Again problems with a university
Several years our RECSM group worked hard but with pleasure in Barcelona. We organized the ESRA conferences and did our task for the ESS.At that time Irmtraud, Daniel, Melanie, Paolo and Wiebke were involved in this research. The questions for the first 5 rounds were coded, the MTMM models were estimated, a new analysis was done and we had prepared a second edition of a book about this work. Melanie, after her promotion, also cooperated in research with the panel research organization NetQuest. In this way we became more familiar with web surveys.We also had fun together as can be seen in this video at a Japanese restaurant where we went together.
However, our group was a part of the University and as we have seen before, it seems that being a part of a university always leads to problems.
The university strikes again
The research center RECSM at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra consisted of two parts. My group that did its research for the Central Coordinating Team of the ESS, helping designing the questionnaires and controling the quality of the data which were collected. The other group was responsible for the data collection of the ESS in Spain. The director of the research center had to be a professor of the university. The tasks were divided. I was responsible for the work and the budget of my group and he for the work and the budget of his group.
The rule was that the countries that participated in the ESS had to pay for the data collection in their country but also had to contribute a budget to the general coordination of the ESS. That is obvious because otherwise the ESS could not be organized. However, at some point in time, the Spanish government decided that they could save money by asking the Centro de Investigationes Sociológicas (CIS) to perform the research. For the UPF the most important issue was that the group that was organizing the data collection in Spain would not be continued. This meant that the director of the research center, RECSEM, would not have his own research group anymore. However, at some moment we were informed by the ESS staff in Londen that he went to London to take over the management of my research group. That annoyed us of course because so far he did not do anything for our group. Fortunately the ESS staff in London also did not agree with him.
A bit later, we run in to budget problems because NetQuest did not pay anymore for the work Melanie did for them. Asking about the reason for this delay in payment, it turned out the RECSM director had asked NetQuest to do research for him but he had not paid for this research and because we were of the same organization they did not pay for our research as well.
The limit was reached when we were informed that the director planned to use the computer program SQP for earning money by commercial research. This last step was too much for me and I decided to make it clear who had the property rights of the program. We went to a patent office but there they did not recommend us to go this way.
The university strikes again
The research center RECSM at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra consisted of two parts. My group that did its research for the Central Coordinating Team of the ESS, helping designing the questionnaires and controling the quality of the data which were collected. The other group was responsible for the data collection of the ESS in Spain. The director of the research center had to be a professor of the university. The tasks were divided. I was responsible for the work and the budget of my group and he for the work and the budget of his group.
The rule was that the countries that participated in the ESS had to pay for the data collection in their country but also had to contribute a budget to the general coordination of the ESS. That is obvious because otherwise the ESS could not be organized. However, at some point in time, the Spanish government decided that they could save money by asking the Centro de Investigationes Sociológicas (CIS) to perform the research. For the UPF the most important issue was that the group that was organizing the data collection in Spain would not be continued. This meant that the director of the research center, RECSEM, would not have his own research group anymore. However, at some moment we were informed by the ESS staff in Londen that he went to London to take over the management of my research group. That annoyed us of course because so far he did not do anything for our group. Fortunately the ESS staff in London also did not agree with him.
A bit later, we run in to budget problems because NetQuest did not pay anymore for the work Melanie did for them. Asking about the reason for this delay in payment, it turned out the RECSM director had asked NetQuest to do research for him but he had not paid for this research and because we were of the same organization they did not pay for our research as well.
The limit was reached when we were informed that the director planned to use the computer program SQP for earning money by commercial research. This last step was too much for me and I decided to make it clear who had the property rights of the program. We went to a patent office but there they did not recommend us to go this way.
The recreation of the Sociometric Research Foundation
Given all the problems that happened in these last years and the situation of our research group as a part of the University . I decided to create again the Sociometric Research Foundation as I had done a long time ago in The Netherlands for similar reasons. At that time I went to a notary mentioned the name of the foundation, the board of directors and the purpose of the foundation and the foundation was created. Here, in Spain, I had to create documents in a required format and the foundation also had to have a minimal capital or 130.000 euros or goods of this value to start. All this took a year and a lot of costs at the notary. Thanks to the help of a Spanish friend who was a lawyer, I could take this hurdle. After a year the foundation was created. This was a relief because in principle now my research group could move, whenever it was necessary to the foundation and continue its work there because we were not dependent of money from the university, all money came from the ESS.
Personally I have made a website for the foundation presenting the work that was done by the old foundation and work done by the future members of the new foundation and we made a photo of our group who would possibly continue its work at the foundation, if necessary.
Given all the problems that happened in these last years and the situation of our research group as a part of the University . I decided to create again the Sociometric Research Foundation as I had done a long time ago in The Netherlands for similar reasons. At that time I went to a notary mentioned the name of the foundation, the board of directors and the purpose of the foundation and the foundation was created. Here, in Spain, I had to create documents in a required format and the foundation also had to have a minimal capital or 130.000 euros or goods of this value to start. All this took a year and a lot of costs at the notary. Thanks to the help of a Spanish friend who was a lawyer, I could take this hurdle. After a year the foundation was created. This was a relief because in principle now my research group could move, whenever it was necessary to the foundation and continue its work there because we were not dependent of money from the university, all money came from the ESS.
Personally I have made a website for the foundation presenting the work that was done by the old foundation and work done by the future members of the new foundation and we made a photo of our group who would possibly continue its work at the foundation, if necessary.
My conclusion based on my experience
My experience is that one does not have to be at universities for research. There seems to be not enough pressure to do good work. Therefore the people concentrate more on power play than on their work.
