Evaluation of the Minerva Research Initiative

The Minerva Research Initiative is a Department of Defense (DoD) social science grant program that funds unclassified basic research relevant to national security. The goal of the program is to make use of the intellectual capital of university-based social scientists to inform understanding of issues important to DoD and the broader national security community. Evaluation of the Minerva Research Initiative discusses the program's successes and challenges over its first decade of operation, and highlights ways to strengthen the program's foundations and take advantage of opportunities for broadening its reach and usefulness.

The Minerva Research Initiative is a Department of Defense (DoD) social science grant program that funds unclassified basic research relevant to national security. The goal of the program is to make use of the intellectual capital of university-based social scientists to inform understanding of issues important to DoD and the broader national security community. Evaluation of the Minerva Research Initiative discusses the program's successes and challenges over its first decade of operation, and highlights ways to strengthen the program's foundations and take advantage of opportunities for broadening its reach and usefulness. Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 Overview of the Committee's Information-Gathering Activities3 Processes of the Minerva Program4 Research Supported by the Minerva Program: Quantity and Quality5 Direction and Vision of the Minerva ProgramReferencesAppendix A: Federal Obligations for Basic ResearchAppendix B: Minerva Research Topics in Grant Announcements Issued between 2008 and 2018Appendix C: List of Minerva Grant Awards Between 20092017Appendix D: Interview Protocol for Individual Interviews with Current and Former Minerva Research Initiative StaffAppendix E: Survey of Minerva GranteesAppendix F: Survey of Administrators of Sponsored ResearchAppendix G: Individuals Who Provided Input during the Committee's Public MeetingsAppendix H: Output Categories and Coding NotesAppendix I: Publications and Presentations by YearAppendix J: Impact Metrics of Journals in Which Minerva Principal Investigators Reported Publishing (Table J-1) and Journals without Journal-Level Impact Factor Scores in Which Minerva Principal Investigators Published (Table J-2)Appendix K: Field-Weighted Citation Impact of Publications Reported by Principal InvestigatorsAppendix L: Universities with Minerva GrantsAppendix M: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff