Report May 2009: Difference between revisions

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=== General Status ===
=== General Status ===


Generally, our literature review on efficiencies and barriers to technological development and implementation has been greatly improved over the last month.   
*Generally, our literature review on efficiencies and barriers to technological development and implementation has been greatly improved over the last month.   
 
*We have focused our research on international wind and solar markets and decided to limit our inquiry to the leading countries (Germany, Spain, Denmark, and China).
 
*We have increased our analysis of government policy and looked at how it creates incentives for technological development.
'''Yochai Feedback'''
*We have been in contact with people at the Belfer Center who are researching technological innovation and we are looking for ways to collaborate with them.
*'''Questions to Investigate Further for the Wind industry:'''
**Whether there is development that is distributed?
**Whether the appropriation is through intellectual property?
***ie. At maturity, there is engineering innovation, and lack of patent dependence
**How are they licensing the technology (ie GE)
***We worry big players slowing down innovation with patents
*'''Tidal/Wave'''
**If they have the same incentives, keep them together
*'''Financing'''
**Include information about VC culture (does it require patents for funding?)
**Keep in mind what it is that is motivating and funding innovation
***Which funding requires openness or enclosure?
*'''Our Research Focus: International v. US'''
**Use a global map (size and color code should represent where the major players are)
***We want to get this global open/closed model
***He wants to use Carolina's idea of comparative chart.  The recent national announcements make this relevant
*'''Energy Policy'''
**Policy on institutional interventions are the most interesting findings
***Feed-in tariff v. renewable portfolio standards policy is significant
***Regulation of siting can be a significant barrier. This is a useful distinction to include. 
*'''Framing our Research (The Big Picture)'''
**It is important to consider the political position of the company separate of the actual ip position (IBM: biggest holder of patents but open policy)
**How are market interventions justified (ie are there constraints?)
**Consider if policies are enclosure devices
**Consider the feasibility of a commons based strategy (what shows us the feasibility?)
**Confirmatory evidence and negative evidence are both important
*'''Visualizing Research Results'''
**Inventory market players (include market shares and sales)
**Use a conceptual 2-d map to show where companies stand
**Use color coding or other means of visually representing the kinds of appropriation and funding strategy an entity uses
***patents, gov funding, etc.
***market, government, non-profit, etc.


=== Work Completed ===
=== Work Completed ===
*We have fairly extensive research in the following areas:  
*We have fairly extensive research in the following areas:  
**[[Give_an_overall_picture_of_the_AE_field]]
**[[Innovations_in_Wind%2C_Solar_and_Tidal]]
**[[IP_Profile_of_Biggest_for-profit_companies_in_AE]]
**[[IP_Profile_of_Biggest_for-profit_companies_in_AE]]
**[[Commons_based_cases_in_AE]]
**[[Commons_based_cases_in_AE]]
**[[Innovations_in_Wind%2C_Solar_and_Tidal]]
**[[Alternative_Energy#Focus Market Segments]]
**[[Alternative_Energy#Focus Market Segments]]
*We are building upon research in the following areas
*We are building upon research in the following areas
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=== Research Methodology in use ===
=== Research Methodology in use ===
* Industry analysis
* Case studies
* Literature review
* Literature review
* Business School Cases review
* Business School Cases review
* Media review: Area Specific Blogs and News
* Media review: Area Specific Blogs and News
* Market databases and reports review
* Market databases and reports review
* Interviews:
* Interviews
** Eric Lammers - (Principal at ArcLight Capital Partners LLC - Private equity focused in AE) - Interviewed on April 15
** Prof. Susskind (MIT) - Email sent
** Prof. Dworkin (Vermont Law) - Email sent
** Other possible names:
*** Thomas Ackermann
*** Jeremy M. Firestone
*** Peter Mandelstam
*** Walt Musial
*** Ryan Wiser
***Ed Markey
* Participation in Events
* Participation in Events
** Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution, April 23, Carol and Silas


