The Impact of Academic Inbreeding On Academic Research – Implications for European Research Area

This study analyzes the impact of academic inbreeding in relation to academic research, and proposes a new conceptual framework for its analysis. We find that mobility (or lack of) at the early research career stage is decisive in influencing academic behaviors and scientific productivity. Less mobile academics have more inward oriented information exchange dynamics and lower scientific productivity. The analysis also indicates that the information exchange and scientific productivity of academics that changed institutions only once do not differ substantially from that of ‘‘mobile inbred academics’’. This emphasizes the need for mobility throughout scientific and academic careers and calls for policies to curtail academic inbreeding. The results of this study are of importance to the ERA since they highlight the need and importance of academic mobility to research activities at universities. These include research output and network integration. However, they also support - directly and indirectly - the need for implementing the Salzburg principles and the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers at European universities.