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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
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Best Practices in Assessment of Research
and Development Organizations—
Summary of a Workshop

James P. McGee, Rapporteur

Laboratory Assessments Board

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS   500 Fifth Street, NW   Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This study was supported by Contract No. S8134106200l between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-26616-1
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-26616-5

Copies of this report are available from

Laboratory Assessments Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
National Research Council
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE AND PANEL FOR REVIEW OF BEST PRACTICES
IN ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS

JOHN W. LYONS, National Defense University, Chair

EDWARD A. BROWN, The MITRE Corporation

W.WARNER BURKE, Columbia University

ROSS B. COROTIS, University of Colorado at Boulder

WILLIAM W. CRAIG, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

C. WILLIAM GEAR, Princeton University

WESLEY L. HARRIS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ELENI KOUSVELARI, Sandia National Laboratories

BERNARD S. MEYERSON, IBM Corporation

ELSA REICHMANIS, Georgia Institute of Technology

JOEL M. SCHNUR, George Mason University

LYLE H. SCHWARTZ, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Retired)

Staff

JAMES P. MCGEE, Board Director

CY BUTNER, Senior Program Officer

LIZA HAMILTON, Administrative Coordinator

EVA LABRE, Program Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
×

LABORATORY ASSESSMENTS BOARD

JOHN W. LYONS, National Defense University, Chair

CLAUDE R. CANIZARES, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ROSS B. COROTIS, University of Colorado at Boulder

JOSEPH S. FRANCISCO, Purdue University

C. WILLIAM GEAR, Princeton University

HENRY J. HATCH, U.S. Army (Retired)

LOUIS J. LANZEROTTI, New Jersey Institute of Technology

ELSA REICHMANIS, Georgia Institute of Technology

LYLE H. SCHWARTZ, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Retired)

CHARLES V. SHANK, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

DWIGHT C. STREIT, Northrop Grumman Space Technology

Staff

JAMES P. MCGEE, Board Director

CY BUTNER, Senior Program Officer

LIZA HAMILTON, Administrative Coordinator

EVA LABRE, Program Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13527.
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Acknowledgment of Reviewers

This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the summary meets institutional standards for clarity, objectivity, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this workshop summary:

Ross B. Corotis, University of Colorado at Boulder,

Mark E. Eberhart, Colorado School of Mines,

Katharine G. Frase, IBM Corporation,

Tonya L. Kuhl, University of California, Davis, and

John W. Lyons, National Defense University.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse views presented at the workshop, and they did not see the final draft of the workshop summary before its release. The review of this summary was overseen by David E. Crow, University of Connecticut. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this summary was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this summary rests entirely with the author and the institution.

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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)--recognizing that information and insights gained through continual examination of practices for organizational assessment are useful for decision makers at organizations across the deferral, industrial, academic, and national laboratory sectors-recently requested that the National Research Council (NRC) organize a panel to review best practices in assessment of research and development (R&D) organizations. In response, the NRC established the Panel for Review of Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations.

The panel was charged to consider means of assessing the following in a manner that satisfies the requirements of NIST to perform effective assessments but also identifies assessment methods that can be applied selectively to other R&D organizations. These methods include: technical merit and quality of the science and engineering work, the adequacy of the resources available to support high-quality work, the effectiveness of the agency's delivery of the services and products required to fulfill its goals, the degree to which the agency's current and planned R&D portfolio supports its mission, as well as the agency's flexibility to respond to changing economic, political, social and technological contexts.

As one means of data gathering, among others that the panel is performing toward development of a final report of its findings, the panel organized a planning committee for a workshop on best practices in assessment of R&D organizations. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations: Summary of a Workshop reviews the workshop conducted at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2012.

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