=== Problems and Considerations ===
=== Problems and Considerations ===
*International Policy Map with color coding has not yet been possible given that the variations in policy are not yet fully understood. 
**The Kennedy School paper defining supply push and demand pull policies provides categories, but identifying the supply-push policies will require more research.
**Funding usage for these policies is hard to categorize. 
*VC funding has been hard to track down because the data is largely proprietary
=== Next Steps ===
=== Next Steps ===
*Look more closely at the international history of the technological innovations that led to the current alternative energy market landscape.
*More emphasis on case studies of certain companies in the alternative energy sector that exemplify the open or closed models that the research is based on.
**We have begun using interviews as a primary source of information for our research and will continue to do so while possibly adding surveys for specific topics of importance like information about private R&D funding.
*Begin to emphasize patent usage and polices more in our research now that our market understanding has increased.
**Look into why there is an increase in patent usage
*Track some technologies that came from Universities
**how they were licensed?
*Possible Case Studies
**IRENA
**GE Energy


== Biotechnology, Genomics, and Proteomics ==
== Biotechnology, Genomics, and Proteomics ==
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** Study educational software as market vs. sub-market
** Study educational software as market vs. sub-market


== Telecommunication ==
==Telecommunication==
=== General Status ===
 
=== Work Completed ===
===General Status===  
=== Work Remaining ===
* Have nearly complete 15-20 page field overview
=== Research Methodology in use ===
* Have list of case studies on wiki with some accompanying materials as next steps
=== Problems and Considerations ===
 
=== Next Steps ===
===Work Completed===
* Basic research in the Research Methodology Areas
* Writeup of research into 15-20 page report
* Collection of possible case studies
* Collection of sources for possible case studies
 
===Work Remaining===
* Polish Research report including:
** Clean Up, Add footnotes
** Add intro/roadmap
** Add conclusion/next steps
** Add a little bit of discussion of "commons" theory so that its clearer how the discussion of IP relates to the overall research question
 
===Research Methodology in use===
* Literature review
* Business School Cases review
* Media review: Area Specific Blogs and News
* Market databases and reports review
* Interviews
* Participation in Events
 
===Problems and Considerations===
* Work is slowing, but just need to wrap up!
 
===Next Steps===
* See Work Remaining

Latest revision as of 07:56, 23 May 2009

Status Report, ICP Project

Field Research Methodology

Status

Next Steps

Alternative Energy

General Status

  • Generally, our literature review on efficiencies and barriers to technological development and implementation has been greatly improved over the last month.
  • We have focused our research on international wind and solar markets and decided to limit our inquiry to the leading countries (Germany, Spain, Denmark, and China).
  • We have increased our analysis of government policy and looked at how it creates incentives for technological development.
  • We have been in contact with people at the Belfer Center who are researching technological innovation and we are looking for ways to collaborate with them.

Work Completed

Work Remaining

  • Our research remains weak in the following areas:

Research Methodology in use

  • Industry analysis
  • Case studies
  • Literature review
  • Business School Cases review
  • Media review: Area Specific Blogs and News
  • Market databases and reports review
  • Interviews
  • Participation in Events

Problems and Considerations

  • International Policy Map with color coding has not yet been possible given that the variations in policy are not yet fully understood.
    • The Kennedy School paper defining supply push and demand pull policies provides categories, but identifying the supply-push policies will require more research.
    • Funding usage for these policies is hard to categorize.
  • VC funding has been hard to track down because the data is largely proprietary

Next Steps

  • Look more closely at the international history of the technological innovations that led to the current alternative energy market landscape.
  • More emphasis on case studies of certain companies in the alternative energy sector that exemplify the open or closed models that the research is based on.
    • We have begun using interviews as a primary source of information for our research and will continue to do so while possibly adding surveys for specific topics of importance like information about private R&D funding.
  • Begin to emphasize patent usage and polices more in our research now that our market understanding has increased.
    • Look into why there is an increase in patent usage
  • Track some technologies that came from Universities
    • how they were licensed?
  • Possible Case Studies
    • IRENA
    • GE Energy

Biotechnology, Genomics, and Proteomics

General Status

  • We have begun to investigate specific cases of commons-based and peer-produced resources in biotech, such as Harvard's onco-mouse
  • We have made good progress examining specific cases of biotech narrative, data, and tool producers, coming up with detailed company profiles for the largest firms
  • We have completed a more detailed mapping of the narratives and tools industries within biotech
  • Have good idea of cost structure, competitive advantage, and attitudes towards openness and enclosure within the field

Work Completed

Work Remaining

Research Methodology in use

  • Case studies
  • Literature review
  • Industry analysis
  • Business reports and press releases
  • University reports and press releases

Problems and Considerations

  • How can the next phase of research further develop the quadrants already mapped?
  • What information should we aim to obtain through new research methods (e.g., interviews)?
  • How much should we focus on the largely defunct data production businesses in biotech?

