BASIC Lab: a software tool for supporting the production of knowledge in research organizations through the management of scientific concepts

Purpose – The important role of publicly funded basic research has been widely recognized. The knowledge produced is made available to society, who could use it for innovation and in this way contribute to economic growth. Thus, it is important to support scientific activities. Proposes to examine how researchers could profit from approaches such as knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach – Some research organizations were studied and their knowledge management practices analyzed. Special attention was paid to the realization of research projects. Findings – An approach is proposed based on the capitalization of all the artifacts managed during the bibliographical activities performed by researchers. Research limitations/implications – At the current state of advancement of the project, only a prototype of the software tool has been developed. Originality/value – As sociology studies have observed that a fundamental aspect of science is the modification and construction of new concepts, it is proposed to include the support of the management of scientific concepts as a way of assisting this knowledge production process. In conclusion this work gives the basis of the definition of a software tool that should help to accomplish this activity.