Sustainable R&D portfolio assessment

Research and development portfolio management is traditionally technologically and financially dominated, with little or no attention to the sustainable focus, which represents the triple bottom line: not only financial (and technical) issues but also human and environmental values. This is mainly due to the lack of quantified and reliable data on the human aspects of product/service development: usability, ecology, ethics, product experience, perceived quality and the like. Even if these data are available, consistent decision support tools are not ready available. Based on the findings from an industry review, a DEA model has been developed that permits to support strategic R&D portfolio management. The usability of this approach is underscored with real life examples from two different industries: consumables and materials manufacturing (polymers).

► Sustainability is a multi- dimensional concept that needs an interdisciplinary approach.
► R&D portfolio management is enhanced by a mix of quantitative and qualitative assessment.
► Sustainability boils down to a technical, economic and value based assessment.
► Data Envelopment Analysis helps to underscore the R&D process in a Rapid Modeling Technique way.