The Role of NSF's Support of Engineering in Enabling Technological Innovation:First Year Final Report January 1997
Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development (CSTED) > Selected Reports
The Role of NSF's Support of
Engineering
in Enabling Technological Innovation
First Year Final Report January 1997
Prepared for the National Science Foundation
David Roessner, SRI International
Barry Bozeman, Georgia Institute of Technology
Irwin Feller, Pennsylvania State University
Christopher Hill, George Mason University
Nils Newman, SRI International
The Science and Technology Policy Program at SRI International, with support from the National Science
Foundation, is conducting a major 4-year study of how NSF support for engineering has
contributed to the development and commercialization of 12 recent, significant innovations.
The first year's research focused on the Internet, magnetic resonance imaging, and reaction
injection molding of polymer composites.
The second year, just beginning, will study the
cellular telephone, CAD applied to circuit design, and optical fiber. The study is using
personal and telephone interviews, patent and bibliometric analyses, the NSF awards
database, and archival materials to study how knowledge and technical contributions shape
the evolution of these innovations over time. Particular attention is devoted to the timing
and influence of NSF support of engineering research, education, facilities,
instrumentation, and workshops.
R&D Divisions