Innovation in Industrial Research is a valuable resource for researchers working for industries or the public sector, managers of research projects, consultants and graduate students. --Book Jacket.

Innovation in Industrial Research gives new and experienced researchers insight into how they can improve the quality of their industrial research. It discusses the methods currently available to researchers, from quality tools to the scientific method. Key aspects of research are covered, including: publications, patents, ethics and management of project teams. The book also examines responsible conduct in research, and illustrates mistakes made by researchers and how these can affect the reputation of the research being undertaken or the institutions involved. Finally, the author analyses ways of achieving innovation in industrial research. Innovation in Industrial Research is a valuable resource for researchers working for industries or the public sector, managers of research projects, consultants and graduate students.

Traditionally, industrial laboratories like AT&T's Bell Labs and the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center were wellsprings of powerful new technologies. Yet in the competitive environment of the 1980s and 1990s research activities have been downsized, redirected, and restructured within most of the firms that once were major sponsors of industrial research. In this book, top technical managers of Alcoa, IBM, Intel, and Xerox along with leading scholars of the history and economics of technological change discuss the consequences of this trend. They explore new ideas for linking research with commercial markets and identify the evolving roles for industry, government, and universities in shaping a new era in industrial research.

This report summarizes the results of a study conducted over the years 1963 to 1967 by the National Planning Association for the National Science Foundation. This project had its origins in the deep and continuing interest of the National Science Foundation in the question of the impact of science and technology on society. The objective was to provide empirical knowledge about the factors which stimulate or advance the application in the civilian economy of scientific and technological findings. As the project developed it took the form of a statistical study of innovations in selected industries, the industries-railroads and railroad suppliers, computer manufacturers and suppliers, and housing suppliers - purposively selected to provide a view of the innovation process in industries with differential involvement in, and dependence on, current technological advances. The results are presented in a manner intended to highlight the differences, or similarities, of the innovative process in the several industries. In. a similar manner, differences and similarities between original innovations--those which are new to the economy as well as the firm--are juxtaposed where relevant with corresponding information for adopted innovations, i.e., innovations new to the firm but not new to the economy.

Innovation and Sustainable Manufacturing: Research and Development addresses the manufacturing sustainability challenge from different points of view, drawing on research from different disciplines to shed light on the latest green technologies, green product design methods, and materials. Addressing the needs of practitioners as well as academics, this book examines a range of important themes such as environmental impacts and how to assess them, how to set boundary conditions to include or exclude downstream supply chains, how to improve sustainability without sacrificing productivity, the cost benefits of sustainability, and how to trace impacts in manufacturing. By providing a thorough review of global research in this field, Innovation and Sustainable Manufacturing acts as an ideal entry point into this discipline for researchers, and a guide to the latest developments for forward-thinking practitioners. Covers how different stages of the manufacturing supply chain can impact on sustainability Combines research from a variety of disciplines to provide a comprehensive coverage of this complex subject Explores the relationship between sustainability and other goals such as productivity, quality, and profitability

America's global competitiveness depends heavily on the fruits of scientific research. In decades past, industrial laboratories like AT&T's Bell Labs & the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center were wellsprings of powerful new technologies. Yet the competitive environment of the 1980s & 1990s has forced managers to reassess industrial research as a business priority. In Engines of Innovation, top technical managers of Alcoa, IBM, Intel, & Xerox, along with leading scholars of the history & economics of technological change, discuss the consequences of this paradox for industry & the economy as a whole. The authors explore new ideas for linking research with commercial markets & identify the policy choices for industry, government, & universities as together they shape a new era in industrial research.