The Research Enterprise of the 198Os

The New Alliance: America's R&D Consortia. Dan Dimancescu and James Botkin. Ballinger Publishing Co., Cambridge, MA, 1986. 232 pp. $29.95. In just over 200 pages, the authors of The New Alliance skillfully analyze the mechanics of a question of strategic importance to the future of the United States: can the technology-based consortia of the 1980s make the nation's economy competitive again? The strong and weak forces, as well as the changing nature of 14 representative industry-university-government consortia in 10 states, are intricately examined. The profiles that emerge are based on discussions with consortia participants during 1984 and 1985, and factual updates in 1986. The organizations under study include the Manufacturing Engineering Applications Center, Worcester, Mass.; the Center for Integrated Systems, Palo Alto, Calif.; the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, Austin, Texas; the Corporation for Science and Technology, Indianapolis, Ind., the Center for Industrial Innovation, Troy, N.Y.; and the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, Research Triange Park, N.C. These and others are examples of the research and development consortia of the 1980s that, according to the authors, "came forward as a great experiment in truly American style without master blueprints or even a clear sense of the ultimate outcome." The book describes the consortin, which are depicted as precursors of fundamental change, and examines research agendas, technology transfer and the need for a rapid reshaping of academia. It extracts from the 14 case studies the four pillars of consortia formation: partners, money and influence, agenda and leadership. The Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC), considered by many to be one of America's most significant private R&D enterprises, is singled out and critiqued in its own separate chapter. In their conclusion, the authors propose an answer to the basic strategic question concerning the impact of these initiatives on the nation's economic viability. In many ways, the book is as entrepreneurial as the subject it covers. It attempts a state-of-the-art interpretation of a subject as elusive as research itself. Not the least of the risks involved is the obsolescence of information in this fluid and rapidly changing field. Often the subject has moved before the picture is snapped. But the authors have frozen a frame, or 14 frames to be exact, allowing us to view the organizational structures and purposes of some of the key initiatives that led the way in America's entry into the Information Age. The complexity of the consortia movement is indicated by the number of primary functional motives revealed in the cases under study. The authors found five main categories: strengthening universities, stimulating economic growth, engaging in basic research, creating generic technologies, and developing and delivering specific products. In many cases, more than one motive is involved. The expectation of job creation figures prominently in some of the consortia. The authors note that this expectation, often created by politicians, can really only be achieved as a byproduct of a successfully executed R&D initiative. In affirming this important point, however, I believe it is equally important to emphasize that the comparative inability of the United States to transfer innovations rapidly to the marketplace is central to the country's economic dilemma. And here success does mean jobs. In a successful consortium equation, jobs cannot be, nor appear to be, the children of a lesser god. The authors conclude with a series of "What if..." scenarios. What if 100 consortia bloom? What if 100 departmental barriers whither? What if 100 management experiments are sown? An air of optimism blows through these scenes, suggesting that the various state and regional initiatives are valid models for the federal government, interdisciplinary or integrated university research, and organizational innovation. The consortia movement could very well be the engine that will fuel America's return to economic competitiveness. The New Alliance is definitely the book to fuel a better understanding of this important process. Hague is president of the Corporation for Science and Technology, 1 North Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The corporation, founded in 1982, is one of the 14 consortia studied in The New Alliance.

The Research Enterprise of the 198Os

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