range of $100,000 to $300,000 per year; large-team awards from $500,000 to $2,000,000 per year, with typical awards in the range of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 per year 2012 Broad Agency Announcement DoD Office of Naval Research $24,000,000 over 3 years 15 awards of $300,000 to (ONR BAA 12-016)
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NOTE: The table summarizes award information from the grant announcements. The characteristics of the grants awarded do not necessarily reflect these parameters.
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identify emerging opportunities to improve the efficiency of the program's administration, and (3) provide guidance on strategies for addressing the diverse needs of different constituencies so as to maximize the contribution of social science research to addressing the security challenges faced by DoD.
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2. How can MRI shape the future of basic research in social science around the issues of security?
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To address its charge, the committee undertook a range of informationgathering activities, discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 focuses on the processes involved in the Minerva program, including how it operates and how it compares with other similar programs that fund basic social science research.
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the process What research Should and for setting priorities/ Should and output has been how can DoD selecting research topics; how can DoD How well does supported by make better and (3) the selection of increase -- deepen Minerva operate, Minerva grants, use of the projects to fund so as and broaden -- the and how does and what is insights and to meet contemporary, engagement of it compare with the quality tools/products changing national security social scientists in other basic social of Minerva- of Minerva- challenges, as well as research relevant science research supported supported the needs of each service to national Question from the Statement of Task programs?
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the process What research Should and for setting priorities/ Should and output has been how can DoD selecting research topics; how can DoD How well does supported by make better and (3) the selection of increase -- deepen Minerva operate, Minerva grants, use of the projects to fund so as and broaden -- the and how does and what is insights and to meet contemporary, engagement of it compare with the quality tools/ products changing national security social scientists in other basic social of Minerva- of Minerva- challenges, as well as research relevant science research supported supported the needs of each service to national Question from the Statement of Task programs?
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national security needs, generally speaking; and (b) X X X the particular missions of the service branch research agencies?
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the process What research Should and for setting priorities/ Should and output has been how can DoD selecting research topics; how can DoD How well does supported by make better and (3) the selection of increase -- deepen Minerva operate, Minerva grants, use of the projects to fund so as and broaden -- the and how does and what is insights and to meet contemporary, engagement of it compare with the quality tools/ products changing national security social scientists in other basic social of Minerva- of Minerva- challenges, as well as research relevant science research supported supported the needs of each service to national Question from the Statement of Task programs?
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From page 25... ...
4. ow might Minerva cultivate H the interests of young scholars in X working with DoD on social science security issues?
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