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• What Is R&D?
• Understanding R&D
• Types of R&D
• Pros and Cons
• Considerations
• R&D vs. Applied Research
• Who Spends the Most?

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Research and Development (R&D) Definition, Types, and Importance

Investopedia / Ellen Lindner

What Is Research and Development (R&D)?

The term research and development (R&D) is used to describe a series of activities that companies undertake to innovate and introduce new products and services. R&D is often the first stage in the development process. Companies require knowledge, talent, and investment in order to further their R&D needs and goals. The purpose of research and development is generally to take new products and services to market and add to the company's bottom line .

Key Takeaways

• Research and development represents the activities companies undertake to innovate and introduce new products and services or to improve their existing offerings.
• R&D allows a company to stay ahead of its competition by catering to new wants or needs in the market.
• Companies in different sectors and industries conduct R&D—pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and technology companies generally spend the most.
• R&D is often a broad approach to exploratory advancement, while applied research is more geared towards researching a more narrow scope.
• The accounting for treatment for R&D costs can materially impact a company's income statement and balance sheet.

Understanding Research and Development (R&D)

The concept of research and development is widely linked to innovation both in the corporate and government sectors. R&D allows a company to stay ahead of its competition. Without an R&D program, a company may not survive on its own and may have to rely on other ways to innovate such as engaging in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) or partnerships. Through R&D, companies can design new products and improve their existing offerings.

R&D is distinct from most operational activities performed by a corporation. The research and/or development is typically not performed with the expectation of immediate profit. Instead, it is expected to contribute to the long-term profitability of a company. R&D may often allow companies to secure intellectual property, including patents , copyrights, and trademarks as discoveries are made and products created.

Companies that set up and employ departments dedicated entirely to R&D commit substantial capital to the effort. They must estimate the risk-adjusted return on their R&D expenditures, which inevitably involves risk of capital. That's because there is no immediate payoff, and the return on investment (ROI) is uncertain. As more money is invested in R&D, the level of capital risk increases. Other companies may choose to outsource their R&D for a variety of reasons including size and cost.

Companies across all sectors and industries undergo R&D activities. Corporations experience growth through these improvements and the development of new goods and services. Pharmaceuticals, semiconductors , and software/technology companies tend to spend the most on R&D. In Europe, R&D is known as research and technical or technological development.

Many small and mid-sized businesses may choose to outsource their R&D efforts because they don't have the right staff in-house to meet their needs.

Types of R&D

There are several different types of R&D that exist in the corporate world and within government. The type used depends entirely on the entity undertaking it and the results can differ.

Basic Research

There are business incubators and accelerators, where corporations invest in startups and provide funding assistance and guidance to entrepreneurs in the hope that innovations will result that they can use to their benefit.

M&As and partnerships are also forms of R&D as companies join forces to take advantage of other companies' institutional knowledge and talent.

Applied Research

One R&D model is a department staffed primarily by engineers who develop new products —a task that typically involves extensive research. There is no specific goal or application in mind with this model. Instead, the research is done for the sake of research.

Development Research

This model involves a department composed of industrial scientists or researchers, all of who are tasked with applied research in technical, scientific, or industrial fields. This model facilitates the development of future products or the improvement of current products and/or operating procedures.

$42.7 billion of research and development costs later, Amazon was granted 2,244 new patents in 2020. Their patents included advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing.

Advantages and Disadvantages of R&D

There are several key benefits to research and development. It facilitates innovation, allowing companies to improve existing products and services or by letting them develop new ones to bring to the market.

Because R&D also is a key component of innovation, it requires a greater degree of skill from employees who take part. This allows companies to expand their talent pool, which often comes with special skill sets.

The advantages go beyond corporations. Consumers stand to benefit from R&D because it gives them better, high-quality products and services as well as a wider range of options. Corporations can, therefore, rely on consumers to remain loyal to their brands. It also helps drive productivity and economic growth.

Disadvantages

One of the major drawbacks to R&D is the cost. First, there is the financial expense as it requires a significant investment of cash upfront. This can include setting up a separate R&D department, hiring talent, and product and service testing, among others.

Innovation doesn't happen overnight so there is also a time factor to consider. This means that it takes a lot of time to bring products and services to market from conception to production to delivery.

Because it does take time to go from concept to product, companies stand the risk of being at the mercy of changing market trends . So what they thought may be a great seller at one time may reach the market too late and not fly off the shelves once it's ready.

Facilitates innovation

Improved or new products and services

Expands knowledge and talent pool

Increased consumer choice and brand loyalty

Economic driver

Financial investment

Shifting market trends

R&D Accounting

R&D may be beneficial to a company's bottom line, but it is considered an expense . After all, companies spend substantial amounts on research and trying to develop new products and services. As such, these expenses are often reported for accounting purposes on the income statement and do not carry long-term value.

There are certain situations where R&D costs are capitalized and reported on the balance sheet. Some examples include but are not limited to:

• Materials, fixed assets, or other assets have alternative future uses with an estimable value and useful life.
• Software that can be converted or applied elsewhere in the company to have a useful life beyond a specific single R&D project.
• Indirect costs or overhead expenses allocated between projects.
• R&D purchased from a third party that is accompanied by intangible value. That intangible asset may be recorded as a separate balance sheet asset.

R&D Considerations

Before taking on the task of research and development, it's important for companies and governments to consider some of the key factors associated with it. Some of the most notable considerations are:

• Objectives and Outcome: One of the most important factors to consider is the intended goals of the R&D project. Is it to innovate and fill a need for certain products that aren't being sold? Or is it to make improvements on existing ones? Whatever the reason, it's always important to note that there should be some flexibility as things can change over time.
• Timing: R&D requires a lot of time. This involves reviewing the market to see where there may be a lack of certain products and services or finding ways to improve on those that are already on the shelves.
• Cost: R&D costs a great deal of money, especially when it comes to the upfront costs. And there may be higher costs associated with the conception and production of new products rather than updating existing ones.
• Risks: As with any venture, R&D does come with risks. R&D doesn't come with any guarantees, no matter the time and money that goes into it. This means that companies and governments may sacrifice their ROI if the end product isn't successful.

Research and Development vs. Applied Research

Basic research is aimed at a fuller, more complete understanding of the fundamental aspects of a concept or phenomenon. This understanding is generally the first step in R&D. These activities provide a basis of information without directed applications toward products, policies, or operational processes .

Applied research entails the activities used to gain knowledge with a specific goal in mind. The activities may be to determine and develop new products, policies, or operational processes. While basic research is time-consuming, applied research is painstaking and more costly because of its detailed and complex nature.

Who Spends the Most on R&D?

Companies spend billions of dollars on R&D to produce the newest, most sought-after products. According to public company filings, these companies incurred the highest research and development spending in 2020:

• Amazon: $42.7 billion
• Alphabet.: $27.6 billion
• Huawei: $22.0 billion
• Microsoft: $19.3 billion
• Apple: $18.8 billion
• Samsung: $18.8 billion
• Facebook: $18.5 billion

What Types of Activities Can Be Found in Research and Development?

Research and development activities focus on the innovation of new products or services in a company. Among the primary purposes of R&D activities is for a company to remain competitive as it produces products that advance and elevate its current product line. Since R&D typically operates on a longer-term horizon, its activities are not anticipated to generate immediate returns. However, in time, R&D projects may lead to patents, trademarks, or breakthrough discoveries with lasting benefits to the company. 

What Is an Example of Research and Development?

Alphabet allocated over $16 billion annually to R&D in 2018. Under its R&D arm X, the moonshot factory, it has developed Waymo self-driving cars. Meanwhile, Amazon has spent even more on R&D projects, with key developments in cloud computing and its cashier-less store Amazon Go. At the same time, R&D can take the approach of a merger & acquisition, where a company will leverage the talent and intel of another company to create a competitive edge. The same can be said with company investment in accelerators and incubators, whose developments it could later leverage.

Why Is Research and Development Important?

Given the rapid rate of technological advancement, R&D is important for companies to stay competitive. Specifically, R&D allows companies to create products that are difficult for their competitors to replicate. Meanwhile, R&D efforts can lead to improved productivity that helps increase margins, further creating an edge in outpacing competitors. From a broader perspective, R&D can allow a company to stay ahead of the curve, anticipating customer demands or trends.

There are many things companies can do in order to advance in their industries and the overall market. Research and development is just one way they can set themselves apart from their competition. It opens up the potential for innovation and increasing sales. But it does come with some drawbacks—the most obvious being the financial cost and the time it takes to innovate.

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Building an R&D strategy for modern times

The global investment in research and development (R&D) is staggering. In 2019 alone, organizations around the world spent $2.3 trillion on R&D—the equivalent of roughly 2 percent of global GDP—about half of which came from industry and the remainder from governments and academic institutions. What’s more, that annual investment has been growing at approximately 4 percent per year over the past decade. 1 2.3 trillion on purchasing-power-parity basis; 2019 global R&D funding forecast , Supplement, R&D Magazine, March 2019, rdworldonline.com.

While the pharmaceutical sector garners much attention due to its high R&D spending as a percentage of revenues, a comparison based on industry profits shows that several industries, ranging from high tech to automotive to consumer, are putting more than 20 percent of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) back into innovation research (Exhibit 1).

What do organizations expect to get in return? At the core, they hope their R&D investments yield the critical technology from which they can develop new products, services, and business models. But for R&D to deliver genuine value, its role must be woven centrally into the organization’s mission. R&D should help to both deliver and shape corporate strategy, so that it develops differentiated offerings for the company’s priority markets and reveals strategic options, highlighting promising ways to reposition the business through new platforms and disruptive breakthroughs.

