Excellence Mapping, bibliometric study of the productivity and the impact of scientific publications of the JRC : mapping of scientific areas and application areas : volume 1, general analysis and benchmarking

This report analyses the productivity and the impact of the scientific work of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in specific scientific areas by means of publications and citations analysis in order to identify and map areas of excellence. This excellence mapping is part of a wider effort to produce an evidence base for the following purposes. - The ex-post evaluation of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) (both nuclear and non-nuclear). - The strategic work programme planning (e.g. input for ex ante evaluation thereby closing the annual planning, reporting and evaluation cycle). - The design of a long term JRC scientific strategy. This excellence mapping builds on and complements two internal studies carried out in 2013 on publications impact and collaborations, as well as a bibliometric study of JRC research which was performed by Thomson Reuter in 2014. With the present report the JRC proposes a study of an analytic scope and depth unprecedented so far for the organisation. This excellence mapping also completes the JRC evaluation portfolio: so far, the annual productivity and impact review (PRIME) has focused on productivity and impact assessment of policy support, as well as on the analysis of productivity of scientific publications. The results of PRIME are published in the annual JRC productivity and impact report. The present report adds to this an in-depth analysis of the JRC scientific impact. The excellence mapping is structured as two volumes: the first volume concentrates on benchmarking the scientific publications and the second one on aspects of scientific collaborations.