Evaluating a national science and technology program using the human capital and relational asset perspectives

Area of Science:

• Technology policy
• Innovation management
• Telecommunications industry analysis

Background:

• Taiwan's telecommunications industry thrives globally, despite limited patent impact from the National Telecommunication Program (NTP).
• Traditional quantitative metrics may not fully capture the performance of national technology programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the National Science and Technology Program (NSTP) through the lens of the Taiwan National Telecommunication Program (NTP).
• To investigate the qualitative aspects of intellectual capital, specifically human capital and relational assets, within the NTP.

Main Methods:

• Surveys were conducted with 53 principal investigators of NTP projects and 63 industrial R&D managers in Taiwan's telecommunications sector.
• Qualitative analysis focused on human capital indicators (member quality, employment flow) and relational assets (resource sharing, collaboration intensity).

Main Results:

• NSTP member quality and employment flow positively indicate human capital, outperforming the average for Taiwan's NTP.
• Industrial participants demonstrated higher R&D resource sharing, co-publishing, co-funding, and equipment sharing intentions.
• Stronger industry-university cooperation correlated with greater knowledge acquisition and spillover benefits through the NSTP linkage.

Conclusions:

• Human capital, reflected in NSTP member quality and employment dynamics, is crucial for program success.
• Relational assets foster knowledge spillovers and enhance absorptive capacity within government technology policies like the NSTP.
• Effective technology policy requires a focus on both human capital development and cultivating collaborative relationships.