Yet many enterprises lack an R&D strategy that has the necessary clarity, agility, and conviction to realize the organization’s aspirations. Instead of serving as the company’s innovation engine, R&D ends up isolated from corporate priorities, disconnected from market developments, and out of sync with the speed of business. Amid a growing gap in performance  between those that innovate successfully and those that do not, companies wishing to get ahead and stay ahead of competitors need a robust R&D strategy that makes the most of their innovation investments. Building such a strategy takes three steps: understanding the challenges that often work as barriers to R&D success, choosing the right ingredients for your strategy, and then pressure testing it before enacting it.

Overcoming the barriers to successful R&D

The first step to building an R&D strategy is to understand the four main challenges that modern R&D organizations face:

Innovation cycles are accelerating. The growing reliance on software and the availability of simulation and automation technologies have caused the cost of experimentation to plummet while raising R&D throughput. The pace of corporate innovation is further spurred by the increasing emergence of broadly applicable technologies, such as digital and biotech, from outside the walls of leading industry players.

But incumbent corporations are only one part of the equation. The trillion dollars a year that companies spend on R&D is matched by the public sector. Well-funded start-ups, meanwhile, are developing and rapidly scaling innovations that often threaten to upset established business models or steer industry growth into new areas. Add increasing investor scrutiny of research spending, and the result is rising pressure on R&D leaders to quickly show results for their efforts.

R&D lacks connection to the customer. The R&D group tends to be isolated from the rest of the organization. The complexity of its activities and its specialized lexicon make it difficult for others to understand what the R&D function really does. That sense of working inside a “black box” often exists even within the R&D organization. During a meeting of one large company’s R&D leaders, a significant portion of the discussion focused on simply getting everyone up to speed on what the various divisions were doing, let alone connecting those efforts to the company’s broader goals.

Given the challenges R&D faces in collaborating with other functions, going one step further and connecting with customers becomes all the more difficult. While many organizations pay lip service to customer-centric development, their R&D groups rarely get the opportunity to test products directly with end users. This frequently results in market-back product development that relies on a game of telephone via many intermediaries about what the customers want and need.

Projects have few accountability metrics. R&D groups in most sectors lack effective mechanisms to measure and communicate progress; the pharmaceutical industry, with its standard pipeline for new therapeutics that provides well-understood metrics of progress and valuation implications, is the exception, not the rule. When failure is explained away as experimentation and success is described in terms of patents, rather than profits, corporate leaders find it hard to quantify R&D’s contribution.

Yet proven metrics exist  to effectively measure progress and outcomes. A common challenge we observe at R&D organizations, ranging from automotive to chemical companies, is how to value the contribution of a single component that is a building block of multiple products. One specialty-chemicals company faced this challenge in determining the value of an ingredient it used in its complex formulations. It created categorizations to help develop initial business cases and enable long-term tracking. This allowed pragmatic investment decisions at the start of projects and helped determine the value created after their completion.

Even with outcomes clearly measured, the often-lengthy period between initial investment and finished product can obscure the R&D organization’s performance. Yet, this too can be effectively managed by tracking the overall value and development progress of the pipeline so that the organization can react and, potentially, promptly reorient both the portfolio and individual projects within it.

Incremental projects get priority. Our research indicates that incremental projects account for more than half of an average company’s R&D investment, even though bold bets and aggressive reallocation  of the innovation portfolio deliver higher rates of success. Organizations tend to favor “safe” projects with near-term returns—such as those emerging out of customer requests—that in many cases do little more than maintain existing market share. One consumer-goods company, for example, divided the R&D budget among its business units, whose leaders then used the money to meet their short-term targets rather than the company’s longer-term differentiation and growth objectives.

Focusing innovation solely around the core business may enable a company to coast for a while—until the industry suddenly passes it by. A mindset that views risk as something to be avoided rather than managed can be unwittingly reinforced by how the business case is measured. Transformational projects at one company faced a higher internal-rate-of-return hurdle than incremental R&D, even after the probability of success had been factored into their valuation, reducing their chances of securing funding and tilting the pipeline toward initiatives close to the core.

As organizations mature, innovation-driven growth becomes increasingly important, as their traditional means of organic growth, such as geographic expansion and entry into untapped market segments, diminish. To succeed, they need to develop R&D strategies equipped for the modern era that treat R&D not as a cost center but as the growth engine it can become.

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Choosing the ingredients of a winning r&d strategy.

Given R&D’s role as the innovation driver that advances the corporate agenda, its guiding strategy needs to link board-level priorities with the technologies that are the organization’s focus (Exhibit 2). The R&D strategy must provide clarity and commitment to three central elements: what we want to deliver, what we need to deliver it, and how we will deliver it.

What we want to deliver. To understand what a company wants to and can deliver, the R&D, commercial, and corporate-strategy functions need to collaborate closely, with commercial and corporate-strategy teams anchoring the R&D team on the company’s priorities and the R&D team revealing what is possible. The R&D strategy and the corporate strategy must be in sync while answering questions such as the following: At the highest level, what are the company’s goals? Which of these will require R&D in order to be realized? In short, what is the R&D organization’s purpose?

Bringing the two strategies into alignment is not as easy as it may seem. In some companies, what passes for corporate strategy is merely a five-year business plan. In others, the corporate strategy is detailed but covers only three to five years—too short a time horizon to guide R&D, especially in industries such as pharma or semiconductors where the product-development cycle is much longer than that. To get this first step right, corporate-strategy leaders should actively engage with R&D. That means providing clarity where it is lacking and incorporating R&D feedback that may illuminate opportunities, such as new technologies that unlock growth adjacencies for the company or enable completely new business models.

Secondly, the R&D and commercial functions need to align on core battlegrounds and solutions. Chief technology officers want to be close to and shape the market by delivering innovative solutions that define new levels of customer expectations. Aligning R&D strategy provides a powerful forum for identifying those opportunities by forcing conversations about customer needs and possible solutions that, in many companies, occur only rarely. Just as with the corporate strategy alignment, the commercial and R&D teams need to clearly articulate their aspirations by asking questions such as the following: Which markets will make or break us as a company? What does a winning product or service look like for customers?

When defining these essential battlegrounds, companies should not feel bound by conventional market definitions based on product groups, geographies, or customer segments. One agricultural player instead defined its markets by the challenges customers faced that its solutions could address. For example, drought resistance was a key battleground no matter where in the world it occurred. That framing clarified the R&D–commercial strategy link: if an R&D project could improve drought resistance, it was aligned to the strategy.

The dialogue between the R&D, commercial, and strategy functions cannot stop once the R&D strategy is set. Over time, leaders of all three groups should reexamine the strategic direction and continuously refine target product profiles as customer needs and the competitive landscape evolve.

What we need to deliver it. This part of the R&D strategy determines what capabilities and technologies the R&D organization must have in place to bring the desired solutions to market. The distinction between the two is subtle but important. Simply put, R&D capabilities are the technical abilities to discover, develop, or scale marketable solutions. Capabilities are unlocked by a combination of technologies and assets, and focus on the outcomes. Technologies, however, focus on the inputs—for example, CRISPR is a technology that enables the genome-editing capability.

This delineation protects against the common pitfall of the R&D organization fixating on components of a capability instead of the capability itself—potentially missing the fact that the capability itself has evolved. Consider the dawn of the digital age: in many engineering fields, a historical reliance on talent (human number crunchers) was suddenly replaced by the need for assets (computers). Those who focused on hiring the fastest mathematicians were soon overtaken by rivals who recognized the capability provided by emerging technologies.

The simplest way to identify the needed capabilities is to go through the development processes of priority solutions step by step—what will it take to produce a new product or feature? Being exhaustive is not the point; the goal is to identify high-priority capabilities, not to log standard operating procedures.

Prioritizing capabilities is a critical but often contentious aspect of developing an R&D strategy. For some capabilities, being good is sufficient. For others, being best in class is vital because it enables a faster path to market or the development of a better product than those of competitors. Take computer-aided design (CAD), which is used to design and prototype engineering components in numerous industries, such as aerospace or automotive. While companies in those sectors need that capability, it is unlikely that being the best at it will deliver a meaningful advantage. Furthermore, organizations should strive to anticipate which capabilities will be most important in the future, not what has mattered most to the business historically.

Once capabilities are prioritized, the R&D organization needs to define what being “good” and “the best” at them will mean over the course of the strategy. The bar rises rapidly in many fields. Between 2009 and 2019, the cost of sequencing a genome dropped 150-fold, for example. 2 Kris A. Wetterstrand, “DNA sequencing costs: Data,” NHGRI Genome Sequencing Program (GSP), August 25, 2020, genome.gov. Next, the organization needs to determine how to develop, acquire, or access the needed capabilities. The decision of whether to look internally or externally is crucial. An automatic “we can build it better” mindset diminishes the benefits of specialization and dilutes focus. Additionally, the bias to building everything in-house can cut off or delay access to the best the world has to offer—something that may be essential for high-priority capabilities. At Procter & Gamble, it famously took the clearly articulated aspiration of former CEO A. G. Lafley to break the company’s focus on in-house R&D and set targets for sourcing innovation externally. As R&D organizations increasingly source capabilities externally, finding partners and collaborating with them effectively is becoming a critical capability in its own right.

How we will do it. The choices of operating model and organizational design will ultimately determine how well the R&D strategy is executed. During the strategy’s development, however, the focus should be on enablers that represent cross-cutting skills and ways of working. A strategy for attracting, developing, and retaining talent is one common example.

