University systems are characterized as hierarchical. On one edge you have elite institutions, obtaining a large share of research funding, on the other, we have teaching-oriented colleges, sometimes with guaranteed funding for research. (2/14)

The literature on the role of funding in knowledge production focuses on the first group the "superstars", our study centers around the second group, university colleges. We exploit a quasi-experiment, in which 3 Swedish colleges that became universities in 1999 coupled (3/14)

With a base funding boost, and ask: How did it impact the productivity and scientific organization of scholars in these colleges? We leveraged individual-level admin data from @StatsSweden linked to @Scopus bib data to estimate a DiD model on a CEM sample of scholars. (4/14)

Researchers at the new universities published WAY more after the funding increase (89% increase in publication by publishing academics). This suggests that basic funding can be a powerful tool for unlocking research potential, especially at under-resourced institutions. (5/14)

This headline effect masks some heterogeneity, as not everyone benefits equally. The increase in publications was concentrated in technical sciences and among men, and those in research positions (no effect on teachers). We find no effect on citations, a proxy for quality (6/14)

We then looked beyond publications and explored changes in the new universities' scientific organization. We found a shift toward research-focused practices: - More research staff & administrators, fewer teachers! (7/14)

- Reduced multiple affiliations. - Increased collaborations, driven by collabs among university colleagues. Finally, we document (descriptive evidence) a convergence in the research productivity of academics in new unis to that of the established ones (and a divergence (8/14)

from the rest of the colleges). The convergence dynamics we document differ between scientific fields, arguably due to the reliance on investment in physical capital (e.g. for medical research, one needs to build a university hospital - that takes time!). (9/14)

Allocating funding to historically under-invested institutions could be a game-changer. New universities could be seen as a source of untapped potential, waiting to be unleashed. This research has implications for policymakers, as upgrading colleges to unis is a global (10/14)

trend, and we hope our study can assist policymakers in making informed decisions about these transitions and their impact on research productivity. (11/14)

Finally, and on a personal note, I want to thank @OEjermo for an amazing collaboration. We should also mention partners along the way such as @snskunskap , @LuEconHist , @Lunduni_LUSEM , @SI_Copenhagen . As well as the generous contribution by @Carlsbergfondet (12/14)

and @forteforskning . The list of seminars & conference discussants is way too long, so a collective gratitude is sent. A special thank you to the Research Policy team, our two reviewers, and our managing editor Maryann Feldman for a speedy & thorough publication process! (13/14)

Lastly, I want to thank my amazing supervisors @vale_tartari and @HCKongsted , they are truly the best. THE END (14/14)

@YotamSofer Congrats Yotam! 💪

@YotamSofer @OEjermo Congratulations! Very interesting results.

@YotamSofer @OEjermo Congrats!! Amazing achievement!

@YotamSofer @OEjermo Congrats! I will read it soon!