Science under pressure: Can researchers keep up with society's demand for speed?
Society and politicians increasingly expect faster results from science, but researchers warn that time pressure may harm quality. With urgent challenges like climate change and AI, the debate intensifies: should science accelerate, or does independence matter more?
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Issue | NWO magazine Research explores time pressure in science |
| Key Voices | Arjan Vliegenthart, Eric-Jan Wagenmakers, Sarah de Rijcke |
| Societal Demands | Faster results due to crises, geopolitical instability, and technology |
| Political Expectations | Tangible results within a term of office |
| Researcher Concerns | Overwork, underpayment, and threats to scientific independence |
| Focus of New Edition | Time pressure, breakthroughs, and lessons from COVID-19 rapid-response |
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) funds and facilitates scientific research in the Netherlands. It plays a key role in shaping research agendas, allocating resources, and bridging the gap between science and societal needs, including policy and public expectations.
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external link to whydonate.comRead the full translated article below
NWO magazine Research: Who is in charge of time?
Society expects faster results from science. Is this time pressure a curse or a blessing? Who actually controls the time science has? These and other questions are central to the new edition of the magazine *Research*. Crises, societal challenges, geopolitical instability, and rapid technological developments mean society is demanding faster results from science.
Politicians want tangible results within the same term of office. Companies and organizations expect applications that work immediately and do not take too much time. How much can society expect? And to what extent do these expectations clash with scientific practice?
Society waits for answers
You can expect scientists to consider societal interests, says Arjan Vliegenthart, Dean of the Faculty of Society and Law at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and former member of the Senate. “I almost see it as a moral obligation for researchers to account for the political dynamics at play: their answers are awaited. Society broadly finances our research, whether public or private. There is an implicit performance agreement that the outcomes will see the light of day,” says Vliegenthart.
“Science works better without central control”
Methodologist and mathematical psychologist Eric-Jan Wagenmakers believes society cannot demand more speed: “Researchers are passionate people, but they are also overworked and underpaid. In such a situation, I don’t think society or politics can expect things to go even faster. You can’t cut funding on one hand and then have all sorts of expectations about the results on the other.” Wagenmakers sees little role for political interference. “I don’t rule out the possibility that science thrives best when politics keeps its hands off and lets science follow its natural course. Politicians are not scientists, and some processes simply work better without central control.”
Realistic time horizons
Sarah de Rijcke, Professor and Rector Magnificus at Leiden University, understands where this demand for speed comes from. “We live in an era of great societal urgency: climate, health, security, AI. It’s logical that politicians and citizens ask: help us, and preferably quickly.” Society can demand quality, relevance, and societal engagement, says De Rijcke: “But with realistic time horizons and respect for the independence of universities. Because faster is not always better.”
Also in this issue
In this edition of *Research*, we explore the long road to major breakthroughs, how researchers experience time pressure in their work, and the lessons from the NWO’s rapid-response coronavirus calls launched during the pandemic.
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The cover of the new edition of *Research*.