Strategic Planning for Building Research—A Process Oriented Methodology A. Warszawski, F.ASCE 1 ; R. Becker 2 ; and R. Navon, M.ASCE 3 Abstract: This paper explains and discusses the development of a strategic plan for the management of research in building in a planning horizon of 8–10 years. The plan has three major elements: 1 a knowledge base with ranked long range research needs in each discipline; 2 a second base which defines the main objectives of the building sector and the major interdisciplinary problems that must be solved in order to attain them; and 3 the procedures to be followed in order to initiate and carry out an annual research program in view of the strategic plan and the current information maintained in the two bases. This paper dwells first on the special features of research as a knowledge building and problem solving tool, and then describes the process of the actual development of the strategic plan for building research in Israel, including the construction of the knowledge bases and the generation of the annual research programs. Special attention is given to the objectivity and accountability of the process. DOI: 10.1061/ASCE0733-93642007133:9710 CE Database subject headings: Research; Construction management; Methodology. Preface Research and development is the main driving force toward the technology advancement of modern industry. In most industries, it is typically carried out inhouse, usually in large companies. Its expenses are considered as an investment in capital assets to be used for the enhancement of the company’s production capacity. The situation is different in the building sector. The fragmentation of construction resources, the diversity of projects, and the long fruition period of any technological development result in re- search being more expensive and less beneficial for a building company than in other industries. Therefore, very seldom is build- ing research carried out in private companies. It is usually spon- sored and financed by public authorities, and carried out mostly in universities and public research institutes, while the majority of its end users are the private sector practitioners. Because of the institutional separation of the research work from practice, there is often a considerable difference between the expectations of the sponsor, the end users, and those of the re- searchers. The end user, and in most cases the sponsor as well, is looking for the bottom line which will present him with a practi- cal solution to his current problem, while the researcher is inter- ested in a wider perspective and an understanding of the basic problem. The public sponsor also recognizes, to some extent, the significance of creating knowledge that may be beneficial in solv- ing foreseeable future problems and not only those which exist at the present. Very often a single research study is only one stone in a wider mosaic, which elucidates the knowledge of a certain area, and it does not offer, of course, a solution to all the problems in that area, despite the fact that the end user or sponsor may expect it. As a result, a large number of research reports—even those which have been considered as a breakthrough in international professional literature—find their way to remote shelves and gradually “gather dust.” Consequently, it has been recognized by all interested parties that there is a need to reduce, as much as possible, the gaps in understanding the nature of research and its benefits on the one hand, and its limitations on the other. An effective way to achieve it is by means of a strategic research plan that identifies the research subjects, which can either contribute directly to the immediate practice needs or to the basic knowledge to be used in the future. In this paper, we review the process of preparing a strategic research plan for the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing carried out at the National Building Research Institute NBRI. The plan was intended to fulfill the research needs of the building sector and create a framework for annual funding allocations for research proposals submitted to the Ministry. The study consisted of two parts, the first, which was of general nature, dealt with the methodology that then guided the whole plan preparation, and the second dealt with each professional discipline separately. The plan was prepared by a team of senior researchers; Professor Abraham Warszawski, as the team leader, and Professor Rachel Becker, Professor Sam Frydman, Professor Joshua Frostig, Pro- fessor Amnon Katz, and Professor Ronie Navon, as the experts in the areas of buildings performance, geotechnology, structural en- gineering, building materials and technology, and construction management, respectively Warszawski et al. 2005. The study is reviewed in the following order: First, the concept of research and its main characteristics is explained, and its application to the area of buildings is reviewed. Next, the process of identifying the re- search needs and their preferences is examined in its strategic context by means of the systems approach. Finally, the procedures 1 Professor, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion City, 32000 Haifa, Israel. E-mail: cvrabwa@tx.technion.ac.il 2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineer- ing, Technion City, 32000 Haifa, Israel. E-mail: becker@tx.technion.ac.il 3 Associate Professor, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineer- ing, Technion City, 32000 Haifa, Israel. E-mail: ronie@technion.ac.il Note. Discussion open until February 1, 2008. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and pos- sible publication on April 4, 2007; approved on May 2, 2007. This paper is part of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 133, No. 9, September 1, 2007. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9364/2007/9- 710–722/$25.00. 710 / JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT © ASCE / SEPTEMBER 2007