Return on investment from (operations) research

摘要

A large portion of our membership is engaged in research at universities, in industry and government labs. As a result, it is no surprise that many of us are deeply concerned about recent proposed changes that threaten progress in research. I believe these concerns stem from a common theme: the difficulty in connecting research to economic and societal impact. In this article, I summarize concerns about recent events, and I give some specific examples of the impact of research. My choice of this topic is based on recent events in the United States, but the central issue of return on investment from research is important to all members who engage in research.