Another is digital enablement, which today touches nearly every aspect of what the R&D function does. Artificial intelligence can be used at the discovery phase to identify emerging market needs or new uses of existing technology. Automation and advanced analytics approaches to experimentation can enable high throughput screening at a small scale and distinguish the signal from the noise. Digital (“in silico”) simulations are particularly valuable when physical experiments are expensive or dangerous. Collaboration tools are addressing the connectivity challenges common among geographically dispersed project teams. They have become indispensable in bringing together existing collaborators, but the next horizon is to generate the serendipity of chance encounters that are the hallmark of so many innovations.

Testing your R&D strategy

Developing a strategy for the R&D organization entails some unique challenges that other functions do not face. For one, scientists and engineers have to weigh considerations beyond their core expertise, such as customer, market, and economic factors. Stakeholders outside R&D labs, meanwhile, need to understand complex technologies and development processes and think along much longer time horizons than those to which they are accustomed.

For an R&D strategy to be robust and comprehensive enough to serve as a blueprint to guide the organization, it needs to involve stakeholders both inside and outside the R&D group, from leading scientists to chief commercial officers. What’s more, its definition of capabilities, technologies, talent, and assets should become progressively more granular as the strategy is brought to life at deeper levels of the R&D organization. So how can an organization tell if its new strategy passes muster? In our experience, McKinsey’s ten timeless tests of strategy  apply just as well to R&D strategy as to corporate and business-unit strategies. The following two tests are the most important in the R&D context:

• Does the organization’s strategy tap the true source of advantage? Too often, R&D organizations conflate technical necessity (what is needed to develop a solution) with strategic importance (distinctive capabilities that allow an organization to develop a meaningfully better solution than those of their competitors). It is also vital for organizations to regularly review their answers to this question, as capabilities that once provided differentiation can become commoditized and no longer serve as sources of advantage.
• Does the organization’s strategy balance commitment-rich choices with flexibility and learning? R&D strategies may have relatively long time horizons but that does not mean they should be insulated from changes in the outside world and never revisited. Companies should establish technical, regulatory, or other milestones that serve as clear decision points for shifting resources to or away from certain research areas. Such milestones can also help mark progress and gauge whether strategy execution is on track.

Additionally, the R&D strategy should be simply and clearly communicated to other functions within the company and to external stakeholders. To boost its clarity, organizations might try this exercise: distill the strategy into a set of fill-in-the-blank components that define, first, how the world will evolve and how the company plans to refocus accordingly (for example, industry trends that may lead the organization to pursue new target markets or segments); next, the choices the R&D function will make in order to support the company’s new focus (which capabilities will be prioritized and which de-emphasized); and finally, how the R&D team will execute the strategy in terms of concrete actions and milestones. If a company cannot fit the exercise on a single page, it has not sufficiently synthesized the strategy—as the famed physicist Richard Feynman observed, the ultimate test of comprehension is the ability to convey something to others in a simple manner.

Cascading the strategy down through the R&D organization will further reinforce its impact. For example, asking managers to communicate the strategy to their subordinates will deepen their own understanding. A useful corollary is that those hearing the strategy for the first time are introduced to it by their immediate supervisors rather than more distant R&D leaders. One R&D group demonstrated the broad benefits of this communication model: involving employees in developing and communicating the R&D strategy helped it double its Organizational Health Index  strategic clarity score, which measures one of the four “power practices”  highly connected to organizational performance.

R&D represents a massive innovation investment, but as companies confront globalized competition, rapidly changing customer needs, and technological shifts coming from an ever-wider range of fields, they are struggling to deliver on R&D’s full potential. A clearly articulated R&D strategy that supports and informs the corporate strategy is necessary to maximize the innovation investment and long-term company value.

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• Research and Development (R&D) | Overview & Process

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Companies often spend resources on certain investigative undertakings in an effort to make discoveries that can help develop new products or way of doing things or work towards enhancing pre-existing products or processes. These activities come under the Research and Development (R&D) umbrella.

R&D is an important means for achieving future growth and maintaining a relevant product in the market . There is a misconception that R&D is the domain of high tech technology firms or the big pharmaceutical companies. In fact, most established consumer goods companies dedicate a significant part of their resources towards developing new versions of products or improving existing designs . However, where most other firms may only spend less than 5 percent of their revenue on research, industries such as pharmaceutical, software or high technology products need to spend significantly given the nature of their products.

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In this article, we look at 1) types of R&D , 2) understanding similar terminology , 3) making the R&D decision , 4) basic R&D process , 5) creating an effective R&D process , 6) advantages of R&D , and 7) R&D challenges .

TYPES OF R&D

A US government agency, the National Science Foundation defines three types of R&D .

Basic Research

When research aims to understand a subject matter more completely and build on the body of knowledge relating to it, then it falls in the basic research category. This research does not have much practical or commercial application. The findings of such research may often be of potential interest to a company

Applied Research

Applied research has more specific and directed objectives. This type of research aims to determine methods to address a specific customer/industry need or requirement. These investigations are all focused on specific commercial objectives regarding products or processes.

Development

Development is when findings of a research are utilized for the production of specific products including materials, systems and methods. Design and development of prototypes and processes are also part of this area. A vital differentiation at this point is between development and engineering or manufacturing. Development is research that generates requisite knowledge and designs for production and converts these into prototypes. Engineering is utilization of these plans and research to produce commercial products.

UNDERSTANDING SIMILAR TERMINOLOGY

There are a number of terms that are often used interchangeably. Thought there is often overlap in all of these processes, there still remains a considerable difference in what they represent. This is why it is important to understand these differences.

The creation of new body of knowledge about existing products or processes, or the creation of an entirely new product is called R&D. This is systematic creative work, and the resulting new knowledge is then used to formulate new materials or entire new products as well as to alter and improve existing ones

Innovation includes either of two events or a combination of both of them. These are either the exploitation of a new market opportunity or the development and subsequent marketing of a technical invention. A technical invention with no demand will not be an innovation.

New Product Development

This is a management or business term where there is some change in the appearance, materials or marketing of a product but no new invention. It is basically the conversion of a market need or opportunity into a new product or a product upgrade

When an idea is turned into information which can lead to a new product then it is called design. This term is interpreted differently from country to country and varies between analytical marketing approaches to a more creative process.

Product Design

Misleadingly thought of as the superficial appearance of a product, product design actually encompasses a lot more. It is a cross functional process that includes market research, technical research, design of a concept, prototype creation, final product creation and launch . Usually, this is the refinement of an existing product rather than a new product.

MAKING THE R&D DECISION

Investment in R&D can be extensive and a long term commitment. Often, the required knowledge already exists and can be acquired for a price. Before committing to investment in R&D, a company needs to analyze whether it makes more sense to produce their own knowledge base or acquire existing work. The influence of the following factors can help make this decision.

Proprietariness

If the nature of the research is such that it can be protected through patents or non-disclosure agreements , then this research becomes the sole property of the company undertaking it and becomes much more valuable. Patents can allow a company several years of a head start to maximize profits and cement its position in the market. This sort of situation justifies the cost of the R&D process. On the other hand, if the research cannot be protected, then it may be easily copied by a competitor with little or no monetary expense. In this case, it may be a good idea to acquire research.

Setting up a R&D wing only makes sense if the market growth rate is slow or relatively moderate. In a fast paced environment, competitors may rush ahead before research has been completed, making the entire process useless.

Because of its nature, R&D is not always a guaranteed success commercially. In this regard, it may be desirable to acquire the required research to convert it into necessary marketable products. There is significantly less risk in acquisition as there may be an opportunity to test the technology out before formally purchasing anything.

Considering the long term potential success of a product, acquiring technology is less risky but more costly than generating own research. This is because license fees or royalties may need to be paid and there may even be an arrangement that requires payments tied to sales figures and may continue for as long as the license period. There is also the danger of geographical limitations or other restrictive caveats. In addition, if the technology changes mid license, all the investment will become a sunk cost. Setting up R&D has its own costs associated with it. There needs to be massive initial investment that leads to negative cash flow for a long time. But it does protect the company from the rest of the limitations of acquiring research.

All these aspects need to be carefully assessed and a pros vs. cons assessment needs to be conducted before the make or buy decision is finalized.

BASIC R&D PROCESS

Foster Ideas

At this point the research team may sit down to brainstorm. The discussion may start with an understanding and itemization of the issues faced in their particular industry and then narrowed down to important or core areas of opportunity or concern.

Focus Ideas

The initial pool of ideas is vast and may be generic. The team will then sift through these and locate ideas with potential or those that do not have insurmountable limitations. At this point the team may look into existing products and assess how original a new idea is and how well it can be developed.

Develop Ideas

Once an idea has been thoroughly researched, it may be combined with a market survey to assess market readiness. Ideas with true potential are once again narrowed down and the process of turning research into a marketable commodity begins.

Prototypes and Trials

Researchers may work closely with product developers to understand and agree on how an idea may be turned into a practical product. As the process iterates, the prototype complexity may start to increase and issues such as mass production and sales tactics may begin to enter the process.

Regulatory, Marketing & Product Development Activities

As the product takes shape, the process that began with R&D divides into relevant areas necessary to bring the research product to the market. Regulatory aspects are assessed and work begins to meet all the criteria for approvals and launch. The marketing function begins developing strategies and preparing their materials while sales, pricing and distribution are also planned for.

The product that started as a research question will now be ready for its biggest test, the introduction to the market. The evaluation of the product continues at this stage and beyond, eventually leading to possible re-designs if needed. At any point in this process the idea may be abandoned. Its feasibility may be questioned or the research may not reveal what the business hoped for. It is therefore important to analyze each idea critically at every stage and not become emotionally invested in anything.

