Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model”
From its 1958 origin in defense, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) model for research funding has, in the last two decades, spread to other parts of the US federal government with the goal of developing radically new technologies. In this paper, we propose that the key elements of the ARP...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Chicago Press
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129956 |
| _version_ | 1826198241571504128 |
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| author | Azoulay, Pierre Fuchs, Erica Goldstein, Anna P. Kearney, Michael J. (Michael Joseph) |
| author2 | Sloan School of Management |
| author_facet | Sloan School of Management Azoulay, Pierre Fuchs, Erica Goldstein, Anna P. Kearney, Michael J. (Michael Joseph) |
| author_sort | Azoulay, Pierre |
| collection | MIT |
| description | From its 1958 origin in defense, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) model for research funding has, in the last two decades, spread to other parts of the US federal government with the goal of developing radically new technologies. In this paper, we propose that the key elements of the ARPA model for research funding are organizational flexibility on an administrative level and significant authority given to program directors to design programs, select projects, and actively manage projects. We identify the ARPA model’s domain as mission-oriented research on nascent S-curves within an inefficient innovation system. Finally, we describe some of the challenges to implementing the ARPA model, and we comment on the role of ARPA in the landscape of research- funding approaches. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:01:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/129956 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:01:37Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1299562022-09-27T16:36:28Z Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” Azoulay, Pierre Fuchs, Erica Goldstein, Anna P. Kearney, Michael J. (Michael Joseph) Sloan School of Management From its 1958 origin in defense, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) model for research funding has, in the last two decades, spread to other parts of the US federal government with the goal of developing radically new technologies. In this paper, we propose that the key elements of the ARPA model for research funding are organizational flexibility on an administrative level and significant authority given to program directors to design programs, select projects, and actively manage projects. We identify the ARPA model’s domain as mission-oriented research on nascent S-curves within an inefficient innovation system. Finally, we describe some of the challenges to implementing the ARPA model, and we comment on the role of ARPA in the landscape of research- funding approaches. 2021-02-22T19:31:39Z 2021-02-22T19:31:39Z 2019-01 2021-02-03T19:10:52Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 978‑0‑226‑64524‑7 1531-3468 1537-2618 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129956 Azoulay, Pierre et al. 'Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model”.' Innovation Policy and the Economy 19, 1 (January 2019): 699933 © 2019 National Bureau of Economic Research en http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/699933 Innovation Policy and the Economy Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf University of Chicago Press University of Chicago Press |
| spellingShingle | Azoulay, Pierre Fuchs, Erica Goldstein, Anna P. Kearney, Michael J. (Michael Joseph) Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” |
| title | Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” |
| title_full | Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” |
| title_fullStr | Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” |
| title_short | Funding Breakthrough Research: Promises and Challenges of the “ARPA Model” |
| title_sort | funding breakthrough research promises and challenges of the arpa model |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129956 |
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