Data Envelopment Analysis Journal, 2016, 2: 53–79 Measuring Fitness of Projects, Products and Technologies Using Data Envelopment Analysis George Keller 1 and Konstantinos Triantis 2 1 Virginia Tech, Northern Virginia Center, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, System Performance Laboratory, 7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church, VA 22042-2311; geo.keller@verizon.net 2 Virginia Tech, Northern Virginia Center, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, System Performance Laboratory, 7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church, VA 22042-2311; triantis@vt.edu ABSTRACT This paper discusses the analogy between the fitness of technological systems and the fitness of complex adaptive biological systems, and suggests that fitness landscapes are an appropriate structure upon which to evaluate technologi- cal system affordability, or fitness. This paper introduces Altenberg’s generalized NK fitness landscapes, suggests the possibility that the production possibility set in data envel- opment analysis (DEA) is a fitness landscape, and discusses the possible use of DEA to evaluate fitness landscapes and thus the fitness of R&D projects. This paper describes the application of DEA models to evaluate and select DoD Cor- rosion Prevention and Control (CPC) R&D projects using an appropriate set of input and output fitness function vari- ables to assess the affordability of the projects. The paper also describes the subsequent implementation of the DEA methodology to the DoD Corrosion Prevention and Control R&D project selection program since 2007. ISSN 2161-1823; DOI 10.1561/103.00000012 © 2016 G. Keller and K. Triantis