Science and Technology Asset Management: Optimizing Multi-Program Multi-Year Resource Allocations
Abstract
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) funds research that will benefit the U. S. Navy. In managing this research, ONR must allocate resources to achieve maximum benefits within its resource constraints. This report addresses one aspect of the resource allocation problem, namely, identifying funding profiles (normalized program funds as a function of time) for programs, or groups of programs, that provide maximum adherence to some predetermined policy. Four examples are presented in this report. The first describes selection of an overall funding profile for a group of special programs called Accelerated Research Initiatives (ARIs). The profile was selected to ensure an infusion of new ARIs proportional to total budget, and the actual turnover of ARIs resulting from use of the profile is shown. The second example shows how, with the use of quadratic programming, additional constraints could be placed upon the funding profiles, if desired, and relatively stable ARI turnover would still result. The third example describes the use of quadratic programming in an experiment in which each member of a group of potential programs had maximum funding profile flexibility while obeying the group funding ceiling constraints. The fourth example describes an extension of the methodology of the third example that could be applied to determining the profiles of every program in any funding organization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA417206
Entities
People
- L. B. Stanford
- Ronald Neil Kostoff
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research