R-5 ATP Helps
Companies Work with Universities
Research collaboration
benefits both companies and universities. Universities
contribute new
ideas as well as fundamental research understanding. Companies provide an
opportunity to
shape innovative ideas into practical industrial applications. Through its
cost-shared funding,
the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) encourages research and development
(R&D)
collaboration among companies, and with other organizations such as universities,
as a means to achieve broader or more complex R&D goals. Evidence from
the
Survey of ATP Applicants 2002 shows that ATP fosters collaboration
between
companies and universities.
| Respondents were asked to
estimate:
a)
The degree to which their project was based on university
research
b) Whether their project depended on technology licensed from
a university
c) How critical university involvement was to their project
d) How critical university involvement was to their proposed
ATP project,
as compared to a typical R&D project at their company
|
Almost
two-thirds of ATP applicants proposed projects that were
based on university research
- Three out of five applicants
proposed projects that were based on university
research to at least some degree. This is almost identical to the
distribution
found with respect to the year 2000 applicants.
- By ATP technology
area, the share of applicants reporting that their proposed
project was based on university research to a “large” or “moderate” degree
is
as follows: Biotechnology, 40%; Electronics, 34%; Information
Technology, 33%;
Materials and Chemistry, 33%. The percentage for applicants in
the Electronics
area is significantly higher than it was for the year 2000 (23%).
|
Nearly one in five
ATP applicants proposed projects that depend on technology licensed
from a university
- 19% of applicants
proposed projects that depend on technology licensed from a university.
This figure is almost identical to what was found for the year 2000
applicants.
- Applicants in the
Biotechnology field are more likely to propose projects that depend
on technology licensed from a university, compared to companies in
other technology areas. By technology field, the share of applicants
that reported their proposed project depended on technology licensed
from a university is as follows: Biotechnology, 36%; Electronics,
19%; Materials and Chemistry, 13%; Information Technology, 11%. (See
Figure 1.) This pattern of findings is similar to that for the year
2000 applicants.
Figure 1 - ATP
Applicants with Proposed Projects Based on University License, by
Technology Area
Many ATP applicants report that university involvement
was critical to their proposed
projects
- 42% say university
involvement was critical, but this is less than was found for the
year 2000 when 51% of applicants reported it was critical for their
project.1
- By technology field,
the percentage of applicants reporting that university involvement
was “very critical” to
their proposed project is as follows: Biotechnology, 26%; Electronics,
16%; Information Technology, 15%; Materials and Chemistry, 10%.
The percentage of applicants in the Electronics area saying that
university involvement was critical to their project was significantly
less than was found for applicants in this area for the year 2000
(31%).
Joint Venture applicants
were most likely to submit proposals for which university
involvement was more critical than for typical R&D projects at their
companies
- 29%
of applicants proposed projects where university involvement was
said to be
more critical than for a typical R&D project at the company. Another
20% indicated
that the university involvement was less critical for the proposed project,
and the
remaining 51% said that it was about as critical as for a typical project
at the
company.2
- Joint Venture
applicants were more likely than Single Company applicants to
propose projects for which university involvement was said to be
more critical than
for a typical R&D project at the company. (See Figure 2.)
Figure 2 - Views
as to How Critical University Involvement Is for Proposed ATP Project
Relative to a
Typical R&D Project at the Company: Single Company versus Joint Venture
Applicants
Companies seeking to partner
with the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) submit proposals to the
ATP. Proposals must be for the development of innovative technologies
that could not obtain private funding due to the high technical risk
and that have the potential to produce widespread benefits to the
economy and society. Proposals are evaluated for technical and economic
merit in a rigorous competitive review process.
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Portfolio.
Date created: July 22,
2005
Last updated:
August 11, 2005
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