The Academic Research Enterprise: Current Climate Worldwide

The effectiveness of academic research enterprise depends on several factors including talented and interconnected scholars, adequate and dependable resources, and quality research. These elements need to function in harmony in order to result in research knowledge that adds value to society. Given that research capacity and innovation are internationally recognized as main determinates of national progress and prosperity, most nations make significant investment in academic research and knowledge transfer. In addition, higher education institutions worldwide are increasingly pressured to build research capacity and to increase research activity. Meanwhile, researchers are expected to show high level of research productivity and efficiency to prove their research excellence. This exploratory research study is based on the voices of 32 respondents from 15 countries to showcase their perceptions on research productivity demands at their respective institutions. A literature review about current climate of research enterprise along with the respondents' voices clearly indicate that research productivity demands are growing and researchers find it difficult to meet expectations posed upon them. The findings lead to the conclusion that more attention needs to be dedicated to institutional policies and practices that influence researchers work and on a larger scale the effectiveness of academic research enterprise.