| Roundtable: Methodological Issues in Evaluating Potentially Transformative Research |
| Roundtable Presentation 343 to be held in BONHAM A on Thursday, Nov 11, 3:35 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Research, Technology, and Development Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Mary Beth Hughes, Science and Technology Policy Institute, mhughes@ida.org |
| Bhavya Lal, Science and Technology Policy Institute, blal@ida.org |
| Asha Balakrishnan, Science and Technology Policy Institute, abalakri@ida.org |
| Abstract: In recent years, there has been an explosion of programs aimed at supporting potentially transformative research (also referred to as innovative, pioneering, frontier, high-risk, high-reward research) in the Federal research and development (R&D) portfolio. Evaluators have struggled to develop a methodology to appropriately assess the impact of these programs given the non-traditional nature of these programs. In this roundtable, we present several ongoing and recently completed studies – both formative and summative -- that utilize different approaches to evaluating programs that aim to support potentially transformative research. While the evaluations themselves utilized a multi-method approach, each highlights a single method, and this roundtable will be used to discuss both strengths and limitations of those approaches. The programs examined herein are the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, the NIH’s New Innovator Award, and the NSF’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation. |