Public Research Centers Research Articles

Academic Inventors, Scientific Impact and the Institutionalisation of Pasteur's Quadrant in Spain

We rely on a novel database of Spanish author-inventors to explore the relationship between the past patenting experience of academic authors and the scientific impact (citations received and journal prestige) of scientific articles published during 2003–2008 in journals listed in SCOPUS. We also study how such a relationship is affected by differences across academic affiliations, distinguishing between public universities and different types of non-university public research organisations. Our econometric estimations show that scientific impact is positively associated with having authors with past patenting experience as inventors at the European Patent Office. Exceptions are the articles of authors affiliated to new independent public research centres, not tied to the civil service model and oriented to do research that is both excellent and use-inspired. These are also on average the most cited articles.

Enabling technologies for space exploration systems: The STEPS project results and perspectives

The project STEPS (Sistemi e Tecnologie per l'EsPlorazione Spaziale) is a joint development of technologies and systems for Space Exploration supported by Regione Piemonte, the European Regional Development Fund (E.R.D.F.) 2007-2013, Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-I), SMEs, Universities and public Research Centres belonging to the network “Comitato Distretto Aerospaziale del Piemonte” the Piedmont Aerospace District (PAD) in Italy. The project first part terminated in May 2012 with a final demonstration event that summarizes the technological results of research activities carried-out during a period the three years and half. The project developed virtual and hardware demonstrators for a range of technologies for the descent, soft landing and surface mobility of robotic and manned equipment for Moon and Mars exploration. The two key hardware demonstrators—a Mars Lander and a Lunar Rover—fit in a context of international cooperation for the exploration of Moon and Mars, as envisaged by Space Agencies worldwide. The STEPS project included also the development and utilization of a system of laboratories equipped for technology validation, teleoperations, concurrent design environments, and virtual reality simulation of the Exploration Systems in typical Moon and Mars environments. This paper presents the reached results in several technology domains like: vision-based GNC for the last portion of Mars Entry, Descent and Landing sequence, Hazard avoidance and complete spacecraft autonomy; Autonomous Rover Navigation, based on the determination of the terrain morphology by a stereo camera; Mobility and Mechanisms providing an Integrated Ground Mobility System, Rendezvous and Docking equipment, and protection from Environment effects; innovative Structures such as Inflatable, Smart and Multifunction Structures, an Active Shock Absorber for safe landing, balance restoring and walking; Composite materials Modelling and Monitoring; Human-machine interface features of a predictive Command and Control System; Energy Management systems based on Regenerative Fuel Cells; aerothermodynamic solutions for Atmospheric Re-entry of Commercial Transportation Systems; novel Design and Development Tools, such as a Rover S/W simulator and prototypes of the DEM viewer and of a S/W Rock Creator/visualizator.The paper also provides perspectives on the proposed STEPS 2 project that will likely continue the development of a subset of the above technologies in view of their possible in-flight validation within next five years.

Análisis de los Mecanismos de Transferencia Tecnológica entre los Sectores Científico-tecnológico y Productivo de Argentina

The present article aims to assess the innovative activity in the Brazilian most representative sector in biotechnology field. The search was conducted through patent applications of residents at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI - Brazil), from 2000 to 2010. This article will also examine the patent applicants’ profile and the partnerships among academic institutions and private firms in Brazil. The website of European Patent Office (EPO) patent database - Espacenet was used to conduct the survey, and the search strategy fields selected for the patent applications were: (i) Priority Number: BR (Brazil), and (ii) the International Patent Classification (IPC) - C12N, C07K14, and C07H21/04. The patent applications by Brazilian residents, from 2000 to 2010 in the Espacenet for the classifications adopted indicates a total of 396 patent applications in the most representative sectors in biotechnology over the past 10 years. After the Brazilian Innovation Law there is a growth trend line particularly in the years 2007 and 2008. The universities hold 48% of the patent applications in biotechnology, following by Individuals/ Researchers with 20%, Public Research Centers and Private Firms with 15%, and 11% of the total, respectively.

