What should new-age research organizations be optimizing for?

This post is the first of my new Substack, the Engineering Innovation Newsletter. Every piece in this newsletter shares a common goal: to propose concrete ways forward for those looking to help shape the future of technological research and innovation. For more context, check out my introductory post here. Enjoy and please subscribe if you’re interested! The modern research ecosystem emerged largely in the wake of World War II and has sparked a massive increase in funding for basic research, patenting, and the production of scientific papers. However, it hasn’t produced innovations that have increased productivity and the standard of living for the average American at anywhere near the rate of the inventions of the first half of the 20th century. Today, I’ll explain why that might be the case and what there is to do about it. In this piece, we’ll explore: How the modern research ecosystem came to be What the current system does well What the current system does not do well Why the comp

This post is the first of my new Substack, the Engineering Innovation Newsletter. Every piece in this newsletter shares a common goal: to propose concrete ways forward for those looking to help shape the future of technological research and innovation. For more context, check out my introductory post here. Enjoy and please subscribe if you’re interested! The modern research ecosystem emerged largely in the wake of World War II and has sparked a massive increase in funding for basic research, patenting, and the production of scientific papers. However, it hasn’t produced innovations that have i