Coding: The database will track which sample(s) each survey belongs to. It would be possible for a random sampled project to be a top performer from a firm, which had only two awards. Thus it could be coded as random sample for the program, random sample for the awarding agency, top performer and 100 percent of single or double winners. The database itself can group surveys that came from multiple winners once we establish how many awards we use as a cutoff for that designation.

How many surveys: I estimate that if the random sample were 20 percent, this approach would generate about 5000 to 5500 project surveys and about 3000 firm surveys, assuming each firm that received at least one project survey also received a firm survey. Although we would be sampling over half of the awards, firms that had many awards would have surveys on slightly over 20 percent. The response rate depends on how much effort is spent before the survey in insuring good addresses (Do we create the new commercialization database?) and how much follow up and phone calls we make to people who do not respond. One agency mentioned that his survey had a 70-80 percent response rate, but until he began phone calls that rate was 15 percent.