Conference

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announce an "International Conference on The Economic Evaluation of Technological Change," to be held at the Georgetown University Conference Center, Washington, DC, June 15-16, 1998.

Conference Theme

The common element of all papers and presentations will be an emphasis on the empirical assessment of the effects of government investment in science and technology in advanced industrial economies. The goal of the conference is to advance the state-of-the-art of evaluating the impacts of government investments in high-risk research to develop enabling technologies of the type funded by the ATP. The meeting will bring together government R&D policy-makers, analysts, and R&D managers, with academic and other researchers studying technology evaluation issues. It is expected that the presentations will facilitate comparisons of evaluation methods and practices in different countries.

Appropriate topics for papers include, but are not limited to: measurement of R&D spillovers; effects of collaborative research and development; the impact of subsidies and tax incentives on private sector R&D activities; capital market imperfections and implications for private and public sector funding of R&D; substitution and complementarity between private and public R&D; and issues concerning the commercialization of goods and services resulting from innovation.

Selection Process

Priority will be placed on empirical research, although applied theoretical papers will also be considered. Selection will be made on the basis of abstracts of no more than 500 words in length. Prospective participants are encouraged to submit papers that reflect the evaluation and public policy focus. Papers drawing upon the experience of advanced industrial countries other than the United States are welcome. In addition to the invited presenters and discussants, the conference is open to interested members of the evaluation community, the policy community, and the private sector. Additional information can be obtained on-line from the ATP website at http://www.atp.nist.gov, or by returning the attached interest card by December 31, 1997.

Deadlines

The deadline for submission of abstracts is January 31, 1998. Decisions regarding selection of papers will be made by March 31, 1998. Completed manuscripts will be due by May 5, 1998.

Please send abstracts to:

Registration

The registration fee of $300 (USD) includes conference materials, coffee breaks, lunches, and a banquet. Please return the attached interest card by December 31, 1997. Further agenda and registration information will be forwarded to all who respond. The conference is sponsored by the NIST Advanced Technology Program, and is being organized by Dr. Richard N. Spivack of the ATP Office of Economic Assessment, and Professor Lee Branstetter of the University of California, Davis, and of the NBER. The conference will combine small group workshops with larger plenary sessions. Keynote speakers will include Professor Zvi Griliches of Harvard University and the NBER, Professor Edwin Mansfield of the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor Rebecca Henderson of MIT and the NBER. The conference organizers may be contacted at the following addresses:

Conference Interest Card

If interested, please use the electronic form provided for informing us of your interest in this conference.

Date created: November 10, 1997
Last updated: April 29, 2003