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Strategic Management of Government-Sponsored R&D Portfolios

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  • Barry Bozeman
  • Juan Rogers

Abstract

Although strategic management of R&D portfolios is common practice in private sector R&D, government R&D management tends to be more discrete and ad hoc, focusing on generating maximum output from individual projects. Often, there is no clear notion of the desired public sector output. Whereas private sector R&D evaluation is generally straightforward, with the function of R&D being measured in terms of a company's internal return on investment, the benefits of public-sponsored R&D tend to be more diffuse with respect to both type and impact. Drawing from evidence developed in twenty-four case studies of R&D projects sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, one of the primary sources of funds for basic research in US universities and national laboratories, we examine implications of R&D project impacts for a sort of ‘portfolio management’ of government-sponsored R&D. Although the meaning of ‘portfolio’ is not the same in public sector R&D management, it is nonetheless possible to think strategically about projects and their cumulative impact. Indeed, it is clear that many government R&D managers already do so. In this study, we contrast two types of ‘portfolio’: (1) R&D output portfolios (focusing on one type of scientific output, such as, for example, fundamental knowledge or technology development); and (2) a balanced portfolio that considers both R&D outputs and ‘scientific and technical human capital’, the capacity created by R&D projects. The case-study evidence shows different approaches to achieving each portfolio type. An analysis of the relation of project attributes to output types focuses on aspects of projects potentially under the control of strategic public managers, including magnitude of funding, degree and type of management oversight, and interorganizational and intraorganizational linkages. Each of these variables affects the type of project outputs obtained. From the results, we suggest that a balanced approach to government R&D portfolio management is appropriate for many government agencies. That is, government managers may wish to consider the extent to which their projects both produce traditional outputs such as articles and patents, as well as provide contributions to scientific and technical human capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Barry Bozeman & Juan Rogers, 2001. "Strategic Management of Government-Sponsored R&D Portfolios," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 19(3), pages 413-442, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:19:y:2001:i:3:p:413-442
    DOI: 10.1068/c1v
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bozeman, Barry & Klein, Hans K., 1999. "The case study as research heuristic: lessons from the R&D value mapping project," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 91-103.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1964. "Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, First Edition," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck-5, July.
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    1. Mangematin, V. & Blanco, S. & Deschamp, B. & Genet, C. & Kahane, B., 2006. "Project management : learning by breaking the rules," Working Papers 200604, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    2. Bozeman, Barry & Rogers, Juan D., 2002. "A churn model of scientific knowledge value: Internet researchers as a knowledge value collective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 769-794, July.
    3. Sara Amoroso & Simone Vannuccini, 2019. "Teaming up with Large R&D Investors: Good or Bad for Knowledge Production and Diffusion?," SPRU Working Paper Series 2019-20, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    4. Subramanian, Annapoornima M. & Nishant, Rohit & Van De Vrande, Vareska & Hang, Chang Chieh, 2022. "Technology transfer from public research institutes to SMEs: A configurational approach to studying reverse knowledge flow benefits," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    5. Branten Eva & Purju Alari, 2013. "Innovative Financial Instruments in EU Funding Schemes," TalTech Journal of European Studies, Sciendo, vol. 3(1), pages 121-135, June.
    6. Bozeman, Barry & Rimes, Heather & Youtie, Jan, 2015. "The evolving state-of-the-art in technology transfer research: Revisiting the contingent effectiveness model," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 34-49.
    7. Maroto Sánchez, Andrés & Rubalcaba Bermejo, Luis & Gallego Martinez, Jorge, 2016. "On the role of publicly funded R&D for public sector performance," Working Papers in Economic Theory 2016/02, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), Department of Economic Analysis (Economic Theory and Economic History).
    8. Olena Leonchuk & Denis O. Gray, 2019. "Scientific and technological (human) social capital formation and Industry–University Cooperative Research Centers: a quasi-experimental evaluation of graduate student outcomes," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(5), pages 1638-1664, October.
    9. Peretz, Jean H. & Das, Sujit & Tonn, Bruce E., 2009. "Evaluating knowledge benefits of automotive lightweighting materials R&D projects," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 300-309, August.

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