Importance Of Research And Development

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Research and Development(R&D) is the key element of many organizations.When it is well

planned and used it enables a business to generate increased wealth from time to time.Most of
the people associates the research and development function of a company with the invention
of new products.while the inventions are important, the development of existing products is of
equal significance as the consumer preferences are continually changing.Thus we can say that
the term R&D refers to a specific group of activities within a business.R&D differs from
company to company according to the activities of that company.
Objective of R&D
R&D is a process intended to create new or improved technology that can provide a
competitive advantage at the business,industry or national level.While the rewards can be very
high, the process of technological innovation is complex and risky. The majority of R&D projects
fail to provide the expected financial result,and the successful projects may also pay for the
projects that are unsuccessful or terminated early by the management.There are certain
objectives that an R&D follows:
i)obtain new ideas or knowledge
ii)apply it to the practical uses
iii)increase company’s sales and profit
Types of R&D
The National Science Foundation(NSF) defines three types of R&D:
i)Basic Research
ii)Applied Research
iii)Development
Basic Research has its objectives a fuller knowledge or understanding of the subject under
study,rather than a practical application.Basic research is defined as research that advances
scientific knowledge but does not have a specific commercial objectives.
Applied Research is directed towards gaining knowledge or understanding necessary for
determining the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met.It includes
investigations directed to the discovery of new knowledge having specific commercial
objectives with respect to product,processes or services.
Research creates knowledge and development designs,and builds prototypes to prove their
feasibility.Engineering then converts these prototypes into products or services that can be
offered to the marketplace or into processes that can be used to produce commercial products
and services.

R&D IN 21st CENTURY

The importance of research and development has become more evident everyday among the
factors that directly related to the good economic performance of the emerging countries of
21st centuries. In any well-run company, research and development have commercial functions
to enhance the company’s business objectives by creating better and innovative products, to
improve operational processes and to provide expert advice to the rest of the company and to
customers.

In any industry whether an old or emerging,must continually revise their design and range of
products.This is necessary because of continuous technology change and development as well
as other competitors and the changing preferences of customers everyday which is not possible
without an R&D program.

Importance of Research and Development in other Fields

Research has always been important aspect for any organisation – big or small.It is not
restricted only to medical or science fields.Many organisations in industries like
pharmaceuticals have a full fledged research and development division with quality control to
ensure quality of product and invention of new technologies and products.The different fields
where importance of R&D lies are education,industry,organisations,agriculture,etc.

Importance of Research and Development for economic growth

The future economic progress for any country will be driven by the invention and application of
new technologies.The importance of research and development lies there,as it is one category
of spending that develops and drives these new technologies.R&D plays an important role in
enhancing the capability of companies because they stimulate innovative methods of
production,reduce costs and improve product quality.
There are some large companies that allocates a significant part of their budget for R&D
activities,improving performance and increasing profitability.In present day, R&D is a core part
of the modern business world. The major decision in firms are made on basis of the importance
of research and development.Product research and development goes hand in hand with
market research and development.The product researchers use marketing information which
helps them to develop products or services and chooses suitable designs.The subject of R&D
has gradually become more visible in economic literature and many studies cover its
intermixing values.It is a source of information and it updates the organization and insist the
organization to tell change in the environment.

Private sector and the innovation process

Business,operating in a competitive global market system have numerous advantages in the
creation and implementation of useful new ideas.With the rise of a technology based approach
to the production of new goods and services,the organization of high-tech business in the US
and globally has changed.The results of the recent Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDIS)
sponsored by NSF suggests that private sector companies that perform or fund R&D have a far
higher incidence of innovation than companies without R&D activity.”R&D intensity”-that is the
ratio of domestic R&D performed and paid for by the company to domestic net
sales.However,private sectors firms are focusing their R&D on applied projects where their
main aim is likely to gain their pay off only to themselves.The private sector are benefited from
research and development as it was seen to improve the quality of existing products to create
new products and goods and to contribute to an increase in their market share of the local
market.
Government Promotes Research and Development
The Government policy already does promote research and development in many ways.Around
32% of gross national expenditure on R&D in 1996 was funded by Government.The
Government also promotes innovative activity in firms through direct spending on education
and training,patent protection,regulation and competition policy. Government follows some
policies which affects firms incentives to invest in R&D,that is numerous and diverse.Policies
that directly target research and development include direct funding of government R&D
labs,universities or business,investing in human capital formation,patent protection laws and
R&D tax credits.The other policies, not directly targeted at R&D,which may have a significant
impact on the level of research and development investment include competition policy and
regulation.

R&D Tax Credits

Government may stimulate business research and development through tax incentives like
i)allowances
ii)exemptions
iii)deductions
iv)tax credits
each of which can be designed with differing criteria for eligibility,allowable expenses and
baselines.

Conclusion
Research and Development is of great importance in business as the level of competition,
production processes and methods are rapidly increasing.It is of special importance in the field
of marketing where companies keep an eagle eye on competitors and customers in order to
keep pace with modern trends and analyze the needs,demands and desires of their
customers.If a company has made some significant contribution in R&D, the results are bound
to be good but higher R&D spending does not signify more creativity, higher profit or a greater
market share.