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE R&D PROCESS

A formal R&D function adds great value to any organization. It can significantly contribute towards organizational growth and sustained market share. However, all business may not have the necessary resources to set up such a function. In such cases, or in organizations where a formal R&D function is not really required, it is a good idea to foster an R&D mindset . When all employees are encouraged to think creatively and with a research oriented thought process, they all feel invested in the business and there will be the possibility of innovation and unique ideas and solutions. This mindset can be slowly inculcated within the company by following the steps mentioned below.

Assess Customer Needs

It is a good idea to regularly scan and assess the market and identify whether the company’s offering is doing well or if it is in trouble. If it is successful, encourage employees to identify reasons for success so that these can then be used as benchmarks or best practices. If the product is not doing well, then encourage teams to research reasons why. Perhaps a competitor is offering a better solution or perhaps the product cannot meet the customer’s needs effectively.

Identify Objectives

Allow your employees to see clearly what the business objectives are. The end goal for a commercial enterprise is to enhance profits. If this is the case, then all research the employees engage in should focus on reaching this goal while fulfilling a customer need.

Define and Design Processes

A definite project management process helps keep formal and informal research programs on schedule. Realistic goals and targets help focus the process and ensures that relevant and realistic timelines are decided upon.

Create a Team

A team may need to be created if a specific project is on the agenda. This team should be cross functional and will be able to work towards a specific goal in a systematic manner. If the surrounding organizational environment also has a research mindset then they will be better prepared and suited to assist the core team when ever needed.

Whenever needed, it may be a good idea to outsource research projects. Universities and specific research organizations can help achieve research objectives that may not be manageable within a limited organizational budget.

ADVANTAGES OF R&D

Though setting up an R&D function is not an easy task by any means, it has its unique advantages for the organization. These include the following.

Research and Development expenses are often tax deductible. This depends on the country of operations of course but a significant write-off can be a great way to offset large initial investments. But it is important to understand what kind of research activities are deductible and which ones are not. Generally, things like market research or an assessment of historical information are not deductible.

A company can use research to identify leaner and more cost effective means of manufacturing. This reduction in cost can either help provide a more reasonably priced product to the customer or increase the profit margin.

When an investor sets out to put their resources into any company, they tend to prefer those who can become market leaders and innovate constantly. An effective R&D function goes a long way in helping to achieve these objectives for a company. Investors see this as a proactive approach to business and they may end up financing the costs associated with maintaining this R&D function.

Recruitment

Top talent is also attracted to innovative companies doing exciting things. With a successful Research and Development function, qualified candidates will be excited to join the company.

Through R&D based developments, companies can acquire patents for their products. These can help them gain market advantage and cement their position in the industry. This one time product development can lead to long term profits.

R&D CHALLENGES

R&D also has many challenges associated with it. These may include the following.

Initial setup costs as well as continued investment are necessary to keep research work cutting edge and relevant. Not all companies may find it feasible to continue this expenditure.

Increased Timescales

Once a commitment to R&D is made, it may take many years for the actual product to reach the market and a number of years will be filled with no return on continued heavy investment.

Uncertain Results

Not all research that is undertaken yields results. Many ideas and solutions are scrapped midway and work has to start from the beginning.

Market Conditions

There is always the danger that a significant new invention or innovation will render years of research obsolete and create setbacks in the industry with competitors becoming front runners for the customer’s business.

It is important for any business to understand the advantages and disadvantages of engaging in Research and Development activities. Once these are studied, then the step can be taken towards becoming and R&D organization.

In the meanwhile, it is good practice to inculcate a research mind set and research oriented thinking within all employees, no matter what their functional area of expertise. This will help bring about new ideas, new solutions and an innovative way of approaching all business problems, whether small or large.

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Research and Development Project Definition and Portfolio Management

• First Online: 22 June 2022

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• Olivier L. de Weck 2  

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Ultimately, technology progresses through individual steps which are the results of specific research and development (R&D) projects. In this chapter, we first describe what kinds of R&D projects exist, and how to plan and successfully execute them. We then consider how multiple projects together – as a set – constitute an R&D portfolio. Portfolios can be defined with the help of targets set by technology roadmaps. Given a fixed total R&D budget, it is also possible to optimize the composition of an R&D portfolio by balancing expected return and risk. We give an example of what an R&D portfolio might look like, by considering the portfolio of a major technology firm.

• R&D projects
• Blue Sky research
• Research and technology maturation
• Demonstrator
• Research and development
• Technology readiness level scale
• Project lifecycle
• Iron triangle
• Earned value management
• Risk management
• Project charter
• Project ID card
• Project execution
• cost overrun
• Schedule overrun
• Portfolio definition
• Decision making
• Vector chart
• Multi-domain mapping matrix MDM
• Portfolio optimization
• Harry Markowitz
• Decision tree
• Real options

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The distinction between R&D and R&T is unique to some countries in Europe such as France and Germany, whereas in the United States the term R&D is used throughout. One of the subtleties is that government funding for R&T (projects at TRL 6 or earlier) is generally acceptable, whereas government funding for product and service development (R&D after TRL 6) is generally considered a government subsidy and potentially subject to adverse WTO rulings.

We focus on the “value” generated by technology in Ch. 17. In simple terms, we can think of investing some amount of money in order to improve one (or more) FOM’s by some amount, ∆FOM/∆$, and this improvement in FOM should then later return a positive multiple in terms of enhanced revenues or cost savings, ∆$/∆FOM. The product of these two terms can be interpreted as a ROI of the technology investment.

This happened to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission which carried the Curiosity rover to the surface of Mars and whose original launch date slipped from 2009 to 2011, in part due to technical challenges with cryogenic actuators.

Source: https://www.airbus.com/innovation/future-technology/autonomy.html

For example, it is usually much more expensive to raise the TRL level of a technology from TRL 5 to 6, compared to raising it from TRL 3 to 4. This is because as technology maturity progresses, the fidelity and complexity of equipment, test procedures, and (simulated or actual) use cases becomes much higher, requiring more time, effort, and money.

The scaled agile framework (SAFe) claims to be able to integrate several projects into a coherent whole at the enterprise level, see: https://www.scaledagileframework.com/

One subtlety of the basic EVM calculations is that it does not capture the interdependencies shown on the critical path diagram (e.g., Fig. 16.5 ), and therefore, the schedule performance in terms of SPI can be different than the schedule tracked in terms of the critical path.

This assumes that the remainder of the project will be executed at the same level of cost efficiency as the project exhibited up until “Time Now.”

A more Machiavellian perspective on overoptimism is that project proponents deliberately low ball project estimates in terms of cost and schedule such that the project is more likely to gain approval and get started. This assumes that, once underway, project leaders will be able to secure additional resources and time as project sponsors will want to see the project succeed, rather than face its cancellation.

An example of such a type of project is the Airbus E-Fan X project wherein the goal was to develop and demonstrate in flight a 2 [MW] class electric propulsion system. The project was set up as an allied partnership between Airbus, Siemens, and Rolls Royce. Note that the project was prematurely stopped due to budget cuts related to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

This is a disguised name to protect the confidentiality of the actual company.

The work in this section is credited to Dr. Kaushik Sinha , mainly done during 2017–2018.

A fundamental assumption for φ min is that even a small investment in a technology may yield value, for example, partnering on an R&D project with external organizations, doing in-depth technology scouting (Ch. 14), modeling and simulation, etc. R&D investments in a technology are usually not “all or nothing” propositions. However, there may be a minimum level of investment needed to “unlock” any value at all.

The details of the individual technologies are not important here, we simply want to illustrate the overall principle of R&D portfolio optimization.

Most technology-based companies, including financial departments led by CFOs, use deterministic planning to allocate resources and are uncomfortable using probabilities or statistical analysis of any sort. This is somewhat surprising, since statistical-based risk analysis is the very basis of financial markets.

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Home » Research Project – Definition, Writing Guide and Ideas

Research Project – Definition, Writing Guide and Ideas

Table of Contents

Research Project

Definition :

Research Project is a planned and systematic investigation into a specific area of interest or problem, with the goal of generating new knowledge, insights, or solutions. It typically involves identifying a research question or hypothesis, designing a study to test it, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions based on the findings.

Types of Research Project

Types of Research Projects are as follows:

Basic Research

This type of research focuses on advancing knowledge and understanding of a subject area or phenomenon, without any specific application or practical use in mind. The primary goal is to expand scientific or theoretical knowledge in a particular field.

Applied Research

Applied research is aimed at solving practical problems or addressing specific issues. This type of research seeks to develop solutions or improve existing products, services or processes.

Action Research

Action research is conducted by practitioners and aimed at solving specific problems or improving practices in a particular context. It involves collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and often involves iterative cycles of data collection and analysis, with the goal of improving practices.

Quantitative Research

This type of research uses numerical data to investigate relationships between variables or to test hypotheses. It typically involves large-scale data collection through surveys, experiments, or secondary data analysis.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research focuses on understanding and interpreting phenomena from the perspective of the people involved. It involves collecting and analyzing data in the form of text, images, or other non-numerical forms.

Mixed Methods Research

Mixed methods research combines elements of both quantitative and qualitative research, using multiple data sources and methods to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon.

Longitudinal Research

This type of research involves studying a group of individuals or phenomena over an extended period of time, often years or decades. It is useful for understanding changes and developments over time.

Case Study Research

Case study research involves in-depth investigation of a particular case or phenomenon, often within a specific context. It is useful for understanding complex phenomena in their real-life settings.

Participatory Research

Participatory research involves active involvement of the people or communities being studied in the research process. It emphasizes collaboration, empowerment, and the co-production of knowledge.

Research Project Methodology

Research Project Methodology refers to the process of conducting research in an organized and systematic manner to answer a specific research question or to test a hypothesis. A well-designed research project methodology ensures that the research is rigorous, valid, and reliable, and that the findings are meaningful and can be used to inform decision-making.

There are several steps involved in research project methodology, which are described below:

Define the Research Question

The first step in any research project is to clearly define the research question or problem. This involves identifying the purpose of the research, the scope of the research, and the key variables that will be studied.

Develop a Research Plan

Once the research question has been defined, the next step is to develop a research plan. This plan outlines the methodology that will be used to collect and analyze data, including the research design, sampling strategy, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.

Collect Data

The data collection phase involves gathering information through various methods, such as surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, or secondary data analysis. The data collected should be relevant to the research question and should be of sufficient quantity and quality to enable meaningful analysis.

Analyze Data

Once the data has been collected, it is analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques or other methods. The analysis should be guided by the research question and should aim to identify patterns, trends, relationships, or other insights that can inform the research findings.

Interpret and Report Findings

The final step in the research project methodology is to interpret the findings and report them in a clear and concise manner. This involves summarizing the results, discussing their implications, and drawing conclusions that can be used to inform decision-making.

Research Project Writing Guide

Here are some guidelines to help you in writing a successful research project:

• Choose a topic: Choose a topic that you are interested in and that is relevant to your field of study. It is important to choose a topic that is specific and focused enough to allow for in-depth research and analysis.
• Conduct a literature review : Conduct a thorough review of the existing research on your topic. This will help you to identify gaps in the literature and to develop a research question or hypothesis.
• Develop a research question or hypothesis : Based on your literature review, develop a clear research question or hypothesis that you will investigate in your study.
• Design your study: Choose an appropriate research design and methodology to answer your research question or test your hypothesis. This may include choosing a sample, selecting measures or instruments, and determining data collection methods.
• Collect data: Collect data using your chosen methods and instruments. Be sure to follow ethical guidelines and obtain informed consent from participants if necessary.
• Analyze data: Analyze your data using appropriate statistical or qualitative methods. Be sure to clearly report your findings and provide interpretations based on your research question or hypothesis.
• Discuss your findings : Discuss your findings in the context of the existing literature and your research question or hypothesis. Identify any limitations or implications of your study and suggest directions for future research.
• Write your project: Write your research project in a clear and organized manner, following the appropriate format and style guidelines for your field of study. Be sure to include an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion.
• Revise and edit: Revise and edit your project for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Be sure to proofread for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors.
• Cite your sources: Cite your sources accurately and appropriately using the appropriate citation style for your field of study.

Examples of Research Projects

Some Examples of Research Projects are as follows:

• Investigating the effects of a new medication on patients with a particular disease or condition.
• Exploring the impact of exercise on mental health and well-being.
• Studying the effectiveness of a new teaching method in improving student learning outcomes.
• Examining the impact of social media on political participation and engagement.
• Investigating the efficacy of a new therapy for a specific mental health disorder.
• Exploring the use of renewable energy sources in reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change.
• Studying the effects of a new agricultural technique on crop yields and environmental sustainability.
• Investigating the effectiveness of a new technology in improving business productivity and efficiency.
• Examining the impact of a new public policy on social inequality and access to resources.
• Exploring the factors that influence consumer behavior in a specific market.

Characteristics of Research Project

Here are some of the characteristics that are often associated with research projects:

• Clear objective: A research project is designed to answer a specific question or solve a particular problem. The objective of the research should be clearly defined from the outset.
• Systematic approach: A research project is typically carried out using a structured and systematic approach that involves careful planning, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Rigorous methodology: A research project should employ a rigorous methodology that is appropriate for the research question being investigated. This may involve the use of statistical analysis, surveys, experiments, or other methods.
• Data collection : A research project involves collecting data from a variety of sources, including primary sources (such as surveys or experiments) and secondary sources (such as published literature or databases).
• Analysis and interpretation : Once the data has been collected, it needs to be analyzed and interpreted. This involves using statistical techniques or other methods to identify patterns or relationships in the data.
• Conclusion and implications : A research project should lead to a clear conclusion that answers the research question. It should also identify the implications of the findings for future research or practice.
• Communication: The results of the research project should be communicated clearly and effectively, using appropriate language and visual aids, to a range of audiences, including peers, stakeholders, and the wider public.

Importance of Research Project

Research projects are an essential part of the process of generating new knowledge and advancing our understanding of various fields of study. Here are some of the key reasons why research projects are important:

• Advancing knowledge : Research projects are designed to generate new knowledge and insights into particular topics or questions. This knowledge can be used to inform policies, practices, and decision-making processes across a range of fields.
• Solving problems: Research projects can help to identify solutions to real-world problems by providing a better understanding of the causes and effects of particular issues.
• Developing new technologies: Research projects can lead to the development of new technologies or products that can improve people’s lives or address societal challenges.
• Improving health outcomes: Research projects can contribute to improving health outcomes by identifying new treatments, diagnostic tools, or preventive strategies.
• Enhancing education: Research projects can enhance education by providing new insights into teaching and learning methods, curriculum development, and student learning outcomes.
• Informing public policy : Research projects can inform public policy by providing evidence-based recommendations and guidance on issues related to health, education, environment, social justice, and other areas.
• Enhancing professional development : Research projects can enhance the professional development of researchers by providing opportunities to develop new skills, collaborate with colleagues, and share knowledge with others.

Research Project Ideas

Following are some Research Project Ideas:

Field: Psychology

• Investigating the impact of social support on coping strategies among individuals with chronic illnesses.
• Exploring the relationship between childhood trauma and adult attachment styles.
• Examining the effects of exercise on cognitive function and brain health in older adults.
• Investigating the impact of sleep deprivation on decision making and risk-taking behavior.
• Exploring the relationship between personality traits and leadership styles in the workplace.
• Examining the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating anxiety disorders.
• Investigating the relationship between social comparison and body dissatisfaction in young women.
• Exploring the impact of parenting styles on children’s emotional regulation and behavior.
• Investigating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for treating depression.
• Examining the relationship between childhood adversity and later-life health outcomes.

Field: Economics

• Analyzing the impact of trade agreements on economic growth in developing countries.
• Examining the effects of tax policy on income distribution and poverty reduction.
• Investigating the relationship between foreign aid and economic development in low-income countries.
• Exploring the impact of globalization on labor markets and job displacement.
• Analyzing the impact of minimum wage laws on employment and income levels.
• Investigating the effectiveness of monetary policy in managing inflation and unemployment.
• Examining the relationship between economic freedom and entrepreneurship.
• Analyzing the impact of income inequality on social mobility and economic opportunity.
• Investigating the role of education in economic development.
• Examining the effectiveness of different healthcare financing systems in promoting health equity.

Field: Sociology

• Investigating the impact of social media on political polarization and civic engagement.
• Examining the effects of neighborhood characteristics on health outcomes.
• Analyzing the impact of immigration policies on social integration and cultural diversity.
• Investigating the relationship between social support and mental health outcomes in older adults.
• Exploring the impact of income inequality on social cohesion and trust.
• Analyzing the effects of gender and race discrimination on career advancement and pay equity.
• Investigating the relationship between social networks and health behaviors.
• Examining the effectiveness of community-based interventions for reducing crime and violence.
• Analyzing the impact of social class on cultural consumption and taste.
• Investigating the relationship between religious affiliation and social attitudes.

Field: Computer Science

• Developing an algorithm for detecting fake news on social media.
• Investigating the effectiveness of different machine learning algorithms for image recognition.
• Developing a natural language processing tool for sentiment analysis of customer reviews.
• Analyzing the security implications of blockchain technology for online transactions.
• Investigating the effectiveness of different recommendation algorithms for personalized advertising.
• Developing an artificial intelligence chatbot for mental health counseling.
• Investigating the effectiveness of different algorithms for optimizing online advertising campaigns.
• Developing a machine learning model for predicting consumer behavior in online marketplaces.
• Analyzing the privacy implications of different data sharing policies for online platforms.
• Investigating the effectiveness of different algorithms for predicting stock market trends.

Field: Education

• Investigating the impact of teacher-student relationships on academic achievement.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches for promoting student engagement and motivation.
• Examining the effects of school choice policies on academic achievement and social mobility.
• Investigating the impact of technology on learning outcomes and academic achievement.
• Analyzing the effects of school funding disparities on educational equity and achievement gaps.
• Investigating the relationship between school climate and student mental health outcomes.
• Examining the effectiveness of different teaching strategies for promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Investigating the impact of social-emotional learning programs on student behavior and academic achievement.
• Analyzing the effects of standardized testing on student motivation and academic achievement.

Field: Environmental Science

• Investigating the impact of climate change on species distribution and biodiversity.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of different renewable energy technologies in reducing carbon emissions.
• Examining the impact of air pollution on human health outcomes.
• Investigating the relationship between urbanization and deforestation in developing countries.
• Analyzing the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Investigating the impact of land use change on soil fertility and ecosystem services.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of different conservation policies and programs for protecting endangered species and habitats.
• Investigating the relationship between climate change and water resources in arid regions.
• Examining the impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Investigating the effects of different agricultural practices on soil health and nutrient cycling.

