Dynamic Tools for R&D Collaboration
R&D Collaboration
As we rapidly move from paper records to electronic one, an R&D Collaboration system can be a powerful tool for scientists and engineers. Not only are documents instantly shared across departments and locations, with date-stamping, archiving, and categorization for easy retrieval. For the first time, R&D managers and legal staff can strategically oversee the innovation activity of their organization. With an R&D Collaboration system, managers and in-house counsel can get ahead of innovation and be proactive about innovation decisions.
Collaboration in the R&D environment
A strong R&D Collaboration system must enable:
- Storage of research documents with access controls
- Security of the documents so that sensitive information does not leak
- Search for documents for interesting ideas generated by others
- Sharing findings and papers with others, inside and outside the organization
- Reporting of all document and user activity and trends
All the while, documents must be authenticated so that they may be used later in patent applications and safeguarded as trade secrets. It is also important that access to critical documents be tightly controlled so as to maintain both the security and integrity of vital information.
To read more about dynamic tools for innovation management see this overview.