Next Steps

  • Continue to investigate universities, non-profits, associations, and businesses relevant to the field
  • Deepen our understanding of how production and demand are controlled
  • Provide further documentation for the quadrants as we have identified them so far

Educational Materials

General Status

  • Between late April and early May, the EM section of the wiki has enjoyed significant expansion, while undergoing a necessary restructuring
    • The textbook market was chosen as a major focus for the current stage EM research
    • Using the textbook market as a model the Field Research Methodology questions were split between two sectors of EM: The K-12 Level and The Higher Education Level to represent the different actors and market forces that determine the trends toward regulation/deregulation, openness/closedness
    • We now have a much stronger sense of the traditional publishing business strategies as compared with OER and a variety of alternative business models
  • The anecdotal mapping of actors and outputs in Higher Ed reported on in the April Report, has become clearer in our quadrant mapping tool
  • We are still learning about the K-12 market and need to explore both the market and social barriers that seem to be complicating this sector even more than the Higher Ed sector
  • Our extensive bibliography has grown significantly; additional contemporary research and market news continue to become available and prove enlightening
  • Our list of useful contacts is still expanding as well; and new interviews have been conducted and continue to be scheduled
  • Finally, the Executive Summary on EM was successfully drafted for the report to the Ford Foundation in June 2009

Work Completed

Work Remaining

Research Methodology in use

  • Literature review (ongoing)
  • Business School Cases review (awaiting reply from HBS staff)
  • Media review: Area Specific Blogs and News (ongoing)
  • Market databases and reports review
    • MarketResearch.com has been a key resource for K-12 and College market analysis
    • The ORBIS database has been useful in profiling individual companies
  • Interviews, see Contacts for EM
    • Nicole Allen, Campaign Director for Make Textbooks Affordable - followed up in May 2009
    • Ahrash Bissell, Executive Director of ccLearn - interviewed by e-mail in May 2009
    • Joel Thierstein, Executive Director Connexions - contact in April 2009

Problems and Considerations

  • Having focused mainly on textbooks thus far, how broad do we extend our research?
    • Supplementary materials often blur into the textbook market through the business strategy of bundling (including educational software)
  • Arguments criticizing the high cost of textbooks in the US often point toward lower prices in foreign markets (the UK particularly), is there a place for a comparative study of reasons for lower prices for identical textbooks and greater price elasticity of those markets?
  • Splitting The K-12 Level and The Higher Education Level has helped analysis and organization, however we find a number of orphaned, duplicated research question-based pages; there is a need to consolidate relevant information for each sub-sector and glean superfluous pages/questions.

Next Steps

  • Continue literature review
    • Expand policy analysis
    • Keep abreast of latest news and trends on OER and company blogs
  • Need to better understand both the economic/political and various social barriers to innovation
    • Do professors trust certain forms of EM over others, affecting OER adoption?
    • Do state's require mandates like California's to legitimize OER and peer produced EM at the K-12 level?
  • Conduct a survey of K-12 teachers and higher education professors to look at social barriers
  • Use California as a potential paradigmatic case in public policy pressure on business trends
  • Expand descriptive research exercise to the remainder of the EM field, as defined:
    • More on higher education upper-level course EM, including University Press practices
    • More on supplementary materials (digital and non-digital)
    • Study educational software as market vs. sub-market

Telecommunication

General Status

  • Have nearly complete 15-20 page field overview
  • Have list of case studies on wiki with some accompanying materials as next steps

Work Completed

  • Basic research in the Research Methodology Areas
  • Writeup of research into 15-20 page report
  • Collection of possible case studies
  • Collection of sources for possible case studies

Work Remaining

  • Polish Research report including:
    • Clean Up, Add footnotes
    • Add intro/roadmap
    • Add conclusion/next steps
    • Add a little bit of discussion of "commons" theory so that its clearer how the discussion of IP relates to the overall research question

Research Methodology in use

  • Literature review
  • Business School Cases review
  • Media review: Area Specific Blogs and News
  • Market databases and reports review
  • Interviews
  • Participation in Events

Problems and Considerations

  • Work is slowing, but just need to wrap up!

Next Steps

  • See Work Remaining
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