Civic Applied R&D Enterprises
Applied, problem-oriented, or translational R&D emerged as central pillars of economic development the US and Europe between 1930 and 1950 – between 60 and 80 years ago. The obvious connection between applied research and regional economic development was paralleled by the realization that neither universities (with their basic and long-term view) nor companies (with a predominantly short-term view) were likely to be adequate to drive economic growth.
This realization drove the creation of government or not-for-profit applied or translational research organizations, first in Europe and the United States and then later in Asia. Examples include TNO which was founded in the Netherlands in 1932; Georgia Tech Research Institute and Southwest Research Institute were founded in the US, respectively, in 1934 and 1947; and the Fraunhofer Institutes which were founded in Germany in 1949.
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore have all developed robust national applied research enterprises. Their national rates of R&D investment are impressive; there has been considerable, relatively recent innovation in industrial and applied research institutions (ITRI founded in 1973, ASTAR founded in 1967, Pohang Institute of Science and Technology and RIST founded in 1986 and 1987); and they have been creative and aggressive about drawing economically valuable science, talent, and technology from around the world to their shores.
Applied research organizations around the world — civic/public and private — have deep ties to universities and, with or without university involvement are often the home to multi-party consortia or mutli-party research projects.
When associated with a university, the applied research organization typically plays an important role in facilitating an active dialogue between the university and industry partners, and in doing so informs the problem set on which the university itself focuses. Those applied research organizations affiliated with universities are often among the most robust contributors to economic development as they produce not just research results but scientists, engineers, and technicians (i.e., a community) familiar with the problem set of most interest to the research sponsors.
Several examples of long-lived civic applied research institutes appears below:
Georgia Tech Research Institute (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
- Mission: To solve complex problems through innovative and customer-focused research and education
- Founded in 1934
- 1,500 employees
- Major areas of focus: Systems engineering, information and communication technologies, sensors, test and evaluation, electronic warfare, modeling and simulation, security, radar, antennas, optics, robotics and unmanned systems, aerospace technologies, and media, health and education
Industrial Technology Research Institute or ITRI (Taiwan)
- Mission: To expedite the development of new industrial technology; to aid in the process of upgrading industrial technology techniques; and to establish future industrial technology.
- Founded in 1973
- 6,000 employees
- Major areas of focus: Information and communications field, electronics and optoelectronics, chemical and nanotechnology, biomedical technology, advanced manufacturing and systems, and energy and environment
SRI International (Menlo Park, California, USA)
- Mission: Commitment to discovery and to the application of science and technology for knowledge, commerce, prosperity, and peace. SRI has a broad charter to make a difference in the world through basic and applied research, research services, technology development, and commercialization of innovations
- Founded in 1946 as part of Stanford University, separated from Stanford in 1970
- 1,700 employees
- Major areas of focus: Communications and networks, computing, economic development and science and technology policy, education, energy and environment, engineering systems, drug discovery and development and health sciences, homeland security and national defense, materials and structures, and robotics
TNO (Delft, The Netherlands)
- Mission: To apply scientific knowledge with the aim of strengthening the innovative power of industry and government.
- Founded in 1932
- 4,400 employees
- Major areas of focus: Healthy living, industrial innovation, defense, security and safety, energy, mobility, built environment, and information society
RTI International (Research Triangle, North Carolina, USA)
- Mission: To improve the human condition by turning knowledge into practice
- Founded in 1958
- 2,800 employees
- Major areas of focus: Drug discovery and development, education and training, survey research and services, energy research, laboratory and chemistry services, statistical research, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy research, and environmental research services
Fraunhofer Institutes (Munich, Germany)
- Mission: To promote and undertake applied research in an international context, of direct utility to private and public enterprise and of wide benefit to society as a whole
- Founded in 1949
- 17,000 employees
- Major areas of focus: Adaptronics, construction technologies, energy, information and communication technologies, medical engineering, environmental and health research, microelectronics, nanotechnology, surface technology and photonics, production, traffic engineering and logistics, defense and security, and materials and components