We propose a six-month pilot project that will use network science methods and administrative data maintained by the Institute for Research on Innovation & Science to develop preliminary models that examine the scientific effects of XSEDE usage by researchers on more than 30 U.S. university campuses.
The proposed work will have several components:
1) Network analysis of the XSEDE workforce on the UIUC campus and on the campuses of IRIS member institutions that are XSEDE subcontractors.
2) Matching of publicly available XSEDE allocation data to IRIS-UMETRICS data to support creation of an analytic dataset using propensity score methods to identify control groups at the team level.
3) Preliminary analysis of the dataset developed in #2 to examine the effect of XSEDE access on scientific productivity and subsequent research funding for matched sets of XSEDE using research teams and a counterfactual set of research teams
Data construction work will include:
1) Developing and validating tools for name matching of XSEDE allocation and UMETRICS data
2) Identification of research teams defined by grants associated with the same principle investigator
3) Propensity score matching to identify counterfactual comparisons
4) Creation of measures of research productivity (publication flows) and subsequent federal funding at the team level for both XSEDE and counterfactual teams
Deliverables:
1) Monthly coordination phone calls with the XSEDE team
2) One visit to UIUC to present preliminary findings to XSEDE
3) A report due upon conclusion of the contract detailing methods and findings
4) Documented code and processes to support expansion of this pilot study with other sources of funding
Funding:
University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
Funding Period:
12/01/2019 to 04/30/2020