Framing Surface Transportation Research for the Nation’s Future (2013) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 Building Blocks of National Research Frameworks
2 Building Blocks of National Research Frameworks
Pages 17-35
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From page 17... ...
and the processes by which the research is accomplished constitute a "research framework," as defined in Chapter 1 for the purposes of this report. Chapter 2 sets the stage for the committee's examination of the current research framework for surface transportation in the United States, the research frameworks for other countries' transportation sectors, and the research frameworks for nontransportation sectors domestically.
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For example, private-sector organizations are typically not interested in disseminating their research results if this activity threatens their competitive advantage, and public-sector entities are likely to place greater direct emphasis on societal goals than their private-sector counterparts do. The functions listed should be viewed as elements linked by multiple feedback loops, as illustrated schematically in Figure 2-1, rather than as a linear sequence of steps leading from a clearly defined starting point to a clearly defined end point.
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In practice, societal goals, whether formally articulated in public policy documents or implicit in statutes and regulations, influence research activities both directly and indirectly. For example, the allocation of federal, state, and local government funding for specific research areas, inspired by national goals for issues such as road safety and economic prosperity, has an obvious direct effect on the scope and nature of research efforts in those areas.
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A top-down approach is generally used if the research responds to formally articulated societal goals or other national objectives. In contrast, a bottom-up approach identifies research needs based on problems that stakeholders (typically, specific organizations)
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Conduct of Research Complex Process Practical experience indicates not only that research involves extensive iteration, but also that the distinctions between research categories (e.g., basic research, applied research, and development) are often blurred.
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Peer review and expert judgment, for example, promote the quality and effectiveness of research; research managers often engage expert groups to monitor and assess progress while research activities are under way. Evaluation methods that highlight the outcomes and impacts of research initiatives, such as an economic case study or a history linking research to important industry developments, are more valuable for briefing senior managers, members of Congress, and other high-level decision makers (Ruegg and Jordan 2007)
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FRAMEWORK ATTRIBUTES To inform its assessment of alternative frameworks, the committee identified attributes corresponding to each framework function that it deemed influential in determining how well a framework performs in a given context. The framework attributes listed in Table 2-1 were 2 In the case of patentable materials, dissemination may be restricted to avoid a loss of economic value to the company or university conducting the research.
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24 Framing Surface Transportation Research for the Nation's Future TABLE 2-1 Framework Attributes by Function Function Attribute Identification • Articulates societal goals and the role of research in achieving them of the role of • Engages an inclusive set of stakeholders in a timely and cost-effective manner research in • Reflects a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach achieving societal • Monitors and fosters assessment of related work in the United States and goals around the world Research agenda • Addresses how the field of endeavor affects national priorities for the econsetting omy and societal well-being • Provides strategic guidance to relevant national industries, public agencies, and educational institutions • Engages an inclusive set of stakeholders in a timely and cost-effective manner • Supports appropriate collaboration and partnerships among public, private, and academic sectors • Encourages synergies among different disciplines • Reflects a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach • Supports organizational goals • Reflects short-, mid, and long-term issues and plans • Generates a comprehensive research agenda and funds a balanced research portfolio that includes basic, advanced, and applied research • Values champions for their instrumental role in research program focus and their support of the innovation process • Monitors and fosters assessment of related work in the United States and around the world • Embraces strategies for implementation and addresses intellectual property issues • Reflects lessons learned from previous research Distribution • Engages an inclusive set of stakeholders in a timely and cost-effective manner of funding for • Generates a comprehensive research agenda and funds a balanced research specific research portfolio that includes basic, advanced, and applied research activities • Engages researchers from universities, agencies, and industry • Promotes quality research through peer-review selection processes and stakeholder reviews of work in progress • Encourages synergies among different disciplines • Values champions for their instrumental role in research program focus and their support of the innovation process • Provides data or evidence that can readily be used for evaluations of ongoing and completed research • Provides institutional structures, incentives, human capital, and financial resources needed to support successful implementation • Develops experts as human capital and educates the next generation of professionals • Demonstrates positive return on investment or measurable improvement in the performance of systems and services • Leverages and supplements knowledge being developed elsewhere • Monitors and fosters assessment of related work in the United States and around the world
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over the long term Dissemination of • Engages an inclusive set of stakeholders in a timely and cost-effective manner results • Engages researchers from universities, agencies, and industry • Embraces strategies for implementation and addresses intellectual property issues (continued on next page)
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surface transportation research, (b) other countries' transportation research frameworks, and (c)
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By engaging a diverse set of stakeholders from the public, private, and academic sectors who are steeped in the many disciplines related to transportation, the resulting research activities are more likely to succeed in supporting societal goals. Stakeholder participation brings value to all functions within the research framework, but it is especially critical to research agenda setting.
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Promotes quality research through peer- 3 3 3 review selection processes and stake holder reviews of work in progress
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Embraces strategies for implementation 3 3 3 3 3 and addresses intellectual property issues 9. Provides the institutional structures, 3 3 3 incentives, human capital, and financial resources needed to support successful implementation 10.
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2. Supports Appropriate Collaboration and Partnerships Among Public, Private, and Academic Sectors When organizations have similar or overlapping research objectives, collaborating or creating partnerships to achieve shared goals may be beneficial.
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5. Engages Researchers from Universities, Agencies, and Industry Research is conducted by educational institutions, government agencies, and private companies (including independent research contractors)
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8. Embraces Strategies for Implementation and Addresses Intellectual Property Issues Compelling societal needs, as well as the expectations of research sponsors and the public at large, demand that research embrace application of results as part of its life cycle.
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9. Provides the Institutional Structures, Incentives, Human Capital, and Financial Resources Needed to Support Successful Implementation Successful implementation of the results of research depends on a variety of factors, some of which, such as the type of change involved or the nature of the adopter, may introduce unpredictability into the implementation function.
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12. Demonstrates Positive Return on Investment or Measurable Improvement in the Performance of Systems and Services Research sponsors, including the general public, are increasingly concerned with realizing tangible value from their research investments.
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. REFERENCES Abbreviation TRB Transportation Research Board Brach, A., and M
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