Reports ongoing developmental research at the Department of Agriculture to build a high-performance knowledge base for four agencies within the Department. Describes data gathering for the information system; planning to support knowledge management practices; theory elaboration through qualitative case analysis; and use of an activity theory…

Comments on the aspects of research and development work relating to environmental education within pre-service teacher education. Explores issues relating to assumptions about the effectiveness of work within pre-service courses. (Author/CCM)

Describes how universities are racing to find ways to use stem cells to fight various diseases--and to be the first to register patents that could be highly profitable. (EV)

Studies how an aerosol technology research group constructed a research agenda for itself and how its activity was changed in the process. Analyzes the development of the production of ultrafine particles and employs the concept of mediated activity. (Contains 29 references.) (DDR)

This is a cross-state empirical study which examines the effects of state research and development (R&D) tax credits on private R&D expenditure in the states. Other explanatory variables include federal R&D subsidies, public services in higher education and R&D-targeted programs as well as other control variables. The statistical result shows that…

Joseph Novak discusses the concept of mapping to capture and archive expert knowledge. He worked in various corporations where he used the concept of mapping for research and development efforts and to create and transfer knowledge and information in corporate environments.

After more than 13 years of business slump in Japan and worldwide, many high-tech companies are struggling to remain competitive. Faced with the need to stay profitable, a common response of such companies in Japan has been to cut their investment in R&D. Heavy cuts in R&D have led to a lack of innovation, with the associated threat to future…

Educational research is not very influential, useful, or well funded. This article explores why and suggests ways that the situation could be improved. Our focus is on the processes that link the development of good ideas and insights, the development of tools and structures for implementation, and the enabling of robust implementation in…

This paper analyses the fall in R&D outlays in Poland and its effect upon the number of researchers employed and on the occupation structure. The reason underlying these adverse changes in employment within sectors, by age and qualification, which have a negative impact on research and development in Poland stems from the lack of demand for…

Given the need to compete for sponsored research funding, do university faculty believe they retain the freedom to research what is of most interest to them? The higher education literature frequently asserts that faculty research agendas are being subjugated to the demands of sponsors. An alternate perspective, from the science studies…

As colleges and universities become more entrepreneurial in a post-industrial economy, they focus on knowledge less as a public good than as a commodity to be capitalized on in profit-oriented activities. In "Academic Capitalism and the New Economy," higher education scholars Sheila Slaughter and Gary Rhoades detail the aggressive…

In recent years a number of reports have raised alarm over the deteriorating state of U.S. science and technology (S&T) competitiveness. But a recent report by the RAND Corporation, "U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology," argues that the U.S. continues to lead the world. RAND's report has been interpreted to suggest that the "clarion…

The process of creating and transitioning the storehouse of university research and development to commercial products is by its nature a true partnership of great university innovators, experienced entrepreneurs and adequate funding sources. In the United States, the process of university innovation to commercialization begins deep in university…

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of science process skills, logical thinking abilities, attitudes towards science, and locus of control on science achievement among Form 4 students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Research findings showed that there were low to moderate, positive but significant…

The purpose of this paper is, first, to highlight the role of the relationships between universities, institutions and firms in different regional development processes working towards a knowledge economy, and, second, to draw some implications for local policy makers. Adopting the regional innovation system (RIS) approach, the authors analyse …