The Impact Of Academic Research On Industrial Performance

Drawing on the findings of sector-specific workshops, e-mail surveys, research literature, expert testimony, and committee and panel members' expertise, this National Academy of Engineering study assesses the qualitative impact of academic research on five industriesâ€"network systems and communications; medical devices and equipment; aerospace; transportation, distribution, and logistics services; and financial services. The book documents the range and significance of academic research contributions to the five industriesâ€"comparing the importance of different types of contributions, the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of these contributions, and the multiple vectors by which academic research is linked to each industry. The book calls for action to address six cross-cutting challenges to university-industry interactions: the growing disciplinary and time-horizon-related imbalances in federal R&D funding, barriers to university-industry interaction in service industries, the critical role of academic research in the advancement of information technology, the role of academic research in the regulation of industry, the impact of technology transfer activities on core university research and education missions, and the search for new pathways and mechanisms to enhance the contributions of academic research to industry. The book also includes findings and recommendations specific to each industry.

Drawing on the findings of sector-specific workshops, e-mail surveys, research literature, expert testimony, and committee and panel members' expertise, this National Academy of Engineering study assesses the qualitative impact of academic research on five industriesâ€"network systems and communications; medical devices and equipment; aerospace; transportation, distribution, and logistics services; and financial services. The book documents the range and significance of academic research contributions to the five industriesâ€"comparing the importance of different types of contributions, the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of these contributions, and the multiple vectors by which academic research is linked to each industry. The book calls for action to address six cross-cutting challenges to university-industry interactions: the growing disciplinary and time-horizon-related imbalances in federal R&D funding, barriers to university-industry interaction in service industries, the critical role of academic research in the advancement of information technology, the role of academic research in the regulation of industry, the impact of technology transfer activities on core university research and education missions, and the search for new pathways and mechanisms to enhance the contributions of academic research to industry. The book also includes findings and recommendations specific to each industry.

The enactment of the America COMPETES Act in 2006 (and its reauthorization in 2010), the increase in research expenditures under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and President Obama's general emphasis on the contribution of science and technology to economic growth have all heightened interest in the role of scientific and engineering research in creating jobs, generating innovative technologies, spawning new industries, improving health, and producing other economic and societal benefits. Along with this interest has come a renewed emphasis on a question that has been asked for decades: Can the impacts and practical benefits of research to society be measured either quantitatively or qualitatively? On April 18-19, 2011, the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) and the Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPUP) of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, held a workshop to examine this question. The workshop sought to assemble the range of work that has been done in measuring research outcomes and to provide a forum to discuss its method. The workshop was motivated by a 2009 letter from Congressman Rush Holt (D-New Jersey). He asked the National Academies to look into a variety of complex and interconnected issues, such as the short-term and long-term economic and non-economic impact of federal research funding, factors that determine whether federally funded research discoveries result in economic benefits, and quantification of the impacts of research on national security, the environment, health, education, public welfare, and decision making. Measuring the Impacts of Federal Investments in Research provides the key observations and suggestions made by the speakers at the workshop and during the discussions that followed the formal presentations.

This book deals with methodological issues in the field of management and industrial engineering. It aims to answer the following questions that researchers face every time they look to develop their research: How can we design a research project? What kind of paradigm should we follow? Should we develop a qualitative / phenomenological research or a quantitative / positivistic one? What technics for data collections can we use? Should we use the entire population or a sample? What kind of sampling techniques can we have? This book provides discussion and the exchange of information on principles, strategies, models, techniques, applications and methodological options possible to develop in research in management and industrial engineering. It communicates the latest developments and thinking on the research methodologies subject in the different areas, worldwide. It seeks cultural and geographic diversity in studies highlighting research methodologies that can be used in these different study areas. This book has a special interest in research on important issues that transcend the boundaries of single academic subjects. It presents contributions that challenge the paradigms and assumptions of individual disciplines or functions, with chapters grounded in conceptual and / or empirical literature. The main aim of this book is to provide a channel of communication to disseminate knowledge between academics and researchers, with a special focus on the management and industrial engineering fields. This book can serve as a useful reference for academics, researchers, managers, engineers, and other professionals in related matters with research methodologies. Contributors have identified the theoretical and practical implications of their methodological options to the development and improvement of their different study and research areas.

