the role of information in innovation investigating the value of information tools to r&d...
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THE ROLE OF INFORMATION IN INNOVATIONInvestigating the value of information tools to R&D scientists and engineers
An independent study of U.S. researchers, sponsored by Elsevier
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Key Objectives of the Study:
1. Determine how the environment for conducting research is changing
2. Assess the importance placed on having access to published research information
3. Gauge the value researchers place on paid R&D information tools
4. Measure the level of involvement with paid R&D information tools
5. Among researchers who do not have access to such tools- measure their desire to gain access
METHODOLOGY & DEMOGRAPHICS
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Study Conducted By Martin Akel & Associates
Date Conducted: January, 2005
Universe Studied: 25,000 U.S. researchers in the corporate and industrial markets from the
Reed Business Information subscriber database
Medium Used: E-mail survey. One announcement e-mail plus two reminders.
Response Rate: 561 usable returns = 2.2%; margin of error (95% confidence level) = +/- 4.2%
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Types of Business
Automotive manufacturers Chemical processorsPetroleum processors Plastic products Pharmaceutical manufacturers Aerospace manufacturersSemiconductor manufacturers Biotechnology Contract research organizations Environmental companiesSoftware developers Consulting firmsInstrument manufacturers Telecommunications
manufacturers
DEMOGRAPHICS
Number of senior staff and/or managementPersonally involved In R&D activities: 100%
THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING
“I would be spending less time and more money finding information, which translates into more productivity.”
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Most researchers now face greater expectationsto contribute to their company's growth
Expectations to contribute to corporate growth (vs. 4 - 5 years ago)
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Today, researchers are pressured to achieve their goals more quickly
Whether there's pressure to achieve objectives more quickly (vs. 4 - 5 years ago)
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Most researchers believe there is now less “room for error” in their investigative approaches
Whether there's less room for error In selecting approaches to research (vs. 4 - 5 years ago)
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Researchers are now more concerned with achieving breakthroughs or improvements before their competitors
Trend in concern with achieving breakthroughs before competitors
Paid R&D information tools “…Helps us get to market faster.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING ACCESS TO PUBILISHED RESEARCH
“I would not like to have to dig so hard… I search for hours for something that should only take a few minutes.”
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To properly execute their responsibilities, most professionals believe it is vital to have accessto the latest research
Importance of having access to the work and experiences of peers
TYPES OF INFORMATION TOOLS USED BY PROFESSIONALS
THE VALUE OF TOOLS
“Research tools enhance the speed to market of quality and innovative products.”
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Three-quarters of the respondents use one or more types of paid R&D information tools
73% of the survey respondents use paid R&D information tools
Note: Among researchers who use R&D information tools of any type.
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R&D information tools enable researchers to learn what has been accomplished and to take the next steps in their projects
Whether researchers view different types of information tools as “Stepping Stones”
Note: Among researchers who use R&D information tools of any type.
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Researchers find paid R&D information tools to be a productive way to stimulate innovation
The effectiveness of information tools in stimulating innovation
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If paid R&D information tools were no longer availableto them, researchers indicate they would be at a significant disadvantage
Whether removing paid information tools would be a liability/disadvantage in conducting research
WHERE TOOLS ARE NOT AVAILABLE
RESEARCHERS’ DESIRE TO GAIN ACCESS
Paid research tools “…accelerates research, shortens development time, and leads to better product.”
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The primary reason researchers do not use paid R&D information tools -- money is not made available
*Among those without access
Reasons why researchers are not given access to paid R&D information tools*
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Almost all researchers who do not have access to paid R&D information tools desire to have them made available
*Among those without access
Types of information tools researchers would like to access*
Number of researchers who desire to have access to paid R&D information tools*
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Researchers want to use paid R&D information tools –to "Gain Knowledge We Can Build On"
“Check ALL the reasons why you would like to have access to the types of information tools listed above.”
Note: Among those without access
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Most researchers believe they would be more productiveif they had access to paid R&D information tools
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If researchers had access to paid information tools,it would impact their work in a variety of ways ...
Q. “If you had access to R&D information tools, how would it impact your research efforts?”
“Easy-to-use tools might drive me to look up information about a project. Credible academic works would be superior to what usually comes back in a ‘Google’.”
“I’ve found information on the Internet that everyone told me I have to pay for, but was free.
I would not like to have to dig so hard and deep since I have to search for hours for something that should only take minutes.”
