Selecting industrial research projects

INDUSTRIAL research covers a wide spectrum of research activity, from fundamental research through applied research to development work. Fundamental research in industry is the counterpart of pure research elsewhere: it is the search for new knowledge in scientific fields which are relevant to an organization's short‐ or long‐term objectives. In fundamental research one cannot predict beforehand what each project will achieve and relate this to the organization's objectives. The research workers should choose individual projects within a particular field on their scientific merits. The effectiveness of fundamental research depends on selecting the fields in which to carry it out and on the ability of the research workers to make discoveries. Fundamental research in industry aims to provide a flow of discoveries and new ideas that may, after applied research and development, produce technology that the organization can exploit to promote its objectives.