|
Accountability and Assessment of the State’s Research and Development Investment
|
Assemblywoman Adele Cohen and Assemblymen William Magnarelli and Robin Schimminger
listen to participants at the R&D Assessment Roundtable on June 14th in Albany.
|
New York State is home to many world-class research institutions and the State has
invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development (R&D) at
our colleges and universities to stimulate economic growth, and ensure global
competitiveness. We expect these investments to spur discoveries leading to the
development of new technologies, the formation of new companies, and the expansion
of existing firms creating jobs for New Yorkers. Much of the State’s investment focuses
on institutions engaging in cooperative agreements with public and private entities intended
to foster development and eventual commercialization of new products and processes.
However, an assessment of the effectiveness of public investments in R&D has not
been routinely incorporated in State policy, nor has a standard set of evaluative metrics been
identified.
Accountability of Science and Technology Programs in the State Budget
Some important steps to improve accountability were taken in the SFY 2005-2006 budget
when we replaced the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research
(NYSTAR ) with the new NYS Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation. The new
foundation, governed by a board which includes representation from the private sector,
government and higher education, will administer many of the State’s R&D programs.
With new administrative structure, funds will also be distributed to Regional Partnerships
comprised of local economic development organizations, and academic research institutions.
These new Partnerships will allocate funds to help commercialize innovative products and
processes for emerging technology sectors, including biotechnology, nanotechnology,
bioinformatics, software design, innovative energy efficiencies and environmental technologies,
as well as other related purposes to spur regional economic growth.
This new partnership includes much-needed reporting requirements at the State and the regional
levels. The reporting requirements are fully spelled out in budget language and will include information
on how public dollars are being spent as well as information on the outcomes of this investment. These
include the number of full-time public, private, and nonprofit sector New York jobs created as a direct
result of the state’s investment; the number of new businesses created; the number of patents awarded
to the college or university and the income derived from the sale or license of intellectual property.
Roundtable on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Publicly-Funded Research and Development
On June 14th, the Commission co-sponsored, along with the Committees on Higher Education and
Economic Development, Job Creation and Commerce, the Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation
and the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, a Roundtable discussion in Albany on how to effectively assess
the impact of the State’s investment in R&D. Attendees represented New York State public and private
institutions of higher education, private industry and nonprofit research organizations.
The Roundtable discussion focused on significant questions related to evaluation of investment choices
and how the results of those investments are measured. In a very spirited and provocative exchange, a wide
range of issues relating to accountability were discussed. This included the complexity and difficulty of
measuring the economic impact of R&D investments, the importance of emphasizing social returns
on investments from the public perspective, and the need to incorporate evaluation/planning in initial project
selection. Discussion focused on process issues, what sorts of measures should be used, the impact of
current State investments, and how they are/should be assessed.
Several participants observed that evaluation criteria and expectations most logically should be designated
at the initiation of R&D investments. Utilizing external third party evaluators might be the most effective,
albeit expensive, approach. The discussion reflected that measures can be identified, but deciding on which
to use is difficult. For example, while there may be the desire to try to make a direct connection between
investment and jobs created, using the number of new jobs created may not be the best indicator of success.
It was noted that R&D investment leading to the creation/expansion of a company will generate jobs and economic
activity outside of the company; therefore, one should look at the number of new enterprises formed or other impacts. A
great difficulty in looking at the impact of public R&D investment comes from the tension between the frequently
conflicting goals of encouraging high-tech industry and providing a stimulus to economically depressed regions.
The Roundtable concluded with a commitment to continue the dialogue on R&D funding assessment and to move
forward on this important issue of accountability.
Related Legislation
-
Research and Development Accountability Act of 2005 (A.6633-a, Magnarelli).
The Research and Development Accountability Act of 2005, which Assemblywoman
Cohen co-sponsors, continues an effort started in this year’s State budget, that would add new accountability
language for an additional number of State-funded R&D programs at our colleges and universities. This
bill would extend similar reporting requirements including the number of jobs and new businesses created
and how State money is utilized at the five Centers of Excellence in which hundreds of millions of dollars have
been invested to date. The bill unanimously passed the Assembly on June 8th; however, the Senate
companion bill (S.5026-a) did not reach a floor vote before the close of session.
Looking Ahead
In the coming year, the Commission will continue to work in partnership with the Task Force on University-Industry
Cooperation to further examine how the effectiveness of State’s investment in R&D can be assessed. The
Commission expects to hold further roundtables or hearings on this important topic as well as continue its research
efforts into the policies and activities at research institutions throughout the State in order to assure that NYS citizens
enjoy increased economic opportunities and improvements in their quality of life as a result of State investments in
R&D.
|
Assemblywoman Cohen moderates the discussion on Alternative Energy Technologies
at Kingsborough Community College.