This appendix includes a detailed desription and data source information for this asset class.
Class Definitions
Metrics
Data Sources
Links to Data
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Research and Development
Asset Description
Research and development (R&D) adds to the knowledge base of a region and is essential to long-term economic growth. R&D spending at universities creates opportunities for partnerships between education and industry that can significantly benefit retention of companies and talented students. R&D investment by firms and government is also critical for developing innovative new products and services that can drive regional wealth creation and prosperity. Research parks and business incubators, when properly developed and managed, can provide the institutional infrastructure to link business and university researchers and support firm-to-firm R&D partnerships.
Research and Development Metrics
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R&D Spending at Universities
The NSF’s WebCASPAR database contains time series data for federal, state, and industry financed R&D spending at colleges and universities. Users can find the total R&D spending at universities in the region and then compare it on a per capita basis to the state and the nation. The WebCASPAR database can be found at http://caspar.nsf.gov.
Because many companies are privately held, comprehensive data on R&D spending at local companies is unavailable in a national database or standard business publication. Information on individual companies in a region, collected in a survey or study, may be available through a chamber of commerce or trade group, but most users will have to obtain that information through interviews with business leaders. Information on public companies is more readily available through required corporate filings.
Links to Data: View suggested Research and Development public sources in the table below.
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The following data sources and evaluation criteria are all related to research and development.
Research Centers
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| Names, address and contact information |
Overall budget (and portion dedicated to work likely to be of use to regional industry) |
| Type of institution (public, private, academic, mixed) |
Number of patents held |
| Names and contact information for officers |
Patenting Rates (patents/research dollars) |
| Areas of research focus |
Transactions involving technology transfer (licensing, spin-outs, sales) |
| Names, addresses and contact information for high performance computing centers in the region |
Government grants received, over time |
| Identification of institutions with high performance computing capabilities |
Number of entities in region with high performance computing capability |
|
Notable inventions/research studies (awards) |
|
Business sector satisfaction with level of interaction |
Business Incubators
| Names, address and contact information |
Success rate of incubation (percent of companies that survive beyond five years) |
| Mission and any specialized focus of incubator |
Number of jobs created by graduate from the incubator and average wages of those jobs |
| Names of companies located in incubator, with contact information and area of focus for each |
Successful collaboration with other regional entities |
Research Parks
| Names, address and contact information |
Occupancy rates |
| Available space for lease or building |
Sponsored networking activities |
| Specialized focus of research, if any |
Successful collaborations with other regional entities |
Corporate Research and Development
| Names, addresses and contact information for companies with significant R&D activities |
Number of patents and patenting rates (patents/research dollars) |
| Areas of R&D activities |
Notable inventions/ research studies |
| Relationships with other regional institutions |
Successful collaboration with other regional entities |
| Overall budget |
Spin-outs and major licensing deals |