Good Jobs in Public Research Organizations: Job Characteristics and Rewards of Research Work

Following recent work that has focused on distinctions between good and bad jobs in the labor force, this paper examines determinants of job satisfaction among STEM workers. We propose that STEM workers represent a previously unconsidered type of logic in employment, sharing some (e.g., relatively high pay and job security) but not all (e.g., high levels of job autonomy) characteristics of other good jobs. We developed and administered to STEM workers in a public research center a research environment survey which replicated many of the items assessed in Kalleberg’s (2011) analysis of distinctions between good and bad jobs while also adding new items. Results show that as with workers in the general labor force, authority to make decisions, freedom to pursue new ideas, and promotional opportunities are important determinants of job satisfaction among the STEM workers we studied. Combining various indicators shows that intrinsic rewards emerge as particularly important in affecting satisfaction of STEM wor...

Closing the policy cycle: Increasing the utilization of evaluation findings in research, technological development and innovation policy design

The limited take-up of evaluation findings in research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) policy (re-)design remains a major concern to policy-makers and the evaluation community. To identify the main opportunities for closing the policy cycle, an in-depth analysis was undertaken of 53 purposely chosen evaluation exercises ordered by public administrations and agencies in the field of RTDI. The focus was on evaluations of non-thematic (i.e. general) RTDI funding measures in the areas of public funding of RTDI, industry--science linkages, and performance-based funding of RTDI in universities and public research centres. Factors related to 'process' (mainly stakeholder involvement), 'design' (methodology) and 'content' (formulation of recommendations and use of evidence base) were considered. The paper concludes that the limited take-up of evaluation findings relates mainly to the lack of early and systematic involvement of a broad spectrum of stakeholders and the use of non-harmonized indicators and non-transferable evaluation methods. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.

Implementation of a quality management system in a public research centre

In recent decades, it has become increasingly important for public research centres to attract external clients, including government, private and public bodies and companies. They do this by demonstrating their research excellence. A research centre’s ability to provide professional research services can be assessed by competent technical bodies which verify that the research centre’s laboratories operate according to certain predetermined criteria or standards. Although there is no set of generally accepted standards, some regional accreditation bodies already offer accreditation assessment for the R&D laboratories which are in their territory. This article analyses the successful application of a quality management system in a public research centre employing 57 people including researchers, technicians and administrative staff. This system is based on the scheme of regional accreditation of industrial research laboratories which was inspired by ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 17025:2005 and set up by the regional authority. The overall aim of the management system is to monitor all of the industrial research and services which the centre offers to external users, such as government, private and public bodies and companies, and to guarantee that final products, usually technical reports and prototypes, respond to their needs. The accreditation applies to all of the activity of the research centre except for basic research. In this article, the critical factors influencing the success of the implementation of the management system are outlined together with benefits and opportunities. Weak points and problems are analysed, and the actions which were undertaken in order to prevent and manage problems are described.

Quality assurance of post-graduate education: the case of CAPES, the Brazilian Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; tab-stops: 103.5pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">CAPES Foundation, The Brazilian Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education, was created in July 11<sup>th</sup>, 1951, some few years after the end of World War II, by the initiative of Anísio Teixeira, a pioneer Brazilian educator. At the same time, Alvaro Alberto, another open mind leader pioneer created CNPq, The Brazilian National Research Council. CAPES is linked to the Ministry of Education, and CNPq to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Since its creation, CAPES has been responsible for the evaluation and financial support of graduate courses at master and doctorate levels, covering the entire Brazilian graduate system including both public and private institutions. The evaluation procedures consist of critical analysis of annual reports of each course and their re-evaluation every third year. The systematic process includes the recognition and approval of new courses proposed by the universities and research centers. </span></p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; tab-stops: 103.5pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; tab-stops: 103.5pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A national plan, designed to establish and support training and development of human resources for strengthening science and technology activities in Brazil, was initiated six decades ago. This plan, named PNPG, can be viewed today as a successful program in terms of the significance of its general output. During this period, this program has been consolidated and is functioning only in the departments or other subdivisions of public or private universities and research centers that are officially accredited to offer degrees at one (Master's) or both (Master's and Ph.D.) levels. Since its beginning, in 1951, a substantial investment has been applied to develop this plan. This investment has been worthwhile since S&T activities were institutionalized; many scientific and technological achievements have been made. To reach such advances the existence of an effective system based on a group of multi-funding agencies was an essential additional factor for the attained advances. Highlights of these advances have been stressed out before by a report in the Science journal as "Research in Latin America" (Guimarães, 1995)<span style="color: green;">. </span>In this work we present and discuss the current data and status of the Brazilian venture for developing human resources and for the formation of an active community dedicated to Science and Technology (S & T), also giving a general vision of its importance for the present and future development of the country.</span></p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span>

