Science and Technology-Based Economic Development Programs in the States: A Study of Evaluation Efforts

本研究考察了美国州一级科技项目的评估活动。以标准和标准为基础的计划是指在一个地理区域内刺激科学基础或技术发展，以吸引或刺激该地区的工业投资和发展的计划。国家科技项目是国家努力利用其技术基础来提高经济和竞争力的重要组成部分。因此，了解它们是否起作用以及如何起作用——这是评估的工作——对国民福祉具有重要意义。该项目的目的是调查现有的评估途径和方法，以改进国家层面的实践。该项目分为两个阶段。第一阶段包括对国家科技计划进行电话调查。第一阶段的目的有两个。首先，它提供了一个相当全面的当前评估清单，它作为案例研究选择的筛选工具。该项目的第一阶段包括编制国家技术计划评价活动的数据。该项目的第二阶段涉及几个活跃于评估活动中的州计划。这些案例的选择基于从各州收集的材料和邮件调查数据。这项研究很重要，因为它将为各州的评估和评估活动提供独特的数据来源。本项目的研究结果将有利于国家科技项目的评估从业者、管理者/决策者以及学术界。重要的是，它将为国家技术项目中必须或正在考虑对其活动进行某种评估的个人提供数据源和信息访问。它也有可能作为对这个主题感兴趣的个人的网络机制。

This research examines evaluation activities of science and technology-based programs at the state level in the United States. S&T-based programs are those that stimulate the science base or technology development in a geographic area with the purpose of attracting or stimulating industrial investment and development there. State S&T programs form an important part of the national effort to use its technical base to improve the economy and competitiveness. Understanding whether and how they work -- which is the job of evaluation--is thus significant for national well-being. The goal of this project is to survey the existing approaches and methods of evaluation in order to improve state-level practice. The project is organized into two phases. The first phase involves a telephone survey of state science and technology programs. The purpose of this first phase is twofold. First, it provides a fairly comprehensive inventory of current evaluation, it act as a screening device for the case study selection. This first phase of the project involves compiling data on evaluation activities in state technology-programs. The second phase of the project involves about several state programs that are active in evaluation activities. Selection of these cases based on materials gathered from the states and the mail survey data. This research is important because it will provide a unique data source on evaluation and assessment activities in the states. The results of this project will be beneficial to evaluation practitioners, managers/decision makers of state science and technology-based programs, and to the academic community. Importantly, it will provide a data source and access to information of individuals in state technology programs who either must conduct or are considering conducting some sort of assessment of their activities. It also has the potential to act as a networking mechanism for individuals interested in this topic.