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Strategic management of government-sponsored R&D portfolios
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Although strategic management of R&D portfolios is common practice in private sector
R&D, government R&D management tends to be more discrete and ad hoc, focusing on generating
maximum output from individual projects. Often, there is no clear notion of the desired public sector
output.Whereas private sector R&D evaluation is generally straightforward, with the function of R&D
being measured in terms of a company's internal return on investment, the benefits of public-
sponsored R&D tend to be more diffuse with respect to both type and impact. Drawing from evidence
developed in twenty-four case studies of R&D projects sponsored by the Department of Energy's
Office of Basic Energy Sciences, one of the primary sources of funds for basic research in US
universities and national laboratories, we examine implications of R&D project impacts for a sort of
`portfolio management' of government-sponsored R&D. Although the meaning of `portfolio' is not the
same in public sector R&D management, it is nonetheless possible to think strategically about
projects and their cumulative impact. Indeed, it is clear that many government R&D managers
already do so. In this study, we contrast two types of `portfolio': (1) R&D output portfolios (focusing
on one type of scientific output, such as, for example, fundamental knowledge or technology develop-
ment); and (2) a balanced portfolio that considers both R&D outputs and `scientific and technical
human capital', the capacity created by R&D projects. The case-study evidence shows different
approaches to achieving each portfolio type. An analysis of the relation of project attributes to output
types focuses on aspects of projects potentially under the control of strategic public managers,
including magnitude of funding, degree and type of management oversight, and interorganizational
and intraorganizational linkages. Each of these variables affects the type of project outputs obtained.
From the results, we suggest that a balanced approach to government R&D portfolio management
is appropriate for many government agencies. That is, government managers may wish to consider
the extent to which their projects both produce traditional outputs such as articles and patents,
as well as provide contributions to scientific and technical human capital.
NONE
Strategic management of government-sponsored R&D portfolios
Management
English
2001
1-30
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