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STRATEGY 4/4

Strategic Goals

What does NFEC do for overall operational management?

Equipment should be managed after construction. Systematic operational management should be made meticulously and confirmed at the institutional level. In reality, however, a lot of equipment remained unidentified, unused equipment remained unattended, or equipment in perfect condition was left deserted in the warehouse.

NFEC operates NTIS13 which monitors and manages all changes during the life cycle of equipment. In addition, it prepared the standard guidelines14 on the management of national research facilities and equipment, held regional workshops, and offers comprehensive management training15 programs periodically for early compliance with the standard guidelines. Nationwide inspection16 is also conducted to take stock of the implementation of the standard guidelines and related difficulties. Separate nationwide inspection is conducted for large-scale research facilities. NFEC also promotes continual equipment co-utilization by implementing the equipment transfer support program17. Reports on the nationwide inspection and other subjects can be easily downloaded from FEEL18.

  1. 13NFEC operates online services for the integrated management of the information on research facilities and equipment across the government.
    Background
    For the investment efficiency of national R&D programs and the maximization of productivity of the projects, an advanced management platform was needed to deal with the life cycle of research facilities and equipment from their construction to disposal. Further, the need for a system was paramount to support decision-making on research facilities and equipment at national and ministerial levels.
    How to Work
    NFEC built an online system, or NTIS, to integrate the collection, management, and distribution of the information on government-funded research facilities and equipment across the government. NTIS facilitates the transfer of achieved research output in connection with the transfer of idle or low-use equipment, and provides information on research facilities and equipment and their prices as part of the redundancy review and appropriate-price calculating services.
  2. 14NFEC prepares standard guidelines for the life-cycle management of research facilities and equipment.
    Background
    Inefficient research facilities and equipment had been repeatedly pointed out: negligence of information registration, redundant or excessive purchases, low co-utilization, lack of operational staff, and no fully grown management system. Nonetheless, nationwide comprehensive standard guidelines were not in place.
    How to Work
    NFEC offers life-cycle management standard guidelines, from introduction to disposal, for government-funded research facilities and equipment. The guidelines aim at setting in place an efficient management system to discourage redundant and excessive investment, and to promote co-utilization and reuse of idle and low-use equipment. The guidelines are revised and supplemented periodically.
  3. 15NFEC provides education regarding the implementation of the management standard guidelines for national research facilities and equipment and equipment ethics as well as provision of education for comprehensive management of research facilities and equipment.
    Background
    Inquiries and requests have been frequently made regarding the availability of education and special lectures on the standard guidelines for national research facilities and equipment. The guidelines have not been complied with fully due to a poor understanding on the part of research institutes and research management institutes. Subsequent unethical behaviors with regard to research equipment have been continuously pointed out by the Board of Audit and Inspection and the National Assembly.
    How to Work
    NFEC developed education programs and learning materials on equipment management and ethics. Management education covers the management standard guidelines on national research facilities and equipment and management responsibilities. Ethics education asks for the ethical awareness of managers by introducing them to examples of unethical management. Along with this initiative, NFEC came up with an integrated arrangement to regularly provide these programs.
  4. 16NFEC conducts nationwide inspection to confirm the status of implementation of the management standard guidelines on national research facilities and equipment as well as nationwide inspection on the operational management of national research facilities and equipment.
    Background
    Government policies were executed without stocktaking of management practices in research facilities and substantial examination of policy implementation. Low policy effectiveness was attributable to the disparity between research facilities and policies. A lack of feedback system also contributed to failure in management improvement.
    How to Work
    Research facilities and equipment are classified into those worth less than 5 million U.S. dollars and those worth 5 million U.S. dollars or more depending on their management targets, systems, and management responsibility. Nationwide inspection is conducted with additional focus on equipment technical staff. The results are notified to research institutes and relevant government ministries for improvement, and reflected in institute and program evaluation for national R&D budget formulation.
  5. 17NFEC encourages the reuse of idle equipment by helping transfer such equipment to those entities in need.
    Background
    It is natural and blameless in the R&D environment that research facilities and equipment fall idle and low-use due to the completion of research tasks or change of research areas. However, the idle and lowuse equipment was, in many cases, not reused and remained unattended or deserted, causing waste of national R&D budget.
    How to Work
    NFEC actively encourages equipment re-use by preparing various re-use support arrangements at national level including improvement of researchers’ awareness of idle and low-use equipment, encouragement of demand and supply matching facilitated through information sharing channels, and support of equipment transfer, repair, and education.
  6. 18NFEC operates an electronic library service of various reports on research facilities and equipment.
    Background
    An on-line library was expected to be accessible easily and promptly by every person irrespective of his/her location. It was also expected to contain a rich collection of the facilities and equipment reports published by NFEC, and those literature individuals cannot access easily, for example, international reports, publications, and issue papers.
    How to Work
    NFEC has constructed the FEEL, a special electronic library of rich content where on-line readers can enjoy reading easily and download materials utilizing various functions including easy searching. All the library collection on facilities and equipment is open to researchers, government entities, and public.
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