An In e disciplina y Jou nal on Humans in ICT En i onmen s ISSN: 1795-6889
www.human echnology.jyu. i Volume 1 (2), Oc obe 2005, 109-110
109
F om he Edi o -in-Chie
OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING AS AN INCORPORATOR
OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CYCLE
Pe i Saa iluoma,
Cogni i e Science, Depa men o Compu e Science and In o ma ion Sys ems,
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland
E en hough basic esea ch doesn’ o en esul in immedia ely usable p oduc s, i plays an
essen ial ole in echnological inno a ions, as i has o med he basis o many g ound-
b eaking ad ances in p oduc de elopmen o e he decades. Fo ins ance, Maxwell’s 19 h
cen u y esea ch in o elec ici y and magne ic ields (Copeland, 2000) has esul ed in a as
a ay o p oduc s ha many o us ake o g an ed in mode n daily li e. And Tu ing’s in ui i e
conside a ion o he way ma hema icians hink pa ed he way o he de elopmen o
compu e s (F iedel, 2002) and e en ually o many digi al echnologies. A mul i ude o simila
examples ha demons a e he connec ion be ween ideas eme ging om basic esea ch o
p oduc de elopmen abound.
On he o he hand, i is also common ha p oduc design p ocesses p o oke new
di ec ions and de elopmen s in basic esea ch. In he 1860s, Pas eu in es iga ed why some
local in ne s’ wines we e spoiling and opened a new on ie on he unde s anding o how
mic obes caused disease (de K ui , 1926/2002) and, mo e impo an ly, on he de elopmen o
ea men s. P ac ical needs also led o he in en ion o loga i hms ha ha e become a i al
elemen o con empo a y ma hema ical hinking.
This ecip ocal connec ion be ween new ideas in basic esea ch and p oduc
de elopmen can be called an inno a ion cycle, exp essing he exis en and cons an
in e ac ion. New ideas in one a ea gene a e mo e o di e en ideas no jus on ha opic o in
ha a ea bu also mo e widely. The exp ession o new needs o solu ions se challenges o
ac i e hinke s, who hen ake he insigh s and po en iali ies om one sec o o socie y o
business o ano he .
The inno a ion cycle is an impo an phenomenon in mode n socie y. Many inno a ions
quickly ind hei way in o p ac ical li e. In eali y, howe e , he inno a ion cycle doesn’
always mo e e y as . The A pane ( he o e unne o oday’s In e ne ) was in oduced in
1969 (Zakon, 2005), bu i didn’ become an essen ial ool o wo ldwide business,
communica ion, and en e ainmen o ano he 25-30 yea s. Indeed, many ideas ha we e
ele an o he de elopmen o he In e ne we e su aced decades be o e he global sys em
became commonplace (Zakon, 2005). Ye , once he s uc u e became known and accep ed, i
© 2005 Pe i Saa iluoma and he Ago a Cen e , Uni e si y o Jy äskylä
URN:NBN: i:jyu-2005353
Saa iluoma
110
p o oked a wide a ie y o o ms o usage, p oduc s, and se ices. This example pe haps
poin s o a mode n eali y: The as e new ideas ind hei ou es in o e e yday li e, he
b oade and deepe hei impac on, o ins ance, social de elopmen can be.
In ou knowledge socie y, he ad ancemen o lea ning and esea ch no longe akes
place s ic ly a uni e si ies and esea ch ins i u ions. Today, nume ous ypes o knowledge
agen s—business en e p ises, ounda ions, indi idual in en o s, and o he social ac o s—play
essen ial oles in knowledge c ea ion. An impac , howe e , is ha he scope o expanding
esea ch is pe haps changing he na u e o basic esea ch. Indeed, basic esea ch may no
longe be “basic,” bu a he equi es a a ie y o new skills and pe spec i es o gene a e he
undamen al insigh s and c ea i e app oaches needed a he s a o he inno a ion cycle. And,
because o he “gi e-and- ake” o he inno a ion cycle, s ong communica ion is needed
be ween he a ious s akeholde s wi hin he knowledge p oduc ion sec o s o mode n socie y.
Open access publishing p o ides one impo an ool o he communica ion o
esea ch esul s and inno a i e applica ions wi hin ou mode n socie y. This ee access o
esea ch indings can mean ha anyone—e e yone—who seeks he in o ma ion on
con empo a y hinking and es ing can ap in o he knowledge gene a ed, no ma e by whom
o whe e. Independen o he size o esou ces o he indi idual, he o ganiza ion, o he
en e p ise, a designe , a esea che , a manage , e c. may ap in o some knowledge and
implemen i in a a ie y o ways. Open access publishing possesses a c ucial elemen o he
b oad dissemina ion o knowledge, and he eby speeds up he inno a ion cycle. Open access
publishing o esea ch builds essen ial connec ions among—and bene i s o—uni e si ies,
business en e p ises, and socie y a la ge.
REFERENCES
Copeland, J. (2004). The Tu ing a chi e o his o y o compu ing. Re ie ed on Sep embe 21, 2005, om
h p://www.alan u ing.ne / u ing_a chi e/index.h ml
de K ui , P. (2002). Mic obe Hun e s. New Yo k: Ha es Books. (O iginal wo k published in 1926)
F iedel, R. D. (2002). Lines and wa es: An Exhibi by he IEEE His o y Cen e (1981). Re ie ed on Sep embe
21, 2005, om h p://www.ieee.o g/o ganiza ions/his o y_cen e /gene al_in o/lines_menu.h ml
Zakon, R. H. (2005). Hobbes’ In e ne ime line. Re ie ed on Sep embe 21, 2005, om
h p://www.zakon.o g/ obe /in e ne / imeline/
All co espondence should be add essed o:
Pe i Saa iluoma
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä
Cogni i e Science, Depa men o Compu e Science and In o ma ion Sys ems
P.O. Box 35
FI-40014 Uni e si y o Jy äskylä FINLAND
[email p o ec ed]u. i
Human Technology: An In e disciplina y Jou nal on Humans in ICT En i onmen s
ISSN 1795-6889
www.human echnology.jyu. i