Patterns of Innovation in Green ICT: A Patent-Based Analysis

In times of economic and ecological crises, green ICTs have the potential to stir greener economic growth and to help decouple this growth from ecological damages. It is therefore paramount to shed light on innovation dynamics in this emerging sector. To do so, this paper investigates the characteristics of the patterns of innovation in the green ICT sector by using granted EPO patents data from 1986 to 2006 related to the green inventory technological classes and ICT technological classes. By way of a network analysis, it identifies existing green ICTs domains and investigates the most innovative ones, examining the degree of concentration of innovative activities as well as the entry of new innovators in the domain and the variety of innovators (e.g. small vs. large firms; private firms vs. universities and public research centres), together with the sources of knowledge. Results indicate first that monitoring and measuring technologies are dominant in this sub-sector, but also that the fields related to liquid crystal displays and solar cells are the fastest growing. Second, the analysis highlights the existence of three different clusters – green fields, emerging fields and established fields – that are defined by different structures of innovative activities and by different technological opportunities.

Trends And Characteristics Of Innovation World And Russian Economy

Innovative development of Russia is explored in the article as a complex process that reflects the latest trends in the production, stockpiling and use of modern knowledge, priorities of scientific and technological development, changes in the structure and dynamics of the financing, development and implementation of innovative technologies in the public research centers, universities and private sector companies economy, formation of research and innovation policies aimed at making the research and preparation for the future of innovation sphere. The problem is to organize support the positive dynamics of the innovation process. The solution is possible based on the integration efforts of the Russian society to create a system of technological and socio-economic forecasting, select sources of funding long-term priorities of fundamental and applied science, education for constructive solutions to the problems facing Russia. In line with the above priorities, the author examined the key factors that characterize tendenuiyu accelerate the innovative development of the Russian economy: the global growth of knowledge-intensive production of gross domestic product, the priorities of the state scientific and technical policy of the most economically developed countries, strategies for high-tech business leaders.

Implementation of a quality assurance system according to GMP and ISO 9001:2008 standard for radiopharmaceutical production in a public research centre

The production of pharmaceuticals is one of the most highly regulated fields in terms of quality. The body of good manufacturing practice (GMP) represents the standard required by law; GMP embraces the guidelines that regulate all activities related to the production and quality control of medicinal products for human and veterinary use. This paper deals with the implementation of a quality management system (QMS) in compliance with GMP and ISO 9001 standards for the production and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals in a public research institute. The production of 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose has been implemented according to GMP standards and has been licensed by the national Authority in 2007. In 2010, a project to orient the system’s GMP compliance to ISO 9001 standards has been approved. A QMS conforming to ISO 9001:2008 should be considered an important additional step in terms of quality, because ISO 9001 also takes into account economic and financial aspects, design and development aspects and introduces management review for measurement and analysis of the process with the aim of improving performances. The harmonization between GMP and ISO has been defined following the Pharmaceutical Quality System Q10 guideline developed by International Conference on Harmonization.

Nurturing life-science knowledge discovery: managing multi-organisation networks

Advancement of knowledge is the seed of the innovation process. As innovations have become more complex, organisations are driven by an increased need to collaborate in order to combine specialist capabilities to meet emerging market needs. The life sciences are one sector where collaborative innovation is highly evident. This article examines the phenomenon of knowledge-generating networks within the life sciences. The study explores the drivers of collaborative endeavours and investigates how knowledge networks linking the capabilities of public research centres and commercially focused pharmaceutical organisations can be managed to deliver the required synergistic benefits for partnering organisations. Three case studies of functioning university–industry knowledge networks are analysed and a model reflecting their network's life-cycle phases is presented. The discussion identifies the specific challenge posed at each of the network's development stages, together with the management process required to secure sustainable knowledge creation and effective transfer of this knowledge into innovation-generating R&D.

