The recent years have witnessed an extraordinary diversification of the demands for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) indicators, as a consequence of the growing complexity of innovation systems at the regional, national and international level and of the needs of new indicators types to characterize the position and the linkages of actors ( positioning indicators).

The 2011 STI conference focuses on the use of these indicators for characterizing actors and their linkages in European science, as a multi-level and multi-governance system where actors– policymaking, funding agencies, research organizations and higher education institutions, research groups – act strategically to reach their objectives and shape their environment; in this distributed setting, network relationships become an essential tool for coordination and this leads also to emerge of new organizational forms, like networks of excellence, virtual research centers etc. Indicators are required as instruments for analyzing and monitoring changes, as well as a support for strategic decision in an increasingly complex system, where national and European jurisdictions interact in shaping the future European Research Area.

The conference aims to provide a place for methodological discussion concerning new indicators, their use in policymaking and the requirements for production, and for presenting new developments in specific domains, concerning design, methodology, experimental development and application to policy analysis and decision-making.

The conference will include general session on advancements in STI indicators, as well as a set of specific sessions devoted to emerging topics in the field (see under sessions). Proposal for additional topics are welcome.