2024 Volume 39 Issue 3 Pages 281-294
In this paper, we examines the current state and potential of academic crowdfunding, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. The key to success in academic crowdfunding lies in generating "empathy" for researchers and their research themes, which requires researchers to clearly communicate their "research vision." The humanities and social sciences, in particular, have a high affinity with academic crowdfunding, as they often deal with relatable research themes and typically require smaller amounts of funding. Communicating a research vision can lead to collaboration with diverse stakeholders, the creation of new research paradigms, and addressing challenges in the AI era. Moreover, academic crowdfunding interacts with the democratization of donation culture and participatory decision-making mechanisms, potentially transforming research promotion systems from centralized to decentralized. As individual researchers engage in dialogue with society, new horizons in academic research will be opened up.