Field: Linguistics

• Analyzing the impact of language diversity on social integration and cultural identity.
• Investigating the relationship between language and cognition in bilingual individuals.
• Examining the effects of language contact and language change on linguistic diversity.
• Investigating the role of language in shaping cultural norms and values.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of different language teaching methodologies for second language acquisition.
• Investigating the relationship between language proficiency and academic achievement.
• Examining the impact of language policy on language use and language attitudes.
• Investigating the role of language in shaping gender and social identities.
• Analyzing the effects of dialect contact on language variation and change.
• Investigating the relationship between language and emotion expression.

Field: Political Science

• Analyzing the impact of electoral systems on women’s political representation.
• Investigating the relationship between political ideology and attitudes towards immigration.
• Examining the effects of political polarization on democratic institutions and political stability.
• Investigating the impact of social media on political participation and civic engagement.
• Analyzing the effects of authoritarianism on human rights and civil liberties.
• Investigating the relationship between public opinion and foreign policy decisions.
• Examining the impact of international organizations on global governance and cooperation.
• Investigating the effectiveness of different conflict resolution strategies in resolving ethnic and religious conflicts.
• Analyzing the effects of corruption on economic development and political stability.
• Investigating the role of international law in regulating global governance and human rights.

Field: Medicine

• Investigating the impact of lifestyle factors on chronic disease risk and prevention.
• Examining the effectiveness of different treatment approaches for mental health disorders.
• Investigating the relationship between genetics and disease susceptibility.
• Analyzing the effects of social determinants of health on health outcomes and health disparities.
• Investigating the impact of different healthcare delivery models on patient outcomes and cost effectiveness.
• Examining the effectiveness of different prevention and treatment strategies for infectious diseases.
• Investigating the relationship between healthcare provider communication skills and patient satisfaction and outcomes.
• Analyzing the effects of medical error and patient safety on healthcare quality and outcomes.
• Investigating the impact of different pharmaceutical pricing policies on access to essential medicines.
• Examining the effectiveness of different rehabilitation approaches for improving function and quality of life in individuals with disabilities.

Field: Anthropology

• Analyzing the impact of colonialism on indigenous cultures and identities.
• Investigating the relationship between cultural practices and health outcomes in different populations.
• Examining the effects of globalization on cultural diversity and cultural exchange.
• Investigating the role of language in cultural transmission and preservation.
• Analyzing the effects of cultural contact on cultural change and adaptation.
• Investigating the impact of different migration policies on immigrant integration and acculturation.
• Examining the role of gender and sexuality in cultural norms and values.
• Investigating the impact of cultural heritage preservation on tourism and economic development.
• Analyzing the effects of cultural revitalization movements on indigenous communities.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Research Development Projects

The Office of Research Development provides strategic and practical support for development and launch of large-scale sponsored research projects at Georgia Tech.

Check out some of the amazing Georgia Tech projects we have supported!

Multi-Institutional Team Wins $1 Million NSF Engines Development Award 

$12 million nsf grant will establish nationwide atmospheric measurement network.

Economic Development Administration Awards Georgia Tech $65 Million for AI Manufacturing Project

New Grants Could Transform Scientists' Understanding of DNA

Governors Island to Be Site of $700 Million Climate Campus

Department of Energy Renews Funding of Energy Frontier Research Center with $13.2 Million Grant

Georgia Tech Joins the U.S. National Science Foundation to Advance AI Research and Education

Georgia Tech Shares $15M From NASA to Advance Deep Space Exploration

Georgia Tech Research Development Team

• Rebecca Terns, Ph.D. Director of Research Development [email protected]  
• Brian James, CRA, PMP Research Development Manager [email protected]  
• Krystal McNally Senior Administrative Professional [email protected]
• Emily Carpinone, Ph.D. Research Development Manager ​[email protected]  
• Jonathan DePoyster, Ph.D. Research Development Manager ​​[email protected]  
• Erin Bryant, MBA Research Center Start-up Manager ​​[email protected]

Return to Research Development

Research And Development Plan Template

What is a Research And Development Plan?

A research and development (R&D) plan outlines the strategy, timeline, and budget for researching, testing, and creating new products and services. It is essential for product and service innovation, and is often the first step in the product development process. R&D plans are critical for any business, organization, or institution that is looking to develop and introduce new products and services.

What's included in this Research And Development Plan template?

• 3 focus areas
• 6 objectives

Each focus area has its own objectives, projects, and KPIs to ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective.

Who is the Research And Development Plan template for?

This R&D plan template is designed to help teams identify, develop, and launch new products and services. It can be used by any business that wants to increase their product and service innovation. The template outlines a structured approach to setting objectives, implementing projects, and measuring progress to ensure that the R&D plan is successful.

1. Define clear examples of your focus areas

A focus area is the key concept, goal, or purpose of the research and development plan. It should define the desired outcome of the plan and provide a framework for the objectives, projects, and KPIs (key performance indicators). Examples of focus areas may include identifying new products and services, strengthening research and development capacity, or improving product performance.

2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area

Objectives are the specific goals that need to be achieved to accomplish the focus area. They should be measurable and achievable, and they should be linked to the focus area. Examples of objectives may include increasing customer satisfaction, increasing product innovation, or increasing R&D team size.

3. Set measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective

KPIs are measurable targets that can be used to track progress against the objectives. They should be linked to the objectives and should be specific and measurable. Examples of KPIs may include increasing customer loyalty, reducing response time to customer queries, or increasing the number of product tests conducted.

4. Implement related projects to achieve the KPIs

Projects, also known as actions, are specific activities that must be completed to achieve the objectives. They should be linked to the objectives and KPIs, and should be achievable in a reasonable timeframe. Examples of projects may include increasing customer loyalty programs, researching and evaluating potential new products and services, or increasing the R&D team size.

5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy

Cascade is a strategy execution platform that helps teams easily create, manage, and measure their R&D plans. With Cascade, teams can set objectives, implement projects, and track progress in real-time. Cascade’s intuitive dashboard makes it easy to see progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure that the plan is successful.

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Research and Development

Division of preservation and access, grant snapshot, maximum award amount, funding opportunity for, period of performance, application available, optional draft due, expected notification date, project start date.

The Research and Development program supports projects that address major challenges in preserving or providing access to humanities collections and resources.  These challenges include the need to find better ways to preserve materials of critical importance to the nation’s cultural heritage—from fragile artifacts and manuscripts to analog recordings and digital assets subject to technological obsolescence—and to develop advanced modes of organizing, searching, discovering, and using such materials.

This program supports projects at all stages of development, from early planning and stand-alone studies to advanced implementation.  Research and Development projects contribute to the evolving and expanding body of knowledge for heritage practitioners, and for that reason, outcomes may take many forms.  Projects may produce any combination of laboratory datasets, guidelines for standards, open access software tools, workflow and equipment specifications, widely used metadata schema, or other products.

Research and Development supports work on the entire range of humanities collection types including, but not limited to, moving image and sound recordings, archaeological artifacts, born digital and time-based media, rare books and manuscripts, archival records, material culture, and art.

Research and Development projects are encouraged to address one or more of the following areas of special interest:

• Furthering theory and practice in core heritage collections work
• Preserving audiovisual and digital heritage
• Applying artificial intelligence to collections-based activities
• Conserving the material past
• Protecting cultural heritage
• Stewarding collections by and with underrepresented communities
• Responding to the impact of climate change

Note about Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence This grant program is one of ten NEH programs that are part of NEH’s  Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence  initiative, which is encouraging research on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI. To learn more about the initiative,  please see our page about the AI initiative .

What’s new for 2023-2024:

• The maximum funding amount for Tier I projects has been raised to $100,000 for a period of performance of up to two years. Tier I projects no longer have a white paper requirement.
• Furthering theory and practice in core heritage collections work such as appraisal, arrangement, description, cataloging, knowledge organization, and digital curation.
• Applying artificial intelligence to collections-based activities by heritage institutions such as libraries, museums, and archives. 
• For Tier II proposals the main narrative page limit has been reduced from 15 to 12 pages.
• We encourage projects aligning with NEH’s new special initiative, American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future. American Tapestry supports projects that address one or more of the following themes: strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate. Please note that Research and Development projects that do not address one of these themes are still eligible to apply.
• Applications will be declared ineligible for review if they do not include all required sections and components.
• Applications will be declared ineligible for review if they do not comply with all formatting requirements including page limits and file formats.

The following pre-recorded webinar provides information about the 2024 Research and Development Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure you understand all the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this program and are prepared to write the most effective application.

Application Materials

Research and Development Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2024 (PDF)

Research and Development Grants.gov application package

Program Resources

Research and Development Frequently Asked Questions, 2024 (PDF)

List of recently funded awards in this program

Sample Application Narratives

Tier I Project: University of Chicago, Far from Home: Exploring the application of non-destructive XRF clay analysis for the provenience study of cuneiform tablets

Tier I Project: Georgia Institute of Technology, Archiving Performative Objects

Tier I Project: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Rapid Pollution Off-Gassing Assessments of Museum Construction Materials

Tier II Project: Dartmouth College,  Accessible Civil Rights Heritage Project

Tier II Project: Rochester Institute of Technology, Integrating Risk Assessment for Pollutants into Energy-saving Strategies for Sustainable Environmental Management of Collection Storage Spaces

Tier II Project: Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound, Digital Video Commander

Tier II Project: Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Building a Life Cycle Assessment Tool & Library of Preventive Conservation Methods Tier II Project: Rochester Institute of Technology, Digital Preservation and Access to Aural Heritage Via A Scalable, Extensible Method

Tier II Project: Alexandria Archive, Data Curation as Scholarship in Archaeology

Tier II Project: Carnegie Institute, Standardizing Digital Provenance Documentation for Cultural Objects

Tier II Project: New York University, Implementing Traditional Knowledge Labels

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Follow the instructions in the Notice of Funding Opportunity and Grants.gov.