This book develops and illustrates a comprehensive, multi-level framework for the evaluation of industrial research and development (R&D) activities and the measurement of their performance. The framework encompasses a set of hierarchical, interrelated levels at which R&D evaluation and performance measurement could be undertaken. This enlightening book focuses on the single industrial firm to study performance measurement of R&D functions, projects and individual researchers or engineers. It also addresses R&D evaluation from the point of view of financial markets, with a focus on the relationship between R&D investments and the value of the traded firm. The book broadens tin scope to study the role of technology platforms as R&D coordination mechanisms and also looks at the evaluation of R&D policies. This book will be warmly welcomed by researchers and postgraduate students in disciplines concerned with innovation management, technology policy, and finance who wish to gain an updated overview of R&D evaluation and performance measurement as well as exploring different units of analysis.

Using state-of-the-art empirical techniques, contributors address the policy challenges raised by globalization, the internet and other technological advances, innovation, and the rise of security measures in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Chapters are organized around five themes: recent developments and policy challenges, Canadian firms in the information age, research and development and innovation, regulation and industrial performance, and securing trade and investment opportunities. The only substantive research volume on this subject in two decades, Industrial Organization in Canada is a welcome resource for policy makers, researchers, and academics concerned with industrial policy issues in contemporary Canada. Contributors include Ajay Agrawal (University of Toronto), Doug Allen (Simon Fraser University), Werner Antweiler (University of British Columbia), John Baldwin (Statistics Canada), Zhiqi Chen (Carleton University), Jean-Étienne de Bettignies (Queen's University), Marc Duhamel (Industry Canada), James Gaisford (University of Calgary), Avi Goldfarb (University of Toronto), Wulong Gu (Statistics Canada), Kathryn Harrison (University of British Columbia), Patrick Joly (Industry Canada), William Kerr (University of Saskatchewan), Kevin Koch (PricewaterhouseCoopers), Donald G. McFetridge (Carleton University), Peter W. B. Phillips (University of Saskatchewan), Mohammed Rafiquzzaman (Industry Canada), Someshwar Rao (Institute for Research on Public Policy), Thomas W. Ross (University of British Columbia), Camille Ryan (University of Saskatchewan), Michel Sabbagh (Industry Canada), Guofu Tan (University of Southern California), Henry Thille (Guelph University), Johannes Van Biesebroeck (K.U. Leuven, Belgium), and Lasheng Yuan (University of Calgary).

This book considers how a culture of ‘competitive accountability’ in UK higher education produces multiple tensions, contradictions and paradoxes that are destabilizing and deleterious to the work and identities of academics as research scientists. It suggests the potential of a new discourse of scientific accountability, that frees scientists and their public communities from the absurdities and profligacy of ‘performativity’ and ‘managerial governmentality’ encountered in the REF and an impact agenda – the noose of competitive accountability – and a more honest and meaningful public contract.

Why the United States lags behind other industrialized countries in sharing the benefits of innovation with workers and how we can remedy the problem. The United States has too many low-quality, low-wage jobs. Every country has its share, but those in the United States are especially poorly paid and often without benefits. Meanwhile, overall productivity increases steadily and new technology has transformed large parts of the economy, enhancing the skills and paychecks of higher paid knowledge workers. What’s wrong with this picture? Why have so many workers benefited so little from decades of growth? The Work of the Future shows that technology is neither the problem nor the solution. We can build better jobs if we create institutions that leverage technological innovation and also support workers though long cycles of technological transformation. Building on findings from the multiyear MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future, the book argues that we must foster institutional innovations that complement technological change. Skills programs that emphasize work-based and hybrid learning (in person and online), for example, empower workers to become and remain productive in a continuously evolving workplace. Industries fueled by new technology that augments workers can supply good jobs, and federal investment in R&D can help make these industries worker-friendly. We must act to ensure that the labor market of the future offers benefits, opportunity, and a measure of economic security to all.