Research program
Encyclopedia
A research program is a coordinated set of project
s undertaking related research
, often at national or even international level, with government funding.
In philosophy
, a research program is a unit of analysis in the philosophy of science
.
It was proposed by Imre Lakatos
as the focus of a demarcation criterion
that depends on the distinction between progressive and degenerating research programs.
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
s undertaking related research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, often at national or even international level, with government funding.
In philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, a research program is a unit of analysis in the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
.
It was proposed by Imre Lakatos
Imre Lakatos
Imre Lakatos was a Hungarian philosopher of mathematics and science, known for his thesis of the fallibility of mathematics and its 'methodology of proofs and refutations' in its pre-axiomatic stages of development, and also for introducing the concept of the 'research programme' in his...
as the focus of a demarcation criterion
Demarcation problem
The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science is about how and where to draw the lines around science. The boundaries are commonly drawn between science and non-science, between science and pseudoscience, between science and philosophy and between science and religion...
that depends on the distinction between progressive and degenerating research programs.
Examples
- Russian Research Programme, University of WarwickUniversity of WarwickThe University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, UK - United States Global Change Research Program
- World Climate Research Programme