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Program Statistics

Examples of projects funded by this grant program.

Universal Scripts Project

Local Contexts 2.0: Implementing Traditional Knowledge Labels

Rapid Pollution Off-Gassing Assessments of Museum Construction Materials by Gas Chromatographic Techniques

Meeting of health center staff in Guinea in support of health service delivery improvements. Photo credit: URC

Health Evaluation and Applied Research Development (HEARD)

The challenge.

Implementation of lifesaving health care practices, policies, and strategies benefit from evidence and data that can inform real-time improvement. There is often a disconnect between evidence producers, such as research and academic institutions, and the community of evidence users, such as policymakers and program implementers. Alignment of priorities and more strategic engagement of these actors can facilitate the use of more relevant and responsive evidence for decision-making to improve implementation of health programs.

Overview and Objectives

The Health Evaluation and Applied Research Development (HEARD) Project is a flexible global implementation science (IS) partnership mechanism that responds to emerging USAID health and development priorities.

The project leverages learning collaborations, where a diverse range of stakeholders share learning related to a specific health area and jointly generate evidence and accelerate the use of that evidence to improve policy and program implementation globally.

HEARD lays the foundation for a global Implementation Science Collaborative (ISC) – a network of learning networks – covering a range of priority areas in health.

HEARD’s topic-specific learning collaborations focus on urban health, respectful maternal care, post-partum hemorrhage, social accountability, violence against children/child safeguarding, mental health and psychosocial support, and assistive technologies for those with mobility impairments.

The project’s core strategies involve:

• Developing priorities that are relevant across different groups of health stakeholders through their engagement in learning collaborations and consultations;
• Data liberation and evidence strengthening to better leverage existing evidence and data;  
• Evidence generation through new research studies and evaluation; and
• Evidence-to-use acceleration through continuous strategic communication, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder engagement. 

Implementation science activities are facilitated by HEARD’s expansive partnership , comprised of more than 35 institutions with a range of functions, expertise, and geographic and strategic positioning. As the project lead, URC serves as the Research Systems Integrator, fostering alignment of purpose, partners, and process within thematic area collaborations. Proper alignment results in improved questions, higher demand for evidence among decision-makers, and accelerated uptake of evidence to inform policy and programming.

Achievements

HEARD has proven to be a flexible mechanism that leverages a partnership to address a wide range of health issues. HEARD’s global efforts currently span 19 countries. The project has established more than six active learning collaborations. Learning collaboration activities include more than 20 ongoing or completed research studies, two global evaluations, and four country-specific evaluation activities, with a number of emerging research activities planned. Illustrative highlights of HEARD’s results include:

• Country-based evaluations have informed future U.S. Government bilateral investments;
• Evidence generated on reproductive, maternal, child, and urban health have informed East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community’s Ministerial Resolutions on urban health, respectful maternity care, and protecting children from violence; and
• The Advancing Post-Partum Hemorrhage Care Partnership developed by HEARD in Malawi and Madagascar tested and implemented innovative mentorship models for health providers.

HEARD Project Evaluations

• Midterm Evaluation of USAID Jordan Health Service Delivery Activity
• Final Evaluation of USAID Guinea’s Health Service Delivery Activity
• Assessment of Positive Youth Development
• Midterm Evaluation of USAID’s Global Health Program Cycle Improvement Project
• GHIS Burkina Faso: Improving Malaria Care (IMC) Project Evaluation
• Scoping an Evaluation of USAID Nigeria’s Integrated and Vertical Malaria Programs

Duration 2016–2024

Countries Cambodia, Colombia, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Moldova, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda

Regions Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Global, Latin America and the Caribbean

Expertise COVID-19, Health Systems Strengthening, Health Workforce, Implementation Science, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, Mental Health, Quality Improvement

Funders USAID

Partners East, Central and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC), Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), The City University of New York (CUNY), Universitas Indonesia, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Francisco, West African Health Organization (WAHO)

• Putting Evaluations to Work Locally
• How Can We Democratize Knowledge?
• Creating and Implementing National Policy To Protect Children From Violence
• Leveraging a Policy Pathway in East Africa to Stimulate Evidence to Action
• Implementation Science Resource Database
• URC’s Co-authored Landscape Analysis Informs Ministerial Resolution to Protect Children from Violence
• Addressing the Nutrition and WASH Needs of Urban Populations in East Africa
• Health Evaluation and Applied Research Development (HEARD) Overview

Project Plan Template for R&D

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

• Organize project planning in one place
• Streamline tasks and deadlines for clarity on progress
• Collaborate effectively with busy teams from start to finish

Benefits of a Research And Development Project Plan Template

• Improved communication and coordination
• Reduced uncertainty and risk
• Greater team productivity
• More effective planning and budgeting
• Increased innovation

Main Elements of a Project Plan Template for R&D

• Project goals
• Stakeholder engagement plan
• Detailed timeline
• Resource allocation
• Marketing plans

How to Use a Research And Development Project Plan Template

1. establish objectives., 2. assemble the team., 3. develop a timeline., 4. track progress periodically., related project plan templates.

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Research and Development Projects Overview

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) managers and staff responsible for research and technology (R&T) in particular functional areas develop and set their own R&T agendas, which reflect FHWA's mission, support strategic goals, and engage internal and external stakeholders.

For a listing of research activities at the Turner–Fairbank Highway Research Center, visit the  Project Database .

Some projects managed by Turner–Fairbank Highway Research Center are conducted in phases and can last for several years. Those projects are located within the Research and Development section  or you can find the project below. 

Infrastructure

• Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure
• Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP)
• Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP)
• Development of Crash Modification Factors (DCMF)
• Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM)
• In-Service Performance Evaluation Resources (ISPE)
• Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study
• Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM)
• Motorcycle Crash Causation Study (MCCS)
• Analysis Modeling and Simulation (AMS)

Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change , environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnect ed, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. Click on any specific Goal below to learn more about each issue and take action.

Goal 1: No Poverty

Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication.

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.

Goal 4: Quality Education

Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development.

Goal 5: Gender Equality

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in.

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity.

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions that allow people to have quality jobs.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Investments in infrastructure are crucial to achieving sustainable development.

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

To reduce inequalities, policies should be universal in principle, paying attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

There needs to be a future in which cities provide opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Responsible Production and Consumption

Goal 13: Climate Action

Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere.

Goal 14: Life Below Water

Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.

Goal 15: Life on Land

Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.

Goal 17: Partnerships

Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

Revolutionizing AI Infrastructure Microsoft and OpenAI’s $100 Billion Data Center Project

I n a groundbreaking collaboration, tech giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI are embarking on a visionary data center project with an estimated cost of $100 billion. This initiative aims to revolutionize AI infrastructure and accelerate the development of advanced AI capabilities. Codenamed “Stargate,” the project encompasses the creation of an AI supercomputer set to launch in 2028. This article delves into the significance of this ambitious endeavor, its implications for the future of artificial intelligence, and the strategic partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI.

The Vision for Stargate: At the heart of the project lies the development of Stargate, an AI supercomputer designed to push the boundaries of AI research and innovation. Stargate represents a leap forward in computing power and efficiency, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to handle complex AI workloads at an unprecedented scale. With its launch scheduled for 2028, Stargate aims to empower researchers and developers worldwide to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in AI, from natural language processing to computer vision and beyond.

Addressing Skyrocketing Demand: The exponential growth of generative artificial intelligence technology has fueled a surge in demand for AI data centers capable of supporting advanced AI models and algorithms. Traditional data centers are ill-equipped to handle the computational requirements of these sophisticated AI applications, prompting the need for specialized infrastructure tailored to AI workloads. By investing in Stargate and other supercomputing initiatives, Microsoft and OpenAI are poised to meet the skyrocketing demand for AI computing resources and drive innovation in the AI ecosystem.

Strategic Partnership and Collaboration: The collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI underscores the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing AI research and development. Leveraging Microsoft’s expertise in cloud computing and OpenAI’s leadership in AI research, the partnership brings together complementary strengths to tackle complex challenges in AI infrastructure. By pooling resources, talent, and expertise, Microsoft and OpenAI aim to accelerate the pace of AI innovation and democratize access to advanced AI capabilities.

The Five-Phase Plan: The Stargate project is part of a comprehensive five-phase plan outlined by Microsoft and OpenAI to deploy a series of AI supercomputers over the next six years. Each phase represents a significant milestone in advancing AI infrastructure and expanding the capabilities of AI systems. From the initial phases focused on research and development to the deployment of Stargate as the culmination of the project, the five-phase plan demonstrates a long-term commitment to driving breakthroughs in AI technology.

Challenges and Opportunities: While the Stargate project holds immense promise, it also poses significant challenges, including the high cost of development, sourcing AI chips, and ensuring compatibility with diverse hardware architectures. Moreover, the success of the project hinges on overcoming technical hurdles, managing costs, and navigating regulatory considerations. However, with careful planning, strategic investment, and collaborative effort, Microsoft and OpenAI are poised to overcome these challenges and unlock new opportunities for AI innovation.

The $100 billion data center project led by Microsoft and OpenAI represents a landmark initiative in advancing AI infrastructure and propelling the field of artificial intelligence into the future. By investing in cutting-edge technology, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation, Microsoft and OpenAI are laying the foundation for the next wave of AI breakthroughs. As Stargate and subsequent phases of the project come to fruition, they promise to reshape the landscape of AI research, empower developers and researchers worldwide, and unlock new possibilities for AI-driven solutions to complex problems.

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Research and data on the trends reshaping the world of work

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Special Report · April 20, 2023

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Special Report · September 22, 2022

Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong?

