Science prizes: what are they for? | Rebekah Higgitt

Nobel award recognizes outstanding achievement, but in a style reminiscent of 18th century science, technology and prices are increasingly offered to encourage solutions to specific problems

Tuesday, the Nobel Prize was announced. Like all Nobel will attract a lot of interest and publicity debate. But what are the functions of prices - as a reward or encouragement - Science

Due to the large amount of money at stake, and international competition, the Nobel Prize has become very prestigious but often controversial. However, they are a rarity, based on the whim of a single person, without any consultation with governments and institutions, and the rest, as the Guardian, Ian said, "in the words of a secret group of Scandinavians ". However, the Nobel Prize is typical of many awards established in science that reward success, approval mark, strengthen a sense of community and often create public interest.

Although many, the notion of scientific prizes may be controversial. Options decisions on winners and losers is bound to promote dissent, but the prices seem to question some basic assumptions about how science works. Stimulate competition in an effort that is often celebrated as collaboration. Sometimes they act to concentrate the mind on specific issues, which means that the chance discovery by "blue sky" research is insufficient to meet the needs of society. Finally, offering money to think that financial success on the market can be difficult to achieve, or the joy of discovery is not necessarily sufficient intellectual reward.

The way we were rewarded and disseminated can provide clues about the state of science throughout history. The Royal Society, which now offers a number of awards and honors, first awarded its Copley Medal in 1731. The list of winners is wonderfully eclectic, and shows that in the early days of the "most important scientific discovery," often tried to refer to a concrete problem. Displays a company that wanted to show the utility of the science.

This was typical of the time. The Society of Arts, for example, offered premiums for specific problems, such as improving machinery or techniques in agriculture and navigation. Similarly, in 1796, the American Philosophical Society has announced awards for best performance ", inventions or improvements" bombs ships, computing the length of the lunar distance, pans, preventing degradation study of peach power plants Amerindian, and lighting. Famous, Napoleon offered a prize for inventing a method of food preservation that provide food for their armies.

These awards challenge does not disappear, but in the following centuries, the most visible were donated by individuals and businesses, focusing on interesting and popular areas of innovation, such as railways and theft. The X Prize for commercial space flights, is clearly of the same lineage as the price Orteig to fly nonstop between Paris and New York.

• Increasingly, however, science has begun to offer career opportunities rather than rewards incidental, institutional and government for science recognizes outstanding achievement, instead of trying to push people and teams to work on specific problems. In part, this is due to the emergence of the idea that the benefits of science and humanity unpredictable (but ultimately, however, said a) the following non-oriented, curiosity-driven .

Recently, however, seems to have taken a step back in the 18th century. Nesta, who launched a Challenge Award Center with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the tone in this summary of the history and the recent rise of the Challenge. It highlights the findings of a recent report that "in 1991, 97% of the price offered was in the form of awards for past achievements. Since then, 78% of new prices have been proposed for future troubleshooting. "

price induction multiply and British and American governments are showing increasing interest. They are a particularly effective way to attract the attention of the public and STEM, while the display is made positive noises about important issues or opportunities, all at a much lower cost than the full support and Winners invest in research and development necessary X-Prize put more money and adding the amount invested by others in this or that, for example, the price Saltire, we can see that this is a bargain. But is this really how things work?

Almost every time these prices are mentioned, as in the proof of its effectiveness, the great grandfather of all - Longitude Prize calls - called. In 1714, the British government offered a lot of money to anyone who could find a more convenient and accurate to determine the length (ie east-west) at sea mentioned amount, £ 20,000, ultimately was given to John Harrison for his watches March Bingo! Important issue resolved as a result of an incentive award once.

Well, yes and no. As I already wrote, the story is more complicated and time Commissioners of the Admiralty and had to be much more flexible in their approach. Regarding the development of clocks Harrison will in the long term financial support in the form of a series of small grants between 1737 and 1764, was probably more important than the final reward carrot distance. It was also necessary to invest in product development and basic infrastructure for the use of timers and the (necessary and complementary), astronomical techniques a practical possibility.

Law
length is 1714 cases be a source of inspiration for ongoing initiatives, while donors scholarships should remember these facts and be able to provide a model mixed funding. Unless supported by grants, profitable companies or other institutions, researchers will not have the leisure time and develop new ideas. And these ideas are nothing without a major investment. Without these elements, the other, the reward challenge already successful as Nobel and other recognition awards.

Find best price for : --Higgitt----Nobel--