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Moving Knowledge to Action
The role of the boundary organization is to facilitate movement of knowledge across the divide between producers of knowledge (in research and science communities) to users of knowledge (in policymaking and technology adopting communities). HARC has carefully defined an operating niche and shaped its organizational capabilities to excel in this bridging role.
Science-To-Technology
In the science to technology process HARC seeks to facilitate society's adoption of cost effective technologies that perform essential functions while minimizing environmental impacts. HARC is active in energy, building, water, air emissions, and life science technologies. HARC focuses on the bridging activities between basic research and invention on one side — the natural domain of academic institutions — and commercialization on the other side — the natural domain of the private sector. Between research and commercialization lie a series of critical tasks.
HARC supports technologies at the stages where well-conceived concepts often fail due to lack of resources for essential testing, evaluation, prototype development, and demonstration activities. The information gathered in this stage is essential to the real-world validation, redesign, and scaling required before final commercialization. HARC works with academic, government and private sector partners to support these activities.
Science-to-Policy
Public policy development requires a similar bridge. In the science to policy process HARC provides essential information, data analysis, synthesis, and policy recommendations both directly to policy makers and indirectly to groups with expertise in policy advocacy and public education. HARC's organizational strengths lie in the space between disciplinary research and policy implementation. HARC understands that bridging the gap requires a non-partisan stance, the ability to adopt effective methods for managing stakeholder groups, and skill in communicating complex scientific relationships.
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| Page Updated/Reviewed: 05/08/2006 10:26 AM |
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