From November 11-15, 2012, SRI International hosted the Workshop for R&D Managers and Administrators in an International Perspective in Arlington, VA for 30 participants from various Korean government agencies, universities, and corporations to discuss a wide range of topics related to the innovation process. The workshop was conducted through a speaker series and a site visit to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Jongwon Park, Associate Director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development (CSTED) at SRI, facilitated the workshop, and introduced participants to SRI’s “five disciplines of innovation” as well.

The speakers invited to present on their field of expertise and lead a subsequent discussion are experienced leaders of U.S. national agencies, universities, professional associations, and legal firms. The workshop began with several sessions on technology transfer, IP management, and innovation portfolio management, led by Jeffrey Alexander (senior policy analyst, SRI International), Steve Lerner (IRI past chairman, Industrial Research Institute), and Edward Bernstein (president, Industrial Research Institute). To familiarize participants with the National Science Foundation (NSF), Kathie Olsen (president, Scienceworks, Inc.) and Clive Woods (Office of International Science and Engineering, NSF) led a sessions on NSF’s program management structure and system, in addition to discussing how Korean researchers and principal investigators can collaborate with the NSF or other U.S. government agencies. Lastly, the latter half of the workshop focused on the factors, procedures, and regulatory compliance requirements of international collaboration. SRI invited Barry Gale of Johns Hopkins University and J. Michael Slocum of Slocum and Boddie to speak on this topic, which was also discussed during the site visit to NIST.

Participation in the workshop was diverse and included: government agencies, such as the National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Knowledge Economy, and Ministry of Employment and Labor; universities, such as the Catholic University of Korea, Soongsil University, and Gyeong Sang National University; private corporations, such as Korea Broadcasting System, SNSENG Co. Ltd., GS Caltex Corporation, and NANOBIZ; research institutions, such as the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Institute for Basic Science, and Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials; and professional associations, such as Korea Industrial Technology Association.