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Annual Report · March 16, 2022

Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work

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Special Report · January 12, 2022

Technology Can Help Unlock a New Future for Frontline Workers

New data shows that now is the time to empower the frontline with the right digital tools

Special Report · September 9, 2021

To Thrive in Hybrid Work, Build a Culture of Trust and Flexibility

Microsoft employee survey data shows the importance of embracing different work styles—and the power of simple conversations

Special Report · April 20, 2021

Research Proves Your Brain Needs Breaks

New options help you carve out downtime between meetings

Special Report · March 30, 2021

In Hybrid Work, Managers Keep Teams Connected

Researchers found that feelings of connection among Microsoft’s teams diminished during the pandemic. They also discovered the remedy.

Annual Report · March 22, 2021

The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work—Are We Ready?

Exclusive research and expert insights into a year of work like no other reveal urgent trends leaders should consider as hybrid work unfolds.

Special Report · 2020-09-22

A Checkup on Employee Wellbeing

Explore how the pandemic is impacting wellbeing at work around the world.

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The Knowns and Unknowns of the Future of Work

Learn how a sudden shift to remote work may have lasting effects around the world.

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Remote Work Trend Report: Meetings

See how global meeting habits changed during the world’s largest work-from-home mandate.

The WorkLab Newsletter: Science-based insights on the future of work, direct to your inbox

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Privacy Approach

Microsoft takes privacy seriously. We remove all personal and organization-identifying information, such as company name, from the data before analyzing it and creating reports. We never use customer content—such as information within an email, chat, document, or meeting—to produce reports. Our goal is to discover and share broad workplace trends that are anonymized by aggregating the data broadly from those trillions of signals that make up the Microsoft Graph.

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Provides the Single Largest Industrial Decarbonization Investment in the Nation’s History, Driving $20+ Billion in Total Investment to Revitalize Manufacturing Communities and Create and Maintain Good-Paying Jobs 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda , the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $6 billion for 33 projects across more than 20 states to decarbonize energy-intensive industries, reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions, support good-paying union jobs, revitalize industrial communities, and strengthen the nation’s manufacturing competitiveness. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the projects will create and maintain tens of thousands of high-quality jobs and help accelerate the commercial-scale demonstration of emerging industrial decarbonization technologies crucial to meeting the Biden-Harris administration's climate and domestic manufacturing goals.  

The projects will focus on the highest emitting industries where decarbonization technologies will have the greatest impact, including aluminum and other metals, cement and concrete, chemicals and refining, iron and steel, and more. Together, the projects are expected to reduce the equivalent of more than 14 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year—an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of 3 million gasoline-powered cars. Many of the projects will deploy first-in-the-nation emissions-reducing technologies that have the potential for sector-wide adoption and transformation, multiplying the magnitude of the emissions cuts and supporting the future of U.S. manufacturing. Today’s announcement is the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in American history, helping to position American manufacturers and workers to lead the global clean energy economy.  

“Spurring on the next generation of decarbonization technologies in key industries like steel, paper, concrete, and glass will keep America the most competitive nation on Earth,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to President Biden’s industrial strategy, DOE is making the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in the history of the United States. These investments will slash emissions from these difficult-to-decarbonize sectors and ensure American businesses and American workers remain at the forefront of the global economy.” 

This transformative federal investment will help strengthen local economies and create and maintain tens of thousands of good-paying, high-quality jobs—particularly those that support worker organizing and collective bargaining. As part of President Biden’s efforts to build an equitable and inclusive clean energy future, each project is also expected to develop and ultimately implement a comprehensive Community Benefits Plan that ensures meaningful community and labor engagement. Nearly 80% of the projects are located in a disadvantaged community, as defined by President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative , offering a significant opportunity to invest in good jobs and clean air in communities that have experienced years of divestment. 

The industrial sector contributes nearly one-third of the nation’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. This transformative federal investment is matched by the selected projects to leverage more than $20 billion in total to demonstrate commercial-scale decarbonization solutions needed to move the industrial sector toward net-zero emissions. Funded projects will cut carbon emissions by an average of 77%. The industrial sector’s unique and complex decarbonization challenges require equally unique and innovative decarbonization solutions that leverage multiple pathways including energy efficiency, electrification, and alternative fuels and feedstocks such as clean hydrogen. The projects announced today are part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program , managed by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), and will help strengthen America’s manufacturing and industrial competitiveness. Funding for these projects includes $489 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $5.47 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Decarbonizing Energy- and Emissions-Intensive Industries

The 33 projects selected for award negotiations represent difficult-to-decarbonize industries, including seven chemicals and refining projects, six cement and concrete projects, six iron and steel projects, five aluminum and metals projects, three food and beverage projects, three glass projects, two process heat-focused projects, and one pulp and paper project.  

An overview of selected projects broken down by industry include:  

• Chemicals and Refining : The seven selected chemicals and refining projects demonstrate how one of the world’s largest industries can turn its carbon intensity from a liability into an advantage, increase circularity, and onshore critical supply chains for clean fuels and key electric vehicle components. These projects plan to demonstrate opportunities to upcycle captured carbon to value-added products, create high-quality fuels and materials from recycled products, and replace fossil-fired, high-heat processes with decarbonized fuels. Together, the seven projects would create products like clean fuels for the marine sector, electrolytes for electric vehicle batteries, and high-quality plastics.  
• Cement and Concrete : The six selected cement and concrete projects plan to demonstrate a comprehensive set of technologies capable of eliminating all CO2 emissions from today’s plants while setting the stage for a future where cement—one of the single largest sources of CO2 emissions globally—can be net-negative. These game-changing projects will revolutionize a sector that has relied on emissions-intensive processes for millennia. From capturing and sequestering the emissions from one of the largest cement plants in the U.S. to pioneering chemistry changes to mitigate emissions at their source, DOE’s investments can fundamentally transform cement—the world’s most abundant man-made material and a building block of our world’s infrastructure. Together, the projects will develop new pathways for making traditional Portland cement with lower or zero emissions and to pioneer new materials and new mixtures that can drive the sector to zero emissions.  
• Iron and Steel : The six selected iron and steel projects plan to demonstrate emerging technologies, including some of the world’s first clean hydrogen-fueled direct reduced ironmaking facilities, which can eliminate the vast majority of steelmaking emissions. The projects will help decarbonize iron and steelmaking and enable the industry to phase out more traditional carbon-intensive production methods that rely on coal. This investment is expected to help create products like high grades of steel for the automotive industry, while solidifying the nation’s position as the global leader in low-carbon iron and steel products.  
• Aluminum and Metals : The five selected aluminum and metals projects include a major capital injection to decarbonize and revitalize the U.S. primary aluminum industry along with world-leading recycling approaches for both aluminum and copper. After decades of decline, these investments lay the groundwork for a potential rebound of this critical sector. These investments aim to improve U.S. industry’s competitiveness and efficiency while simultaneously decarbonizing and onshoring supply chains for materials critical for defense and energy sectors. In addition to the high-purity aluminum needed for the defense and energy sectors, the selections include projects that would create recycled aluminum for the food and beverage industry and copper for semiconductors and electric vehicles.  
• Food and Beverage : The three selected food and beverage projects will demonstrate highly replicable energy efficiency and electrification solutions for low- to medium-temperature process heat across 16 locations. These projects can increase consumer awareness around embodied emissions by decarbonizing products that Americans consume every day like ice cream, ketchup, and BBQ sauce.  
• Glass : The three selected glass projects plan to validate electric/fuel hybrid furnaces producing low-emission glass bottles, tableware, and food packaging. This suite of projects will help decarbonize high-temperature heat and set a roadmap for other heat-intensive industrial processes.  
• Process Heat : These two projects plan to validate the use of electric boilers and electric steam production to reduce emissions associated with process heating across a wide range of industries. By demonstrating applicability across sectors, these projects will chart a path for addressing one of the biggest challenges in the industrial sector—heat-related emissions. 
• Pulp and Paper : The one selected pulp and paper project aims to improve energy efficiency by using a novel membrane for an important separations process instead of heat. This technology is highly replicable for many applications, including chemicals and critical materials.  

Learn more about the 33 projects selected for award negotiations . 

Laying the Foundation of an Inclusive Clean Energy Future 

The Biden-Harris administration is dedicated to working in partnership with communities and industries to build an equitable clean energy economy that benefits every American. As part of the Administration’s commitments to invest in America’s workforce, support high-quality American jobs, advance environmental and energy justice, and strengthen tribal energy sovereignty, each project was required to develop and ultimately implement a comprehensive community benefits plan —which will be informed by early and meaningful community and labor engagements in each region. Applicants were required to describe how their proposals would provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people in a facility’s location, recognizing the opportunity this funding provides to address pollution for those disproportionately affected by industrial sector emissions and begin remediating existing social, economic, and health burdens.  

To kickstart ongoing engagement around these projects, OCED will hold a series of national and regional virtual briefings to provide information on the selected projects, introduce OCED’s approach to clean energy demonstrations, and provide opportunities for industry and communities to engage further on specific projects of interest. Learn about IDP engagement opportunities and register to attend .  

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the selected applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time. Lead applicants also may change during the award negotiations process. If awarded, OCED will evaluate these projects through a phased approach to project management that includes “go/no-go” decision points between each project phase where DOE reviews and evaluates implementation progress, including community benefits. 

Learn more about how OCED , the Department’s Pathway to Industrial Decarbonization Commercial Liftoff , the Department’s Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap , and the Industrial Technologies Joint Strategy support the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies that will help the U.S. industrial sector reach President Biden’s ambitious goal of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.