“To avoid unnecessary time/effort/expenditures, I like to check (that) similar work has not already been done. Usually it has, and we can build off of this work and avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’. Difficult to find time for library trips though.”
“Would) make results more predictive and reduce testing time, saving resources and getting the product to market sooner and gaining revenues earlier.”
“Quicken time to market.”
“Would speed up the process.”
“#1 would be more rapid development of design and process concepts.”
“We would be able to work with more solid information and move forward faster.”
“Quicker, more accurate research.”
“Lower project development costs.”
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If researchers had access to paid information tools,it would impact their work in a variety of ways ...
“It would give me some idea of what to expect from my research, and how to twist it to favor my company.”
“Chief impact would be the ability to gauge the research activities of other, competing groups.”
“More ideas of what might work, more confidence that something will work.”
“We would do more research ‘up front’ to find mistakes others have already made.”
“Eliminate a lot of trial and error research.”
“I would be spending less time and money finding information, which translates into more productivity.”
“The impact would be toward making decisions based on more factual data.”
“Identify collaboration opportunities.”
“Increase knowledge, save time, prevent errors.”
“It would allow for more educated decision making for project direction.”
“Less risk, faster results.”
“Enlarge the horizon, (be) more productive.”
“These tools would give us a clear picture of the scope of the research much quicker, and eliminate redundancy.”
HOW RESEARCHERS USE R&D INFORMATION TOOLS TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE INNOVATION PROCESS
CASE HISTORIES
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CASE HISTORIES
AccellentAir Products and ChemicalsAlcoaAnalog Devices BVAT&T LabsBAE Systems CFTBaxter HealthcareBell LabsBoeingCabot Microelectronics Corp.Chattahoochee CompositesChevronTexacoConocoPhillipsCorningCureMD CorpDelphi Chassis SystemsDow ChemicalEastman Kodak CompanyE. I. DuPontExxonMobil Chemical Co.FujitsuGE Healthcare
General Motors Hewlett Packard CompanyIBM Ingenuity SystemsIntel CorporationInternational Paper JDS UniphaseJohnson & JohnsonKronos Science LaboratoriesLafarge North America Laser ReproductionsLincoln Electric CompanyLucent TechnologiesMary Kay Inc.MeadWestvacoMiller Brewing CompanyMilliken & Co.Moog, Inc.Motorola, Inc.MPI Research, Inc.Nanomat, Inc.National Semiconductor.
Northrop GrummanNovartisOmni Design Concepts, Inc.Pitney Bowes Rogers CorporationRosemount Inc.SAE MagneticsSandvik Process SystemsSanofi-AventisSchlumbergerSensorMedics CorporationSherwin-Williams CoSiemens VDOSikorskyTaylor Made-Adidas GolfTerraSolar, Inc.Texas Instruments3M CompanyToroTRW AutomotiveWhirlpool Corp.W. R. Grace
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Q. “Please describe one EXAMPLE of how you’ve used R&D information tools (journals and/or technical Web databases) to gain knowledge to address research problems or issues.”
CASE SITUATION – Scientific/Medical Instrument Manufacturer
Researcher’s Title: Engineering director, mgr., asst. mgr., etc.
Sales Revenues: $100 million - 499 million
R&D Budget: $1 million - 1.9 million
Research/Process/Product Worked On: A steerable dialator for interventional cardiac procedures
Problem Or Issue Faced: Patent infringement and poor prototype performance
Information Tools Used: Web-based indexes of articles/books/references, etc; Webbased abstracts/citations of articles/books/references, etc; Web-based technicalreferences (e.g., listings of chemical compounds, etc.); Web-based news related to research
What Was Learned From Tools: We were able to review existing patents. Determinedthat a material change was required to improve performance
Applications Of Information: Utilized a material with higher yield strength
How Information Tools Contributed: The research accelerated the development process by minimizing the design. iterations.
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Q. “Please describe one EXAMPLE of how you’ve used R&D information tools (journals and/or technical Web databases) to gain knowledge to address research problems or issues.”
CASE SITUATION – Chemical Processor
Researcher’s Title: R&D director, mgr., asst. mgr., etc.
Sales Revenues: $5 billion - 7.4 billion
R&D Budget: $100 million - 249 million
Research/Process/Product Worked On: Composite product made from multiple materials
Problem Or Issue Faced: Needed to improve the performance of one of the materials so we had to understand how much was already known about our proposed approach
Information Tools Used: Peer-reviewed research journals; Web-based abstracts/citations of articles/books/references, etc; Web-based full-text articles; Web-based technical references (e.g., listings of chemical compounds, etc.)
