How to capture value from linking to science-driven basic research: boundary crossing inventors and partnerships.

Surprisingly little is known about the actual process of how firms engage in accessing and translating science-driven basic knowledge and turning this into improved applied research productivity. We study this process focused around a research corporation in the microelectronics and semiconductor industry. We show that firms which have a partnership with the research organization where at the same time inventors cross from the research organization into the firm develop higher quality technologies drawing on the basic research knowledge from the research organization. These same firms also spend more effort internally developing these initial technologies into more applied technologies capturing more value from these interactions with science-driven basic knowledge.

University governance and academic research : case studies of research units in Dutch and English universities

The central research question of our study addresses the effects of governing models on the research practices of basic research units in public universities in the fields of medieval history and biotechnology. We have used two organisational theories: resource dependence and neo-institutional theory. They provided a range of possible responses of research units to changes in institutional environments. Based on the work of Oliver (1991) we have distinguished three organisational strategies: passive compliance, symbolic compliance and proactive manipulation. In order to interpret the perceptions, responses of the basic research units and the consequences for their research practices meaningfully, we have taken into account the particular characteristics of the world of research and science. For this purpose, we have used the credibility cycle model of the research organisation that was introduced by Latour and Woolgar (1979). \ud Our analysis has shown that respondents in all cases of our study perceive their institutional environments as changing. All eight basic research units in the two countries respond to their changing institutional environments by attempting to reduce uncertainty as predicated by resource dependence theory and to maintain stability in their core activities as predicted by neo-institutional theory. They also try to maximise their credibility building prospects by either adhering to the rules and norms of their (changing) institutional environments or by actively engaging in a dialogue with their audiences, especially with their major resource providers. In their responses the basic research units are using different strategies from passive and symbolic compliance to pro-active manipulation. All research units prefer to maintain stability in their activities, but not all of them have been equally successful in this respect. This study has shown that shifts in governance influence research practices to a certain extent

A Qualitative Analysis of Motivation of Elite Female Triathletes

The multidimensional theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has gained prominence in the sport and exercise field to assist in understanding human motivation. While there is extensive research on motivation of recreational athletes, no study has qualitatively examined the motivation of elite female triathletes. The primary purpose of this research was to determine how motivation to train and compete is maintained at the elite level using the Basic Needs Theory. The participants were eight elite female triathletes who competed in International Triathlon Union (ITU) draft-legal Olympic distance, Half- Ironman, and Ironman triathlons. Results from the semi-structured interviews revealed that challenges, love of the sport, and togetherness enhanced motivation to persist in this demanding sport. Several similarities with Deci and Ryan\u27s (2000) Basic Needs Theory were found. Directions for future research using SDT within the sport of triathlon were discussed

Ivory Tower Versus Corporate Lab: An Empirical Study of Basic Research and Appropriability

We explore the use of patent citations to measure the "basicness" and appropriability of inventions. We propose that the basicness of research underlying an invention can be characterized by the nature of the previous patents cited by an invention; that the basicness of research outcomes relates to the subsequent patents that cite an invention; and that the fraction of citing patents that are assigned to the same organization as the original invention is a measure of appropriabiity. We test the validity of these presumptions by comparing the value of our measures for university and corporate patents, and find that many of the measures do conform to our a priori belief that university research and research outcomes are more basic and harder to appropriate than those of corporations. We also find some evidence that basicness of outcomes is correlated with basicness of research, and that appropriability is lower for basic outcomes.

The impact of public basic research on industrial innovation: Evidence from the pharmaceutical industry

While most economists believe that public scientific research fuels industry innovation and economic growth, systematic evidence supporting this relationship is surprisingly limited. In a recent study, Acemoglu and Linn (2004) identified market size as a significant driver of drug innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, but they did not find any evidence supporting science-driven innovation from publicly funded research. This paper uses new data on biomedical research investments by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine the contribution of public research to pharmaceutical innovation. The empirical analysis finds that both market size and NIH funded basic research have economically and statistically significant effects on the entry of new drugs with the contribution of public basic research coming in the earliest stage of pharmaceutical drug discovery. The analysis also finds a positive return to public investment in basic biomedical research. --R&D,NIH,social return,biomedical,research lags,public science,new molecular entities

Rational and Coalition Models of Job Evaluation: Do More Powerful University Departments Have an Advantage?

Job evaluation research has, to date, focused on the individual as the unit of analysis. After approximately 50 years of study, evidence on the basic assumptions supporting job evaluation is still inconclusive. This study expands the research by employing organizational theory to the topic and studying job evaluation at the group level. Prior work on rational and coalition models of resource allocation is used to develop hypotheses that are tested with six years of job evaluation data from a university. The results support the coalition model and the conclusion that departmental power can affect job evaluation outcomes

Priority setting for research in health care: An application of value of information analysis to glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome

The purpose of this study is to explain the rationale for the value of information approach to priority setting for research and to describe the methods intuitively for those familiar with basic decision analytical modeling. A policy-relevant case study is used to show the feasibility of the method and to illustrate the type of output that is generated and how these might be used to frame research recommendations. The case study relates to the use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists for the treatment of patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome. This is an area that recently has been appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence