Performance Indicators for Innovation Networks. The Case of a European innovation network for radiation dosimetry
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2005-07-06
Author(s)
Abstract
Engagement in innovation networks can increase a company's innovation potential more than by only exploiting its own R&D resources. Theory has recognized innovation networks' increasing importance by investigating their single components and their relation to others. But in order to help the practice to decide when, and in which form of innovation networks, engagement is needed, and when it is better to cut ties to prevent resources from being wasted, performance monitoring from an individual company perspective is needed.
The empirical background for this research was a six-month investigation of a well-established European innovation network for research on radiation dosimetry. This network aims to advance the scientific understanding of ionizing radiation dosimetry to promote dosimetric methods and instruments' technical development as well as their implementation in routine dosimetry, and to ensure the consistency of the dosimetric procedures used within the EU as well as compliance with international guidelines. This network consists of 47 European organizations in 31 different countries. The member organizations range from small to big laboratories (e.g., CERN in Switzerland), or research institutions (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Poland) to governmental institutions for radiation protection (National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment, Italy) to companies that produce and sell dosimetric tools (ARC Seibersdorf Research, Austria). Beside the member organizations, which have different expectations regarding the value of and need for a network, other stakeholder like the European Commission and the governments of the single countries, which fund part of the network's activities, want a certain innovation outcome. These different perspectives make monitoring and demonstrating the network outcome increasingly complex. We are going to investigate the network and measure as well as illustrate its outcome for the different stakeholders in a three-year project. In the article, we present the performance indicators' first findings, based on interviews and questionnaires as well as on site visits and document analysis conduced in the first six months of the research project.
The empirical background for this research was a six-month investigation of a well-established European innovation network for research on radiation dosimetry. This network aims to advance the scientific understanding of ionizing radiation dosimetry to promote dosimetric methods and instruments' technical development as well as their implementation in routine dosimetry, and to ensure the consistency of the dosimetric procedures used within the EU as well as compliance with international guidelines. This network consists of 47 European organizations in 31 different countries. The member organizations range from small to big laboratories (e.g., CERN in Switzerland), or research institutions (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Poland) to governmental institutions for radiation protection (National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment, Italy) to companies that produce and sell dosimetric tools (ARC Seibersdorf Research, Austria). Beside the member organizations, which have different expectations regarding the value of and need for a network, other stakeholder like the European Commission and the governments of the single countries, which fund part of the network's activities, want a certain innovation outcome. These different perspectives make monitoring and demonstrating the network outcome increasingly complex. We are going to investigate the network and measure as well as illustrate its outcome for the different stakeholders in a three-year project. In the article, we present the performance indicators' first findings, based on interviews and questionnaires as well as on site visits and document analysis conduced in the first six months of the research project.
Language
English
Keywords
Innovation Networks
Performande Measurement
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Start page
12
Event Title
R&D Management Conference (RADMA) 2005
Event Location
Pisa, Italy
Event Date
06-08.07.2005
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
17078
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
Europ Innovation Networks.pdf
Size
167.12 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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