A technology framework for the East Midlands 2008-2011

This provides a framework for targeting support for technology development by focusing on a limited number of priority areas and demonstrates a clear understanding of the region's technology strengths to investors, collaborators and policymakers

Balanced Objective-Quantifiers Method (BOQM) For Software Intensive Organizations Strategies

Spanish university facilitates a method to link the strategic management with Software and Process improvement based on measurement. The method uses the process philosophy to build measurable information in Indicators templates (Based on ISO/IEC 15939) and a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) template, the process is followed by the participation of SIO’s roles such as the CEO, TI director, CPO, and others measurement roles such as measurement analyst, measurement librarian, and the measurement user

Innovation Initiatives in Large Software Companies: A Systematic Mapping Study

To keep the competitive advantage and adapt to changes in the market and technology, companies need to innovate in an organised, purposeful and systematic manner. However, due to their size and complexity, large companies tend to focus on maintaining their business, which can potentially lower their agility to innovate. This study aims to provide an overview of the current research on innovation initiatives and to identify the challenges of implementing the initiatives in the context of large software companies. The investigation was performed using a systematic mapping approach of published literature on corporate innovation and entrepreneurship. Then it was complemented with interviews with four experts with rich industry experience. Our study results suggest that, there is a lack of high quality empirical studies on innovation initiative in the context of large software companies. A total of 7 studies are conducted in such context, which reported 5 types of initiatives: intrapreneurship, bootlegging, internal venture, spin-off and crowdsourcing. Our study offers three contributions. First, this paper represents the map of existing literature on innovation initiatives inside large companies. The second contribution is to provide an innovation initiative tree. The third contribution is to identify key challenges faced by each initiative in large software companies. At the strategic and tactical levels, there is no difference between large software companies and other companies. At the operational level, large software companies are highly influenced by the advancement of Internet technology. Large software companies use open innovation paradigm as part of their innovation initiatives. We envision a future work is to further empirically evaluate the innovation initiative tree in large software companies, which involves more practitioners from different companies

Does social software support service innovation?

Recent Internet technologies and web-based applications, such as social software, are being increasingly applied in firms. Social software can be employed for knowledge management and for external communication enabling access to internal and external knowledge. Knowledge in turn constitutes one of the main inputs to service innovation. Hence, social software has the potential to support service innovation. Using data from 505 German Information- and Communication Technology (ICT) and knowledge-intensive service firms, this is the first paper which empirically analyses the question whether the use of social software applications triggers innovation. Thereby, it refers to a knowledge production function in which social software use constitutes the knowledge sourcing activity. The results reveal that there is a positive relationship between social software and service innovation. Since this result is robust when controlling for former innovative activities and the previous propensity to adopt new technologies and to change processes, the analysis suggests that the causality runs from social software to innovation. --Social software,web 2.0,service innovation,knowledge management

Determining the quality of mathematical software using reference data sets

This paper describes a methodology for evaluating the numerical accuracy of software that performs mathematical calculations. The authors explain how this methodology extends the concept of metrological traceability, which is fundamental to measurement, to include software quality. Overviews of two European Union-funded projects are also presented. The first project developed an infrastructure to allow software to be verified by testing, via the internet, using reference data sets. The primary focus of the project was software used within systems that make physical measurements. The second project, currently underway, explores using this infrastructure to verify mathematical software used within general scientific and engineering disciplines. Publications on using reference data sets for the verification of mathematical software are usually intended for a readership specialising in measurement science or mathematics. This paper is aimed at a more general readership, in particular software quality specialists and computer scientists. Further engagement with experts in these disciplines will be helpful to the continued development of this application of software quality

2011 Strategic roadmap for Australian research infrastructure

The 2011 Roadmap articulates the priority research infrastructure areas of a national scale (capability areas) to further develop Australia’s research capacity and improve innovation and research outcomes over the next five to ten years. The capability areas have been identified through considered analysis of input provided by stakeholders, in conjunction with specialist advice from Expert Working Groups   It is intended the Strategic Framework will provide a high-level policy framework, which will include principles to guide the development of policy advice and the design of programs related to the funding of research infrastructure by the Australian Government. Roadmapping has been identified in the Strategic Framework Discussion Paper as the most appropriate prioritisation mechanism for national, collaborative research infrastructure. The strategic identification of Capability areas through a consultative roadmapping process was also validated in the report of the 2010 NCRIS Evaluation. The 2011 Roadmap is primarily concerned with medium to large-scale research infrastructure. However, any landmark infrastructure (typically involving an investment in excess of $100 million over five years from the Australian Government) requirements identified in this process will be noted. NRIC has also developed a ‘Process to identify and prioritise Australian Government landmark research infrastructure investments’ which is currently under consideration by the government as part of broader deliberations relating to research infrastructure. NRIC will have strategic oversight of the development of the 2011 Roadmap as part of its overall policy view of research infrastructure

Variance estimation for the instrumental variables approach to measurement error in generalized linear models

This paper derives and gives explicit formulas for a derived sandwich variance estimate. This variance estimate is appropriate for generalized linear additive measurement error models fitted using instrumental variables. We also generalize the known results for linear regression. As such, this article explains the theoretical justification for the sandwich estimate of variance utilized in the software for measurement error developed under the Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR) by StataCorp. The results admit estimation of variance matrices for measurement error models where there is an instrument for the unknown covariate. Copyright 2003 by StataCorp LP.sandwich estimate of variance, measurement error, White's estimator, robust variance, generalized linear models, instrumental variables

Analysis and measurement of interactions in European Innovation

Innovation Systems constitute an analysis framework, which allows comprehending the socio-economic structure of a territory. It consists of analyzing the existence of actors such as government institutions, clusters, universities, industries… their main competences, and the interactions into Innovation Networks among them. Thus, authorities (regional, national, local…) are endowed of a tool that allows the creation and development of competitive and efficient Innovation Systems. In this context, and due to the importance of interactions inside Innovation Systems, the present research intends to contribute a methodology which helps us to analyze and measure these interactions produced within Innovation Networks. The methodology developed will be tested in a sector which is present in several European Territories. This way, not only the measures defined but also the differences among the Networks analyzed will be observed and tested.Innovation Systems, Interactions, Innovation Networks, Measures.

Strategic Patenting and Software Innovation

Strategic patenting is widely believed to raise the costs of innovating,especially in industries characterised by cumulative innovation. This paperstudies the effects of strategic patenting on R&D, patenting and marketvalue in the computer software industry. We focus on two key aspects:patent portfolio size which affects bargaining power in patent disputes, andthe fragmentation of patent rights (.patent thickets.) which increases thetransaction costs of enforcement. We develop a model that incorporates botheffects, together with R&D spillovers. Using panel data for the period 1980-99, we find evidence that both strategic patenting and R&D spilloversstrongly affect innovation and market value of software firms.patents, anti-commons, patent thickets, R&D spillovers, marketvalue