The creation of a harmonized, semantically enriched Flemish research discipline list: about pitfalls and opportunities

Abstract

One of the most important recommendations of the report by Peters et al. on the administrative simplification of research reporting in Flanders (2011) was the creation of a single research discipline code list that could be used to tag information inside CRIS systems for reporting, dissemination and visualisation purposes. The uniform definition and management of the semantics of this research discipline code list for all research actors in Flanders could have an immediate impact on the accuracy of reporting and the policy pursued on the basis thereof. In addition, such managed classification systems can be used in dynamic research information systems that drastically reduce the administrative burden of the research population, which automatically entails an important investment in research and innovation.