What Was Learned From Tools: Our approach has not previously been used and appeared to be a novel solution
Applications Of Information: Helped provide focus on critical performance properties distinct from what was known in the literature
How Information Tools Contributed: Indicated that our approach was novel and accelerated the work by providing comprehensive background information on what had been published
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Q. “Please describe one EXAMPLE of how you’ve used R&D information tools (journals and/or technical Web databases) to gain knowledge to address research problems or issues.”
CASE SITUATION – Process Manufacturer
Researcher’s Title: R&D director, mgr., asst. mgr., etc.
Sales Revenues: $50 million - 99.9 million
R&D Budget: $5 million - 9.9 million
Research/Process/Product Worked On: Thin film solar cell (photovoltaic) research and product development
Problem Or Issue Faced: Extremely complicated interface engineering problems impacting the performance of solar cells and modules.
Information Tools Used: Peer-reviewed research journals; Web-based full-text articles; Web-based technical references (e.g., listings of chemical compounds, etc.)
What Was Learned From Tools: The same problem that has been explored by other people
Applications Of Information: We duplicated published ideas and tried similar ones (not identical but closely resembling the published work in concepts)
How Information Tools Contributed: We have found a practical solution to the problem, even though we do not yet understand why the solution works
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Q. “Please describe one EXAMPLE of how you’ve used R&D information tools (journals and/or technical Web databases) to gain knowledge to address research problems or issues.”
CASE SITUATION – Scientific/Medical Instrument Manufacturer
Researcher’s Title: R&D director, mgr., asst. mgr., etc.
Sales Revenues: $100 million - 499 million
R&D Budget: $20 million - 24.9 million
Research/Process/Product Worked On: Drug development
Problem Or Issue Faced: Searching for downstream effects
Information Tools Used: Peer-reviewed research journals; Web-based indexes of articles/books/references, etc; Web-based abstracts/citations ofarticles/books/references, etc; Web-based full-text articles.
What Was Learned From Tools: The metabolic mechanism for binding the product inblood and its excretion rate
Applications Of Information: Helped us to modify the drug delivery profile to minimizeside effects
How Information Tools Contributed: Gave us a new application that we were not certainwe could go after
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If paid information tools were no longer available ...researchers' reactions
“Significant drop in productivity.”
“Unable keep up with progress, incorporate new methods.”
“A negative effect on project time (through reinventing the wheel).”
“Become not creative, waste a lot of time.”
“We would no longer have a research program.”
“It would be SAD!”
“Cannot imagine that; wouldn’t know how to do work.”
“Almost make doing my work impossible today.”
“My work would have less value and my job would be abandoned.”
“Look for a new job!”
“We would look for other lines of work.”
“Back to the dark ages.”
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Conclusions of the Independent Study
There is a distinct trend toward increased pressure for performance among researchers
Tools that enable researchers to conduct searches reliably and efficiently are embraced by most researchers.
R&D information tools continue to become a more important part of the overall research process.
Organizations that do not offer access, may find their researchers at a increasing disadvantage versus competitors.
Nine of ten researchers who do not have access to paid information tools wish to have them.
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The premier web-based discovery platform meeting the information needs of the engineering community
Engineering Village 2 combines Engineering bibliographic databases Compendex® , Inspec®, and NTIS Essential content sources including engineering reference, patents and
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Facets•Databases
•Authors
•Controlled Vocabulary
•Classification Codes
•Document Type
•Language
•Year of Publication
•Publisher
Boolean Options
•AND; OR; NOT
Refine or Expand a search
Add a Term field
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Search results with facets
Number of records
Faceting bar
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Dynamic result manipulation
The texture of the records is revealed through the faceting bar
Click on a term to restrict the results to your area of interest
Continue to refine and watch the record counts change
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Users can dynamically change their search strategy with the “breadcrumb” feature
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Follow the search trail
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Search alerts via RSS
Really Simple Syndication is providing web users with more control Over the content they see Over how its delivered to them
Users establish their own searches and have results delivered to their RSS readers Feeds are updated with the databases Researchers review results at their own pace Combine results from multiple searches and outside sources with your RSS reader
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The RSS feature allows users to track updated information in their own aggregators, whenever is convenient for them
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RSS delivered to your reader
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‘BLOG This’ Allows users to post links on their web pages.
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Create Your Own or a Blog for Your Library