Using ontologies to map between research data and policymakers' presumptions. The experience of the KNOWMAK project

Understanding knowledge co‐creation in key emerging areas of European research is critical for policy makers wishing to analyse impact and make strategic decisions. However, current methods for characterising and visualising the field have limitations concerning the changing nature of research, differences in language and topic structure between policies and scientific topics, and coverage of a broad range of scientific and political issues that have different characteristics. In this paper, we discuss the novel use of ontologies and semantic technologies as a means to bridge the linguistic and conceptual gap between policy questions and data sources. Our experience suggests that a proper interlinking between intellectual tasks and the use of advanced techniques for language processing is key for the success of this endeavour