Michael Hagearty
Institute Communications and Public Affairs
Researchers from the Technology
Policy and Assessment Center (TPAC) in Georgia Tech’s
School of Public
Policy are collaborating with two European partners
in a new study to examine Creativity Capabilities and
the Promotion of Highly Innovative Research in Europe
and the United State (CREA). The Tech team, led by Philip
Shapira, a professor of public policy and TPAC senior
fellow, also involves Professors Juan Rogers and Diana
Hicks.
The focus of the CREA project is to find the most creative
researchers in genetics and nanoscience and to learn
from them what makes for excellence in research, probing
not only the personal characteristics of the researcher,
but also the working environment. The research team
hypothesizes that environments encouraging interdisciplinary
approaches, risk taking and challenging accepted concepts
generate the most creativity. The findings, it is hoped,
will hold important lessons for developing future science
and technology policy.
CREA’s objective is to identify individuals and
institutions, both in Europe and the United States,
which have a record of creative and unconventional research.
The next step will be to understand the conditions and
circumstances that led to the groundbreaking work.
In discussing the project, Shapira — who also
directs the Georgia
Tech Policy Project on Industrial Modernization
— noted this study’s unique focus on the
organizational and environmental aspects that affect
creativity, and that it should provide some interesting
opportunities for policy organizations to look at how
to create an environment that’s more conducive
to creativity.
Sponsored by the Newly Emerging Science and Technologies
program of the European Union, the project is expected
to last 18 months.
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