Development of R&D Effectiveness Assessment System in the Research Organizations

At present, the methodology of technology readiness levels (TRL) is used worldwide by both public organizations and private companies to address a number of issues. In the system of public support for the development of the science, technology and innovation (STI) sector, TRL is increasingly used as a tool for R&D project management and funding. At the same time, the TRL methodology is not integrated into the budget process in any country in the world, which does not allow the full potential of TRL to be actualized. For Russia, where the role of state scientific and research organizations and public funding of STI is extremely important, this task is a real challenge. As the authors conclude, not only should the TRL methodology be adapted to the tasks of managing budget expenditures for R&D, but the public funding system with its financial instruments should also be adjusted taking into account the requirements of TRL. The key direction of integrating the TRL methodology into the budgetary process is linking of TRLs with elements of types of budgetary expenditures. This task could be accomplished after having taken the following measures: improvement of the budget classification in terms of R&D expenditures; application of a unified project approach to all instruments of state financial support and a unified classification of R&D projects; provision of a unified system for recording expenditures on science; improvement of public support instruments; and determination of the required ratio of R&D funding from budgetary and extrabudgetary sources for various TRL intervals. This work should include development and implementation of a new approach to understanding the boundaries of the STI sector, stages (types) of scientific activities, planning methods and conditions for the provision of public support, as well as improvements in the conceptual apparatus and tools of the support.

Research methods and approaches in organizational systems research are important when the challenge is to implement information technology effectively to support organizational systems. An understanding of organizational systems may be achieved through the use of research methods that 1) use theories to describe organizational systems, 2) provide sets of tools to enable real world problems to be addressed, and 3) enable the researcher to interact with the organizational systems that they study. At the same time, it is also important to be able to isolate those key factors that affect the success of organizational systems. This mini-track presents four unique papers that address salient aspects of research in organizational systems and technology. They cover the spectrum from qualitative research methods that describe and explore organizational systems to quantitative research methods that enable theory to be tested and operationalized into measurable constructs.The first paper, The Meaning and Measurement of User Satisfaction across Population Subgroups: A Multi-group Invariance Analysis, by Doll and Raghunathan provides a clear and insightful discussion of how a questionnaire instrument should be tested for robustness across sampling populations. The authors take one of the most often researched constructs in MIS research, end user satisfaction, as an example to illustrate in detail how various statistical techniques can be used to test a questionnaire across population subgroups.The second paper, by Croteau, Solomon, Raymond, and Bergeron, Organizational and Technological Infrastructures Alignment, also addresses an investigation in which a questionnaire instrument is used to shed light on a popular research topic. The authors study infrastructure alignment using structural equation modeling with the EQS approach. As this approach is rarely used in IS research, this paper serves as an example for researchers interested in structural equation modeling techniques.Conducting research in organizational systems often means that researchers are faced with environments in which a multitude of data becomes available. This may mean that researchers have an opportunity to combine qualitative and quantitative data to shed light on the topic under investigation. In the third paper of this minitrack, New Methods for Studying Global Virtual Teams: Towards a Multi-Faceted Approach, Steinfield, Huysman, David, Jang, Poot, Huis in 't Veld, Mulder, Goodman, Lloyd, Hinds, Andriessen, Jarvis, Van der Werff, and Cabrera use triangulation techniques across a plethora of data sources. They clearly illustrate how quantitative and qualitative data offer distinct but complimentary insights into global virtual communication processes.The last paper in this mini-track is by Vogel, Davison, Shroff, and Qureshi and is entitled: Methodological Issues in Assessing Sociocultural Learning. This paper tackles an illusive and challenging issue in current organizational systems research: how do we study learning in distributed learning environments in which students from various cultural backgrounds meaningfully interact? The authors present examples of how positivist and interpretivist techniques shed different types of insight on sociocultural learning and introduce a number of promising methodological avenues to study virtual learning.The papers in this minitrack provide new insight into various research methods and approaches. Both theoretical background and case evidence used with the research methods are presented. We commend the papers to you. They promise to stimulate animated discussion at the conference and inspire future research efforts.

Introduction. In times of war, the problem of studying, maintaining and promoting the mental health of staff of organizations, in particular, educational and research organizations, gains importance as it affects staff well-being and work performance as well as the effectiveness of organizations in general. Aim: to empirically determine the levels of and factors behind the mental health of staff of educational and research organizations. Methods. The study used a set of tools called Mental Health in Wartime, which included diagnostic instruments and a special questionnaire to study various components of mental health of staff of educational and research organizations and the factors that affect it. The survey was conducted using Google Form. Results. The staff of educational and research organizations had a number of war-specific mental health problems (serious (high level) negative mental conditions, reduced positive mental health, and internal health locus of control). There were both negative and positive trends in staff mental health compared with pre-war times. Educational and research organization staff's age, position, and security-related characteristics of residence had relationship with staff mental health during the war. Conclusions. The findings suggest that the problem of mental health of staff of educational and research organizations in wartime is a significant social and personal problem, which needs effective psychological programs to solve it.

With the evolving demand for sustainable mobility, adequate charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing steadily and wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has been seen as an efficient alternative for EV charging while maintaining seamless traffic flow. This paper reviews the modelling challenges in terms of both static (plug-in) charging (SC) and wireless charging (WC) facilities in a transportation network in terms of system integration, focusing on the evolution of the WPT technology. The first part of the paper provides an overview of all the major progress and achievements made by different research organisations in the area of WPT technology for EV charging. These technologies are ranked based on two indices, namely technological readiness level and system readiness level. The optimal location of WC facilities comes with more design and operational issues than conventional static charging facilities. However, they are similar in terms of the infrastructure modelling approach to locate these charging facilities, as the overall goal is to maximise the network flow and minimise the overall system cost. The second part of the paper assesses different modelling approaches used to analyse the network and locate the charging infrastructure for static and WC facilities. The economic feasibility of the technology is an important consideration for successful system integration as well as the overall performance of the system. As such, this paper also provides a synopsis of different socio-economic studies related to the WC infrastructure allocation problem. Finally, future research directions in this field are discussed based on the knowledge gaps identified from the existing literature.

This chapter gives an overview on the effects, limits and opportunities of the different performance management and incentive systems employed in research organizations. Specifically, we discuss the existing performance management and incentive systems in research organizations as well as their advantages and disadvantages, and provide theoretically—as well as empirically—grounded recommendations for performance management and incentive systems in research organizations. In particular, we provide two recommendations. First, we advocate focusing on input governance as well as on trust in the intrinsic motivation of scholars, and independence as ways to ensure quality. Second, with regard to incentive systems, we recommend emphasizing informal-interpersonal acknowledgment.

Technology Readiness Levels at 40: A Study of State-of-the-Art Use, Challenges, and Opportunities

Both the American Petroleum Institute (API) 17N: 2009 and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) RP-A203 (2011) recommend that the technologies inserted into subsea installations should be assessed during design and manufacturing using a technology readiness level (TRL) scale. This should be used as a measure of maturity of all the individual technologies, for qualification and readiness assurance. This paper proposes the creation of a system-based approach for managing the development of subsea systems and making effective decisions to ensure the efficient progress of the project. It recommends complementing TRL with an integration readiness level (IRL) scale, to address IRL between the inserted technologies, along with a system readiness level (SRL) scale to assess the overall project status. It also presents a method for combining the current TRL scale and the proposed new IRL scale to determine an estimate of SRL at all stages of a subsea system development. This provides a composite metric for determining the system readiness level for project delivery. The application of the new proposed scales is demonstrated using a case example.

Based at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. From 2025, the LHC will be upgraded to allow it to achieve a factor of 10 higher luminosity, which increases the rate of collisions, essential for probing new physics phenomena in the future. The route to high luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) involves various detector upgrades and requires significant infrastructure changes. Recent measurements by CERN Radiation Protection, verifying previous calculations by The University of Sheffield (UoS), has raised awareness about the need to restrict human activity in the HL-LHC experimental, construction and maintenance areas due to exposure from high levels of radiation. Examining the case of the ATLAS detector upgrade, the collaborative partnership between UoS and UK industry is developing state-of-the-art robotic instrumentation, capable of tolerating high radiation levels. The main object of this research is a feasibility study with a TRL (technology readiness level) of three, to determine how materials and sub components of dexterous robotic systems behave after exposure to high levels of radiation. This is evaluation uses novel robotic irradiation equipment, techniques and test methods housed in the Birmingham University (UK) Irradiation Facility. One finger of an unmodified Shadow Robot Company “Hand”, a highly dexterous robotic manipulator, was exposed to specific doses of high radiation in a temperature controlled thermal chamber. Cooled by a liquid nitrogen evaporative system, the irradiation system moves samples continuously through a homogeneous proton beam. Movement is provided by a radiation hard pre-configured XY-Axis Cartesian Robot. The methods and techniques developed as a result of this TRL3 research will further aid the application and deployment of robotic and autonomous systems into highly radioactive environments. Based on preliminary findings it has been concluded that finger materials and basic electrical components can tolerate hazardous radiation environments, with careful selection and substitution of a minimal amount of materials, radiation hardness is also possible. Further work is scheduled for the irradiation of a fully instrumented and powered robotic hand to determine working hour tolerance.

The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) process is used to quantitatively assess the maturity of a given technology. The TRL process has been developed and successfully used by the Department of Defense (DOD) for development and deployment of new technology and systems for defense applications. In addition, NASA has also successfully used the TRL process to develop and deploy new systems for space applications. Advanced nuclear fuels and materials development is a critical technology needed for closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Because the deployment of a new nuclear fuel forms requires a lengthy and expensive research, development, and demonstration program, applying the TRL concept to the advanced fuel development program is very useful as a management and tracking tool. This report provides definition of the technology readiness level assessment process as defined for use in assessing nuclear fuel technology development for the Advanced Fuel Campaign (AFC).

The paper analyzes the planning system, development, and quality of the production of helicopters on the world market. The process of planning and developing helicopters is carried out in a PLM system (Product Lifecycle Management) by American and European enterprises. The authors of the paper note that the development of products and projects by foreign aviation enterprises, as a rule, is carried out using advanced electronic layout technology, with the original design documentation in the form of an electronic model. The structure of the PLM system, which is a part of the “Teamcenter” complex system, is considered in detail. It solves the most important tasks related to the organization of the enterprises management (including aviation), increasing the efficiency of applying product knowledge and stimulating the application of this knowledge to implement innovative solutions at all stages of the product life cycle. In order to assess the level of the availability of technology in developing various aviation projects, the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) technique is used. The authors note that the process of the development, production, and release of the advanced helicopters is directly related to the innovative technological triad, which includes technology readiness levels, production readiness levels, and technology integration levels in the current production process. In conclusion, the authors present an example of building an aviation project using the technology readiness level.

Technology readiness levels for advanced nuclear fuels and materials development

The dynamics of innovation in complex products and systems (CoPS) differs from the mass production industries. Integration Readiness Levels (IRL) represent technology maturity related to the integration of two or more technological elements in a system, addressing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) application challenges. Earned readiness management (ERM) is a method for scheduling, monitoring, and evaluating the development of complex product systems. ERM could incorporate IRL advances, practitioners are adopting IRL and understanding its differences from TRL, and it is relevant to approach technology development projects in a system for value delivery in CoPS. The objective is to identify IRL-oriented work packages to establish ERM for space systems aiming at the application of ERM in CoPS technology development projects. This paper used NASA WBS standards for space flight and for research and technology projects to identify which work package elements could relate to IRL and compose ERM, and used ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 life cycle process definitions to support the analysis. The results could be expanded to other CoPS sectors as they used broad systems engineering concepts and standards.

The article considers the development and formation of tourism enterprises and hospitality organizations in a competitive environment. The dynamics of the number of Ukrainian citizens who go on tourist trips abroad are analyzed. The process of forming the cost of a tourism product and the problems of developing organizational and methodological foundations of management accounting in tourism organizations and hospitality are considered. The article provides an algorithm for setting up a management accounting system in tourism organizations and hospitality. The features of setting up a management accounting system in an organization in the field of tourism and hospitality are also studied, which affect the internal structure of business processes of tourism enterprises and hospitality and indirectly affect the procedure for applying strategic and operational accounting tools in specific circumstances. It is determined that the effectiveness of a tourism organization's business model is distinguished by the degree to which management accounting tools are adapted to the specifics of tourism business processes. The article also presents a diagram showing how costs are taken into account when calculating a tourism product by a tour operator and how costs are accounted for in a travel agency. The structure of costs in the total cost of a tourist product has been studied. Recommendations for improving management accounting in tourism and hospitality organizations have been provided, namely: it is necessary to annually review the list of calculation items, introduce new items into their composition and exclude those that are not used, since many tourist firms are carried away by attributing costs to the item “Other expenses” and there is a risk of losing the analytical nature produced in the accounting information system. It has been determined that the considered aspects of increasing the efficiency of the management accounting system in tourism and hospitality organizations are impossible without further integration of accounting, analysis and control within the framework of a single information and analytical system for making management decisions, based on the use of automated information systems and focused on the choice of strategic goals for the economic and financial development of the firm.

This paper systematically analyzes the organization system constraints and management system constraints of small and medium-sized private enterprises, which reached the following conclusions: the premise of breaking organization system constraints is to take chamber of commerce plus enterprise form and carry out organization system innovation; the premise of breaking management system constraints is to improve the management system of small and medium-sized private enterprises and conduct management system innovation.

This study aims to investigate the interrelationship between the efficiency factors and the fire service organization’s level of operation through an empirical survey on the organization’s efficiency after nationalization. The results of this study showed that significant variables (p < .05) affecting the perception of efficiency for the fire service organization’s operation were organizational structure and function, organizational system, recruitment, promotion, professional education and research, job classification, operation law and system, personal work environment, and internal work environment factors. The regression analysis results showed that the most influential factors on the efficiency level were the central fire service organization and internal environment factors. Based on the analysis, the following improvement measures were derived. The improvement of structure and function of the central and local fire service organizations; the unification of the organization and command system of the fire service organizations; the improvement of the efficiency level of the fire service organization operation by Specialization Fire Officers; the law･system and environmental conditions.