Toward Performance Measures for Road Infrastructure Research Programs

Abstract

Public-good research carries with it a value proposition not as well understood as that applying to other products or research-and-development projects. The benefits of this type of research are understood only in general terms. If these benefits are to continue, however, funders of research need to measure the benefits that accrue from their investment. Progress is being made toward creating an understanding of the benefits of public-good research related to road infrastructure in Australia. Earlier work that identified shortcomings in the evaluation of benefits is expanded to identify the types of benefits that research users and funders see as important. This is critical in designing a process for evaluating the overall benefits of research. The means of evaluating each type of benefit are not discussed; these frameworks will be developed in the next stages of the research study.