The University of Vienna (A), the Humboldt University of Berlin (D), the Institute for Research Information and Quality Assurance – iFQ - (D) and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (B) joined cooperatively to found the European Summer School for Scientometrics (esss) in 2010.

The fourth edition of the event took place in Berlin (at the campus of Humboldt University) from the 8th to 13th September. Two conference-like introductory days addressing a broader audience were followed by three days with seminars, individual hands-on sessions and teamwork. The Institute was represented by A. Sacio-Szymańska (Innovation Strategies Department).

Some of the topics addressed at esss 2013 included:

• Policy Use of Bibliometric Evaluation and its Repercussions on the Scientific Community, 
• History and Institutionalization of Scientometrics, 
• Overview of Scientometric Indicators, 
• Mathematical Foundation of Scientometrics, 
• Bibliometric Methods for Subject Delineation, 
• The Application of Network Analysis in Science Studies, 
• Advanced Bibliometric Methods for Evaluation, Ranking and Mapping of Scientific Research and its Institutions, 
• Evaluating Research-Performing People and Institutions: Bibliometrics in Context, 
• Mapping Science on the Basis of Bibexcel (www8.umu.se/) and Pajek (pajek.imfm.si) software, 
• Thomson Reuters’ Web of Knowledge and Elsevier’s Scopus Databases.

The practical use of quantitative methods in science studies and research evaluation were presented by internationally renowned experts representing e.g.:

• Catholic University of Leuven, 
• Uniwersity of Zurich, 
• Humboldt University, 
• Umeå University, 
• Leiden University, 
• University of Vienna, 
• Institute for Research Information and Quality Assurance (iFQ), 
• Thomson Reuters, Elsevier.

Bibliometrics is to be included in the Institute’s foresight methodology, which is being developed at the Innovation Strategies Department in the framework of the Institute’s statutory task. Bibliometric methods will support the process of mapping of promising R&D fields and help identify emerging research topics in the field of technological and environmental safety. Detailed esss 2013 programme and presentations are available from:

http://www.scientometrics-school.eu/