REINVENTING INDUSTRIAL BASIC RESEARCH

Currently, much is being said and written about the decline of longer- range R&D in the U.S., and industrial basic research in particular (1) . Exxon has maintained its commitment to basic research but has undert aken a major redesign of its management system aimed at significantly increasing the commercial impact of the effort. The new system utilize s a hybrid arrangement to capture the best characteristics of both cen tralized and decentralized alternatives. Other key features include: 1 ) business input from all management levels-senior corporate officials to plant operators; 2) a business-driven approach that articulates ta rgeted science advances in clear technical terms, and 3) a seamless li nk to ongoing applied development research activities via integrated p lanning, execution and stewardship systems. Both anecdotal and quantit ative feedback indicate that the desired increase in commercial impact is being achieved.