A Research about Structural Implications of the Secretary of the High Council for Sciences, Research and Technology

Establishment of the High Council for Sciences, Research and Technology as policy and decision making organ in the Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology has raised the question of structural design of the High Council, which has the dual responsibilities of research and management, so that it could best meet the tasks it was charged to implement. Responding to this question, the present research uses four basic methods of documentary study, tasks analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. We interviewed 20 experts and based on analysis of their views designed 12 structural scenarios in the forms of three patterns of organizational autonomy, organizational dependency, organizational integration between two research and executive functions. After designing and drawing related structural scenarios, structural findings were assessed with establishing two focus groups with participating of 53 experts. Accordingly the establishment of “Iranian science and technology policy organization” based on organizational integration pattern between the two functions, with large scales, was selected as more desired structural scenario for research and executive supporting of the High Council. Then its strengths and weakness evaluated by experts in focus groups. In final section of the paper, some executive suggestions offer for establishing and improving the selected scenario.