Studies of innovation have established the importance of close coupling in knowledge transfer networks for successful innovations in the economy. They show that the flow of people from one organization, firm, or group to another is key in the process of knowledge exchange. However, there is not much systematic, detailed knowledge of the interactions of research contexts and the career paths of individuals, and the actual impact paths which these individuals create as they move to new positions. The proposed research will address this issue by mapping the career paths of researchers against features of the research projects they worked in. Beginning with at least 20 projects in the U.S. and France, most from university settings but a few from government laboratories, the investigators will test several hypotheses about the connection between the characteristics of team oriented R&D projects and the diffusion of scientific and technical human capital via the "projects' graduates." The key research question is: "What characteristics of team-oriented R&D projects affect the long-term careers of persons involved in those projects and, in turn, the human resources capacity available for creating knowledge and spurring technology development?" Prior case studies by these investigators show that human resources development in R&D projects often provides opportunities for scientists, engineers and technicians to move into entirely new work contexts and specialties (including, among others, technology development in industry, equipment development, technique and craft, and new fields of science). Thus, the diffusion of human capital often sets new directions for scientific research and technology development. The proposed research seeks not only to map these processes but also to determine the ways in which the management structure, content and linkages of R&D projects lead to different sorts of human resources and capacity outcomes. The research design is multi-field and multi-national, focused on projects in two broad, multidisciplinary scientific fields and in two nations. Following work with Department of Energy funded projects, the team will examine energy and environmental projects, including both basic research projects and more applied projects. Following the recent research focus of its French collaborators, the team will examine research in biotechnology and life sciences. The research will have two major components. Phase I will consist of intensive case studies of projects originating between three and ten years ago, in order to learn as much as possible about their structure, management style, personnel and results. Phase II uses questionnaires and interviews to determine the career trajectories, level of human capital endowments, productivity and network linkages of "project graduates." This approach will contribute to understanding the ways in which experiences in those focal projects have affected the career paths and contributions of participants. Results will include individual and joint publications and a joint workshop.
