Delegated Co-ordination. The co-ordination function of intermediary organisations in the Austrian research funding system

Abstract

Research policy is not only a horizontal issue that is prone to fragmentation but also provides an interface to research as an expert system. Therefore, research policy is used to negotiation processes with the various actors requiring both horizontal and vertical co-ordination. Within this frame intermediary organizations as typical research funding structures play a key role for the co-ordination of public policies and the research system. As a consequence, fragmentation at the political level may also be reflected at the intermediary level and cause equal fragmentation there. However, action at the intermediary level can yield positive co-ordination effects in case the implementation of research policy strategies falls within the realm of intermediary funding organizations. The example of the Austrian research funding agency demonstrates that barriers to co-ordination can be – at least partially – overcome by the creation of a multi-principal agency, feeding back positively also to co-ordination at political level. The specific set of instruments of a funding organization and possible imbalances among its principals present limitations to that form of co-ordination.