High-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cell with a novel co-adsorbent

A new record efficiency (11.4%) of dye-sensitized solar cell was obtained by design and syntheses of donor–acceptor type co-adsorbents which effectively overcome the competitive light absorption by I−/I3−, avoid dye aggregation, and reduce the charge recombination. This result was certified by a public research center (AIST).

Open innovation and new issues in R&D organization and personnel management

The steady growth of R&D costs and the increasingly widespread dissemination of information and communication technology over the past decade have resulted in the affirmation of the paradigm of open innovation, which consists in the continual expansion of access to sources of technological innovation outside the firm itself. Industrial companies are, in fact, turning more frequently to collaboration with university departments and other public and private research centers, and there is a notable increase in agreements regarding technological cooperation and the exchange of know-how between companies. In addition, recourse to highly specialized small research companies is on the rise. This is common, for example in the pharmaceutical sector and, more generally, in the area of biotechnological research. Furthermore, we are witnessing the development of the new role of innovation broker. These factors alter the traditional profile of company R&D structures, within which the role of researchers and technologists often changes. In particular, matrix and network organizational models are on the increase, and the professional figures of ‘integrators of knowledge and expertise’ (T-men) are assuming major importance at the expense of traditional scientists. As a consequence, the model for training and managing scientific personnel tends to change. This model, as it moves away from the prevailing pattern adopted by firms in Anglophone countries, is continually drawing closer, even from a cultural standpoint, to the R&D management approach found in the Japanese and German companies. The aim of this article is to investigate how the adoption of open innovation has changed the organizational structures of R&D and altered the methods used in managing its personnel. The results of the study are based on the analysis of four case studies of Italian multinational firms operating in the pharmaceutical, food, specialty chemical, and aerospace industries.

Developing a performance measurement system for public research centres

Developing a performance measurement system for public research centres

The Building of the House: A History of the Britten–Pears Library, Aldeburgh, 1963–2009

In 1963, the composer Benjamin Britten and the tenor Peter Pears built a library at their home, the Red House in Aldeburgh. A venue for music rehearsal, it also accommodated an ever-increasing number of books, printed scores, literary and music manuscripts, rare volumes of early music, and many items of fine art. Originally built as a private library and music room, it attracted the attention of a number of readers in the mid-1970s before opening officially as a public research centre in 1980. Drawing upon examples from the collection, and on interviews with former staff and colleagues of Britten and Pears, this article focuses on the historical development of the Library. The article also details how, with the acquisition of further material such as retrieved manuscripts, recordings, concert ephemera, and costume and set designs — all of which disclose information about both musicians' careers — the Library began to face the ongoing problem of providing adequate storage for its wide-ranging collection.

Survival analysis of stage IV NSCLC patients treated by the Brazilian public health system compared with patients treated at a research center in the same institution.

e16525 Background: Treatment of metastatic lung cancer has improved significantly over the last 2 decades. Unfortunately, many of the new treatments are expensive and inaccessible to most patients (pts) in developing countries. This study aims to compare the survival of advanced NSCLC in 2 different populations treated in the same institution in Brazil: public health system (BPHS) vs. research center (RC). Methods: This is an observational study comparing the survival of pts treated by the BPHS with pts enrolled in research protocols at an oncology RC of the same institution. Inclusion criteria were: diagnosis of NSCLC, stage IV and PS 0-2. All patients who met the inclusion criteria in the oncology service BPHS registry were enrolled (from April/2007 to April/2010). Routine chemotherapy in these pts was platinum based with VP-16, Taxanes, Gemcitabine or Vinorelbine. Patients engaged in any first line clinical trial for metastatic NSCLC in our RC from November/2004 to May/2010 were also analyzed. Data was censored on December/2010. Survival data was obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method. A Cox-Proportional Hazards Ratio model was performed for adjustment of potential confounders. Results: The BPHS group had 41 pts and the RC group had 66 pts. Median survival in the BPHS group was 5.00 mo versus 10.00 mo in the RC group (p = 0.01). The hazard ratio for mortality in the RC group was 0.60 (95%CI, 0.37 – 0.95; p =0.03), adjusted for age, sex, skin color, smoking, PS and histology. Conclusions: This analysis entails the possibility of significant biases related to patient selection and other potential confounding factors (e.g. Hawthorne effect). However, our results show an impressive difference in the survival of pts treated by the national standard pattern of care (BPHS) with that of pts participating in randomized clinical trials. The suggestion is that in developing countries, participation in clinical research should be stimulated as it represents an invaluable opportunity for pts unable to receive state of the art care to improve their survival. New studies addressing this issue should be performed.

