Project Management - R&D Optimization/Deployment
The success of your organization’s research and development (R&D) relies heavily on proper management — of time, budget, methodology, and people. To fuel innovation and remain competitive, R&D must be done on a tighter timetable than ever, often with more limited resources and a more stringent expectation of results — these scenarios apply across all budgets and timetables. Effective technical project management often yields extremely favorable results, so resources are maximized and results are delivered efficiently and effectively.
Bicerano & Associates offers R&D project management consulting services to address these needs. We work with our clients to help them achieve the best possible use of their R&D budgets by:
- Researching and identifying optimal external R&D resources on a client-by-client basis, to create the “perfect match” between client and service provider
- Evaluating existing processes and developing new ones to optimize the deployment of internal R&D resources
- Applying decades of experience in R&D and its practical applications to ensure that all clients get the customized, focused R&D management consulting services they deserve — that which works best for them
Please contact us now to discuss your technical project management needs. The first consultation session is always provided free of charge.
External R&D
The reality of today’s technology landscape — lightning-fast innovation, increasing globalization, and ever-growing competition — means, among other things, that the historical internal R&D paradigm is no longer the most efficient solution. In fact, that paradigm — where a self-contained organization conducts 100 percent of a company’s R&D — is, in most cases, no longer seen as viable, regardless of the organization’s size. The breadth and depth of the knowledge now required to remain competitive in the technical industries simply cannot be contained “under the roof” of any organization. For this reason, most science and technology-driven corporations operating today draw upon external R&D services to supplement and complement their in-house R&D capabilities.
At Bicerano & Associates, we maintain a vast expertise not only in the providers and types of services available, but also the ability to thoroughly evaluate and understand the needs of our clients to identify the most effective potential service resources, and match them with the right one. These resources are typically found in universities, national laboratories, and other nonprofit organizations. Such industrial-academic and industrial-nonprofit collaborations are being increasingly supported and incentivized by world governments — including those in the USA, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, India, and South Korea.
The ideal external R&D resource provides a cost-effective mechanism by which a corporation can gain access (whenever needed, for as long as needed) to valuable R&D resources that would be too expensive to retain in-house, as well as to knowledge and technology that it may not be feasible or advisable to invest in in-house.
A key component of our service lies in identifying how to best utilize a resource as an R&D partner for our clients: consulting, cooperative research, industrial internships for students, and so on. We can also help with the negotiation of terms for all aspects of the partnership (ranging from financial arrangements to intellectual property assignments), and with the monitoring of the resulting interactions to ensure that they remain on track to deliver the required results. The extent of our involvement is always determined by the needs and wishes of the client — we are able to facilitate as much or as little as necessary.
External R&D offers a number of secondary benefits, as well. For instance, in helping a company recruit highly qualified new R&D personnel by, for example, working with and evaluating a student involved in a collaboration in a real-life project setting rather than relying primarily on performance in a formal job interview. In return, a university or other nonprofit organization may gain the benefits of funding from the client, as well as enrichment of the background and experience of its students and other personnel by exposure to practical industrial environments, scenarios, and problems — thus creating a true “win-win” situation.
Internal R&D
By observing and evaluating the current processes and challenges that our clients face, we help them develop a better understanding of the critical technical issues that need to be addressed and the obstacles that must be surmounted to achieve success. This improved understanding produces greater clarity and direction regarding the specific skill sets that need to be available within a project team, as well as any additional resources and support that the team may need. If requested by our client, we also help the team in the detailed planning and monitoring of the project.
Additionally, we help our clients recruit new employees to address those skills requirements, at far less cost to the client than working with a traditional recruiting firm. We only bill our clients a consulting fee for the amount of time we spent in the hiring effort, while a recruiting firm normally charges a commission equal to a substantial percentage of the first-year salary of a new employee it identified for a client.
For more information about our R&D management consulting services, please contact us today!
Looking for more information on this subject? Check out these posts from Dr. Bicerano's Blog: