Evaluation in R&D management and knowledge use: a knowledge value mapping approach to currency accessible to the visually impaired

摘要

The dynamics of knowledge flow between R&D activities and a diverse set of actual or potential usersis clearly critical to the realization of desired outcomes. However, current R&D evaluation frameworksfocus almost exclusively on measurable discrete outputs and outcomes. We show that more generalcategories of the realization of values from the creation and utilization of knowledge are needed tomake R&D evaluation more relevant to R&D program management. We propose a set of proceduresthat comprise a knowledge value mapping approach to R&D evaluation. This is achieved byconsidering the explicit and implicit normative dimension of the evaluation situation as an empiricaldomain that requires its own analytical elucidation to direct and give meaning to other technical aspectsof the evaluation agenda. The benefits for research portfolio management are explored based on theexperience of deployment of a specific technology in the context of rehabilitation research in the USA,namely, accessible currency.