Main Evaluation Dimensions and Indicators for Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies - NOCMAT R&D Projects
Science and technology have contributed since the Second World War to the economic development without considering adequately different social classes. The intensive Research and Development (R&D) activities in the rapidly growing areas of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) such as new high resistance cements, steel, petrochemical derived materials, among others have not given the opportunity to less developed nations to cut the vicious circle which maintained them technologically dependent on industrialized countries. Also, the results of many successfully realized R&D projects concerned with Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies (NOCMAT) in developing countries including Brazil have not been used in large scale in practice. This is due to the lack of evaluation criteria from planning to project implementation by governmental agencies, private organizations and educational institutions concerned with the newly developed sustainable materials and technologies. The problems of evaluating R&D innovation outputs and impacts for civil construction are complex and need scientific and systematic studies in order to avoid the social and environmental mistakes occurred in industrialized countries. This paper presents four relevant dimensions and its pertinent indicators for NOCMAT projects evaluation concerned with materials, structural elements and technologies of bamboo, soil and composites reinforced with vegetable fibers. Specifically, 1) Political, Strategic and Normative; 2) Organizational; 3) Allocation and Management of Resources; and 4) Technical, Scientific and Economic evaluation dimensions are considered and discussed.