SURVEY OF
ATP APPLICANTS 2000
8. What Happens to Nonfunded Projects?
Through cost-shared
funding awards, the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) helps companies
pursue high-risk Research and Development (R&D) with great potential
for broad-based economic benefit. To assess the funding impact of an
ATP award, one can consider what happens to project proposals that are
not selected for an award. Evidence from the Survey of ATP Applicants
2000 indicates that without ATP support these projects are generally
not carried out as originally proposed.
Nonawardees
were asked to indicate whether they are currently carrying
out any part of the project they proposed to ATP. They
were asked to describe any current effort as larger,
smaller, or about the same as originally proposed to
ATP. This survey data was collected about 18 months after
the conclusion of the ATP award competition in the year
2000. |
 Most
nonfunded projects are either no longer active or have been greatly
reduced in scope
- When ATP decides not
to fund a proposed project, the company applicants often do not carry
out the work on their own. Among nonawardees, 41 percent report that
their company is no longer pursuing any part of the project. (See
Figure 1.)
- The majority of nonawardees
still working on their proposed projects are doing so on a scale
smaller than what was proposed to the ATP. (See Figure 1.)
- Among those reporting
that their proposed projects are being conducted on a smaller scale,
the vast majority (81%) indicate the project is now "less than
40 percent" of the scale initially proposed to the ATP. About
half (53%) describe it as "less than 20 percent" of what
was originally proposed. (See Figure 2.)
FIGURE
1. Current Status of Nonfunded Projects (Year 2000 ATP Competition)
[Descriptive link for Figure 1]
 Most
nonfunded joint venture projects are no longer active as R&D
collaborations
- ATP fosters R&D
collaboration among companies by supporting research joint ventures,
which allow companies to share the risk of R&D and gain synergies
from combining complementary skills and resources.
- Among nonawardees
asked to respond to the survey, there were 38 joint venture proposals.
At least one company responded to the survey from each of these joint
ventures.
- For about two-thirds
of the 38 joint venture proposals, at least one company reports they
are no longer working on any part of the proposed project (this may
be an underestimate of the extent to which companies abandon these
proposed joint venture projects, since companies no longer working
on any part of the project are probably less likely to respond to
the survey).
FIGURE
2. Applicant Beliefs on the Importance of Patent or Copyright for
Project Results
Note: Data shown based on 106 nonawardees who reported
they are still working on their proposed ATP project,
though on a smaller scale than what was originally proposed.
[Descriptive link for Figure 2]
Return to Table
of Contents or go to Factsheet 9.
Date created:
June 24, 2003
Last updated:
August 2, 2005
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