Implementation-Support Program

The key to success is consecutive work of research, development, demonstration, and diffusion
While science and technology have made a remarkable progress in recent years and yielded the multitudinous outcome, most of those outcomes, however, have remained dormant in a repository of knowledge without being applied to our society. The reason is that the intellectual activities usually discontinue at the stage of the research and do not proceed to a consecutive work through development, demonstration and further to diffusion. Under such circumstances, it is almost impossible to utilize intellectual assets in a repository.

Unsuccessfulness results in the discontinuity between R&D and demonstration
R&D for society is largely conducted by universities or by research and development institutions. So long as the validity of their outcome is not demonstrated in a visible form, the public, who are potential beneficiaries, will hesitate to invest their money in enjoying benefit of R&D. As a result, research and development work is interrupted by the shortage of budget before going to the demonstration, and RDDD cycle remains incomplete.

A transit across the valley of death by the help of implementation support program
Researchers want outcome of their own research to be actually utilized, and the public at large also wants to make use of research and development results. In order to fulfill the wants of both parties, it is essential to traverse the valley of death between R&D and demonstration, to visualize the R&D outcome, and to develop a mechanism whereby the potential beneficiaries can easily make the decision to provide funding without hesitating over it. The implementation-support program is just such a mechanism. The concept of implementation support is shown on the left below. Please note that in the absence of implementation support program, R&D will be slowed down and, depending on the circumstances, may end up being stalled.

Implementation activities as teamwork with the public
The major premise of the implementation-support program is that R&D have ended and produced results. Since implementation activities are conducted as teamwork with the public, it is necessary to make clear who the potential beneficiaries is, what the purpose is, what methods are to be used to achieve the purpose, and what kind of effects are to be expected until when

Flexibility to accept coagent
In the course of implementation in society, it is necessary to have the flexibility in the organization in getting cooperation, as circumstances require, with researchers in deferent discipline, engineers, people with local on-site experience, beneficiaries, and others. Without coagent, it will not be possible to traverse the valley of death

Building a bridgehead to diffusion
The scope of this program does not cover as far as the stage of diffusion. When it becomes established and runs autonomously in society, however, then one expects that the implementation will be taken up as a successful case and diffused throughout the country.

Institutions that can receive implementation support
Institutions that can receive implementation support include private enterprises, societies of all kinds, non-profit organizations (NPO), universities, research institutes, and so on, regardless of the constituting entity. Projects are given support for one year or more, up to three years. By this support, it is expected to expedite the application of R&D outcome in society, to strengthen the researchers' social role, to improve the foundation of the R&D organization, and to positively realize the diffusion and firm establishment of R&D outcome in society.