i
Best Practices For Increasing The Impact Of Research Investments: A Report By The Research To Applications Task Force Of The Ocean Research And Resources Advisory Panel
-
2007
-
-
Series: OHSU-TB ; 095
[PDF-482.59 KB]
Details:
-
Personal Author:
-
NOAA Program & Office:
-
Sea Grant Program:
-
Description:Successful implementation of the nation’s ocean research agenda depends on the ability to transition research out of the laboratory and into applications that benefit the nation. To assist federal agencies with this research to applications endeavor, the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel (ORRAP) convened a task force to identify practices that have been most useful in facilitating this type of transitioning. The Research to Applications Task Force identified six foundational themes for enhancing the efficacy of the research to applications transition: 1. Prioritize user involvement throughout the research to applications process. 2. Engage and empower neutral third parties with the expertise to facilitate collaboration among researchers and the end-user community. 3. Conduct cross-agency state-of-the-science assessments that create consensus about the state of knowledge and identify gaps that define future research needs. 4. Encourage an agency culture that places high value on transitioning by creating incentives and accountability that stimulate program managers to integrate application into their research programs. 5. Expand opportunities and incentives that motivate researchers to work with users and producers toward applications. 6. Allocate the time, personnel, and funding necessary to support research and development through application. A unifying principle among these themes is collaboration between knowledge producers and the community of knowledge users at every step of the process—from formulation of the problem, to selection of research proposals, to end-user application. Collaborative efforts are most effective when launched early in the process to synthesize existing information around a carefully and jointly crafted set of questions. This report also provides a model of the research to applications process—illustrated in Figure 1— as a framework for discussing the research stages. The model identifies specific activities, illustrated with case studies, which can be implemented during each stage to enhance transitioning. A second unifying principle is that the limiting factor in transitioning research to applications is not a lack of information about characteristics that enhance or impede transitioning. Rather, it is the need for an institutional culture that places high value on timely transitioning. Creating this culture requires leadership from the top. It also requires appropriate reward structures and sustained collaborations between knowledge producers and the community of knowledge users. Ultimately, efforts by mission agencies for transitioning research to applications should receive a level of commitment, support, and scrutiny comparable to that afforded the research itself.
-
Series:
-
Sea Grant Document Number:OHSU-T-07-002
-
Document Type:
-
Rights Information:Public Domain
-
Compliance:Library
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
