1. © European Communities, 2007 The Ultimate Goal: Informed Decision-Making The business of research and development has felt the growing pressure to produce continued impact in an environment that is forever changing. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) was faced such challenges and employed a multi-faceted approach to providing insight into informed decision-making, including issues surrounding either the creation or revision of key polices for the organization. The figure below depicts the ongoing cycle of research planning, performance and transfer for economic benefit. Throughout the various stages (outer circle) a number of FTA tools and tactics could be applied. While some are more conducive to a specific stage, many may be employed at a number of stages. In applying a variety of information to the decision at hand, the NRC has found the ability to make more rapid and confident decisions relating to the ‘business of research’, including those aspects relating to policy. Competitive Intelligence While NRC does at times rely upon the more well known forms of competitive intelligence, it has achieved more rounded insight through the use of a collection of tools including patent searches and mapping analysis (how the patent landscape appears in relation to the work of others), citation analysis as a means to learn of the interests of others (possibly to consider as collaborative partners for the future), and in-depth market research into specific areas of need within the industrial markets. Road-mapping & Roundtables One of the most valuable sources of information that provides immediate insight to decision-making is the facilitation of road-mapping exercises and roundtable conferences across the country. Such sessions help determine the most pressing needs and concerns in the collective view from industry and public partners, both currently and in coming years. NRC has engaged this collaborative approach in supporting and contributing to technology-based clusters across Canada. Contact Mike Walker National Research Council of Canada Tel. (613)993-3733 E-mail: mike.walker@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca NOTES 1.Poster Title Replace the mock-up text of the poster title (”Joint Research Centre”) with the text of your own title. Keep the original font colour (100c 80m 0y 0k). Keep the flush-right justification. Set it in Helvetica Rounded Bold Condensed, if you own the typeface. Otherwise, in Arial, Helvetica or Verdana – plain or bold. Keep the original font body size (102 pt or, preferably,120 pt) and the title on a single line whenever possible. Reduce the body size and/or set the title on more than one line only if unavoidable. 2.Poster Subtitle Replace the mock-up text of the poster subtitle (”Place Your Poster Subtitle Here”) with the text of your own subtitle. Keep the original font colour (black). Keep the flush-right justification. Set it in MetaPlusBook-Roman, if you own the typeface. Otherwise, in Arial, Helvetica or Verdana. Keep the original font body size (72 pt) and the subtitle on a single line whenever possible. Reduce the body size and/or set the subtitle on more than one line only if unavoidable. If your poster does not have a main subtitle, delete the subtitle mock-up text or its text-box altogether. 3.Poster Main Text and Illustrations Replace the mock-up text of the poster with your own text. Keep it within the boundaries of the two main-text boxes provided. Keep the original font colour (black). Should you need a second colour within your text, use the same one of the poster title (100c 80m 0y 0k). Keep the flush-left justification. Set the main text in MetaPlusBook-Roman and the section headings in MetaPlusBold-Roman, if you own the typefaces. Otherwise, the main text in Arial, Helvetica or Verdana, and the section headings in their respective bold weights. Adjust the font body size and leading to the needs of your own text, depending on its overall length, for optimal display and legibility. Should you need a second level of text, set it in a smaller body size than that of your main text (and, in the case of photo captions, in italics, too). Place your illustrations (pictures, graphs, etc.) within the boundaries of the two main-text boxes. Adjust your text-flow as needed. 4.Contact Box Replace the mock-up contents of the contact box with your own data. Keep the contact box in place if possible. Place it elsewhere only if unavoidable for layout reasons, but in that case try, at least, to align it with some main element of the poster. 5.Additional Logos Should you need to display additional logos (e.g., of partner organizations or universities), reduce or enlarge them to a height within those of the JRC logo and the Directorate or Institute logo. Place any additional logos on the bottom of the poster, evenly spaced between the JRC and (if there is one) the Directorate or Institute logo, and vertically centred with them. 2008 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Key Sources of Formal & Informal Advice The NRC as an organization relies upon the advice given by its Governing Council, made up from both the public and private sector. In addition, each of the NRC research institutes has its own Advisory Board which it engages in its future planning exercises. Such advice is critical to the shaping of the future direction of each institute and in turn the organization itself as it fortifies its role for Canada on an ongoing basis. Equally as important, the feedback supplied through both clients and research partners throughout the year provides real-time information on how well the organization is performing in achieving its objective. The integration of client comments however provides a possibility for insight into the changing environment facing our partners. One might even go so far as to say such collective insight is as valuable as formal market research into the shifts occurring in the marketplace. A Veritable ‘Stew’ of FTA Insights From the experience of NRC to date, there is no better means to make key decisions, including policy setting, than to create a veritable stew or collection of insights acquired from a variety of sources available to your organization. Each ingredient provides its own value, but when blended together, the integrated pieces take on a usefulness that may provide the ultimate benefit sought. Additional Insights into the Informed Decision- Making Framework Environmental Scanning; Market Feedback; Client Interactions; Governing Council & Advisory Board Input. Harnessing Multiple Sources of Future-Oriented Technology Analysis to Provide Insight into Decision-Making & Policy Setting FTA Toolbox Patentability Search Patent Mapping Market Research Competitive Intelligence Road-mapping & Roundtables Citation Analysis Informed Decision-Making Framework