Premenstrual disorders in Polish adolescent girls: Prevalence and risk factors

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of premenstrual disorders among Polish adolescent girls. A total of 2500 females from the Upper Silesian region of Poland, aged 16 to 45 years, were eligible for a prospective population-based study. The subjects were recruited randomly by the regional public opinion research centre. The preliminary study population consisted of 1540 females. Seventy-two adolescent girls, aged 16 to 19 years, were included in the final analysis. The research was based on a self-prepared questionnaire containing socio-economic status, general health, medical and reproductive history, premenstrual symptoms based on American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists criteria for diagnosing premenstrual syndrome as well as American Psychiatric Association criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder and patient prospective daily ratings of symptoms. The mean age of the studied population was 17.27±0.97 years. In the studied population the majority of the adolescent girls lived in large cities of over 50,000 citizens (54.29%), were physically active declaring daily physical exercise (55.22%) and sexually active (54.17%). Study results indicated that the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder was 76.39% and 4.17%, respectively. The final statistical analysis revealed that only place of residence (large cities) increased the risk of premenstrual syndrome (OR=3.58; P=0.01). Adolescent females living in urban areas are more vulnerable to premenstrual syndrome. Reproductive, sexual and socio-economic factors are not significant risk factors for premenstrual syndrome.

ORGANISATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF OPEN INNOVATION: AN ANALYSIS OF INTER-INDUSTRY PATTERNS

Although Open Innovation has been a highly researched and debated topic in the last decade, many relevant issues remain largely unexplored so far. An interesting question to address is whether and how Open Innovation has a dissimilar impact on the organization and management systems of firms working in different industries. The paper investigates this topic using a rich empirical basis gathered through 8 case studies involving large Italian corporations, which operate in heterogeneous industries. Managers will find a number of insights about how to streamline the adoption and institutionalization of Open Innovation practices, taking into account the specificity of the firm and the industry in which it works. The empirical analysis shows that some firms tend to leverage exploitative inter-organizational networks, characterized by strong ties and by the presence of several heterogeneous actors such as customers, suppliers and universities. Moreover, they establish dedicated units to institutionalize structured and formalized screening processes for managing Open Innovation projects. Other firms enter instead into networking relationships mainly for explorative purposes, establishing weak ties with public research centers or universities. They adopt more informal, ad-hoc structures and evaluation procedures, very often embedded in the already existing R&D departments. The paper explains that such differences descend from a number of industry-level variables, i.e., R&D intensity, strength of the appropriability regime, turbulence and uncertainty.

What are the factors driving university–industry linkages in latecomer firms: evidence from Mexico

This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the drivers and modes of university-industry interaction in latecomer firms. Based on a survey conducted in 2008 and using a sample of Mexican manufacturing firms, technological and innovative effort (TIE) related factors and structural characteristics have been introduced in a set of logistic models. The results confirm that there is a positive relationship between the TIE, measured as the intensity of in-house R&D and the innovative profile of the firm, and the firm's propensity to establish linkages with higher education institutes and public research centers. TIE was also found to be significant in determining the likelihood of specific channels of university-industry linkages. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Fostering industry-science cooperation through public funding: differences between universities and public research centres

This paper analyses behavioural additionality of subsidies by regional and EU framework programme public funding granted to business enterprises in terms of the ‘instalment’ of research cooperation between industry and science. Acknowledging their specificities in terms of research orientation, research scale, and management of research, the science component is divided in universities and public research centres. Drawing on firm level data provided by the OECD bi-annual business R&D surveys of 2004 and 2006 for Belgium, the main result is that funding by regional governments fosters the instalment of industry-science research cooperation. However, this positive effect is limited to the case of cooperation with public research centres (and not with universities). The prerequisite of commercialisation of research in the case of funding by regional governments could explain this. Public funding provided by the EU framework programme did not exert an impact on the instalment of industry-science cooperation, neither with universities nor with public research centres. This could be due the fact that EU funding is targeted at firms that are already cooperating and does not favour the set-up of new cooperation.