Ashrae Journal - October 2008 - (Page 69) 2007 – 2008 ASHRAE Research Report with government and private agencies to fund and support special projects of mutual benefit, including expediting standards, producing technical publications and conducting research. Research Projects Under the leadership of the Research Administration Committee, ASHRAE initiated 30 new research projects and completed 14 projects during fiscal year 2007–2008 (ending June 30, 2008). The average cost of new projects was approximately $120,000. Ten technical papers based on research projects were presented at Society meetings during the past year. ASHRAE research projects result from work statements initiated by the Society’s technical committees and task groups, or from unsolicited proposals submitted by organizations interested in conducting research for ASHRAE. The Society’s mission is to fund research that advances the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, refrigeration, air conditioning or the allied arts and sciences, and related human factor. Work statements originating from technical committees or task groups, after approval by the Research Administration Committee, are offered to prospective bidders for proposals. The bidders’ list includes universities and agencies that have a history of cooperative research with ASHRAE or have indicated an interest in ASHRAE research. If you wish to add your name to the bidders’ list and receive automatic e-mail notification when projects are released for bid, please go to www. ashrae.org/publications/detail/14931. Unsolicited proposals are accepted from organizations interested in conducting ASHRAE-related research from selfgenerated ideas. We prefer to see unsolicited research proposals submitted in early May and December each year so that we have sufficient time to review the proposal prior to the Society’s Annual and Winter meeting, respectively. Whether the proposals are solicited from work statements or are unsolicited, they should include the following information: precisely what is to be done, by whom, under whose personal supervision, proposed number of man-hours, materials, instruments and apparatus required, and costs for each; information regarding the investigator’s special expertise, experience, and/ or ability that especially qualifies the individual for the proposed research; and identified contribution from the research organization’s resources for conducting the project. A summary of recently completed research projects and instructions for obtaining results from those projects are providASHRAE Journal 69 By Michael Vaughn, P.E., Member ASHRAE, Manager of Research/Technical Services The major goals of the ASHRAE research program are presented in the Society’s 2005 – 2010 Strategic Plan for Research, which helps guide the development of research topics so that the greatest benefit is achieved for our members and society in general. Developed over a three-year period with input provided by grass root members, technical committee/task group (TC/TG) members, research fund contributors, and representatives from outside HVAC&R-related organizations, the plan provides outcome-based goals, which means rather than specifying the exact type of research that should be conducted, the performance outcomes are specified. The plan will be updated every five years so that it remains pertinent in a rapidly changing HVAC&R research environment. The most recent update to this plan began in July 2007. Complementing the Society’s Strategic Plan for Research is the Society’s Research Implementation Plan, which documents all TC/TG research topics that support the strategic plan and have been approved for further development into ASHRAE research projects. The implementation plan currently includes 55 projects in various stages of development. The estimated dollar value of these projects is $7.2 million. This, when coupled with the cost of projects already under contract, exceeds ASHRAE’s current annual budget for research. ASHRAE hopes, however, to implement most of these projects in the near future. Details about ASHRAE’s research plans, active research projects, completed projects, requests for proposals and guidelines for submission can be reviewed on the “Research” page of the ASHRAE Web site (www.ashrae.org/technology/page/39). Stewardship The members of the Research Administration Committee (RAC) maintain stewardship of the funds entrusted to ASHRAE by careful planning and oversight of the research program. ASHRAE uses an extensive unpaid volunteer network of TC and TG members to prepare work statements, select projects, select contractors and monitor research projects to ensure that maximum benefits accrue from ASHRAE-sponsored research. Additionally, the Research Administration Committee plans the research program, evaluates and approves the projects and ensures that results are properly presented. In summary, ASHRAE research gets a lot of bang for its bucks. Expenditures for projects and grants-in-aid for fiscal year 2007 – 2008 were almost $2. 6 million. In addition to the research project and grant-in-aid expenditures, ASHRAE joined October 2008 http://www.ashrae.org/publications/detail/14931 http://www.ashrae.org/publications/detail/14931 http://www.ashrae.org/technology/page/39
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