ABSTRACT
This chapter dives into the question of how research networks funded by science philanthropies play out in practice by investigating two case studies in detail. The first case study focuses on The Rockefeller Foundation Searchlight network, a group of forward-looking, topically focused, and regionally oriented horizon scanning and trend monitoring organizations that conduct regular, ongoing scanning for novel ideas, research results, and signals as to where the world is evolving. The second case study is the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), perhaps the most well-known and cost-effective astronomical survey in the history of the field. Both case studies highlight ways in which philanthropies, at least implicitly, can apply different notions of the responsible research and innovation (RRI) framework to their network-building activities. The origin, growth, and resulting impacts from each of these research networks is explored in substantial depth. A number of cross-cutting, generalizable lessons emerging from both case studies are then presented, with insights including the importance of networks establishing mechanisms for ensuring regular iteration and the need for management flexibility to adapt as the networks undergo continual evolution.
