RIT Initiates Statewide Research Collaborative

The hardest part of any research project is simply getting started. Now, a statewide initiative, spearheaded by Rochester Institute of Technology’s College of Business, is helping academic researchers take that all-important first step.

The newly formed New York Innovation Research Network will focus on the development of high impact work in the field of technology management. John Ettlie, director of RIT’s Technology Management Center, came up with the idea. He says there are traditionally few forums that acknowledge developing research and offer an opportunity for feedback.

"To get on the program, you usually need to have a piece ready for publication," Ettlie explains. "What sets the New York Innovation Research Network apart is our focus on accelerating development of high caliber research in its early stages."

Ettlie has amassed the support of colleagues at other academic institutions across New York, including SUNY Buffalo, Syracuse University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and New York University. Members of industry have also offered to participate in the effort, which is funded entirely by RIT.

The group’s first annual conference is scheduled for May 11 and 12 in Xerox Auditorium, James E. Gleason Building, on RIT’s Henrietta campus. During the event, several Ph.D. candidates will present elements from their dissertations for analysis. Presentations by junior and senior faculty will follow.

The Network is designed to produce ideas for use in future publications, but also make those results available to researchers and practitioners years before they are presented within a formal document. Ettlie believes its significance extends well beyond the academic world.

"We’re interested in managing broad technological issues, and a better understanding of the problems that exist will lead us to the right questions," he states. "The long-term implications of that for the community at large are important."

For more information on the first meeting of the New York Innovation Research Network, call (716) 475-7431 or visit RIT’s College of Business Web site at www.cob.rit.edu.