Spinoffs

Applying Historical Examples to the Present

Katharine Watkins Webb

Expert InsightsPublished 1986

To begin to understand how to assess the spinoff potential of the Strategic Defense Initiative, this paper examines other research and development (R&D) programs, investigating both new products and new processes. Programs examined include Apollo and other National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs, government demonstration projects, CERN, the Manhattan Project, and military R&D. The research results indicate that (1) industries that are closely involved in both government and commercial efforts seem more likely to transfer scientific research; (2) NASA has encouraged commercial spinoffs, but other benefits include management techniques and quality control procedures; (3) an important spinoff is the training of scientists and engineers; and (4) demonstration projects may lead to spinoffs even if the primary system is not adopted.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1986
  • Pages: 37
  • Document Number: P-7323-RGS

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Webb, Katharine Watkins, Spinoffs: Applying Historical Examples to the Present. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1986. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P7323.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.