Four Stages of a Research Project

1.  Project Resources

· Prior knowledge gained from earlier research by research or others in the field

· Tangible resources include

· Equipment

· Software

· Material

· Related technology

· Specific information including technical data related to the development, production or use of product

 

2.  Discussions and/or Agreements

· Discussion between the researchers and negotiation of agreements that will cover how the research will be performed and will address how the incoming knowledge and the resulting knowledge should be handled

· Agreements include

· research agreements

· non-disclosure agreements

· materials transfer agreements and/or

· loan agreements

 

3.  Research Project

In the course of the performance of the Research Project the Project Resources will be used and possibly be combined with the knowledge of the researcher to produce Research Results.

 

4.  Research Results

     Research Results may also take multiple forms,

· simple discussions with other researchers regarding the progress of the research project,

· actual research data or experimental results, and/or

· development of software or equipment or new materials.

 

These results may be published, or may be only of the sort that is ordinarily published but may not necessarily be accepted for publication by a journal.  It is possible that the results may be published on the Internet by the researcher on either an open webpage or one which has limited access.

 

Inventions, including patentable software, may be made available through patent applications which are ultimately published.  The researchers may elect to make software openly available to the public through the various forms of “open sourcing” of software.

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