Research-Technology Management (RTM) is an award-winning journal published by the Industrial Research Institute (IRI). It publishes peer-reviewed, research-based articles and personal perspective pieces written by and for R&D practitioners. Published bimonthly, the journal is offered both in print and electronically to subscribers interested in the management of innovation. IRI members receive a complimentary annual subscription as a benefit of membership.
Contents
Oversight of RTM is handled by an appointed Board of Editors, led by the Editor-in-Chief; the Managing Editor handles day-to-day operations.
History
RTM was initially launched as Research Management (RM) in the spring of 1958; its mission was to serve as the vehicle for dissemination of information on techniques of organization, administration, and operation of industrial research. According to Charles Burrill, the first chairman of the Board of Editors for RM, “Why another publication? Because there has been no one place to turn for the latest ideas regarding research management discussions from the research administrator’s point of view.” RM was published quarterly, in digest format, averaging 64 pages per issue. In 1962, the quarterly schedule was upgraded to a bimonthly publication schedule in response to heightened demand and increased research output from IRI membership. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, new editorial features and departments were added, including “Perspectives,” “Information Resources,” and “Managers at Work.” “The Human Side,” now a regular column, appeared as a Q&A exploring difficult scenarios in managing human resources for R&D. In 1982, IRI began presenting the Maurice Holland Award for the best paper published in RM during the previous year. In 1985, RM began publishing the R&D Trends Forecast, which summarized the data collected during IRI’s annual survey of its member companies’ spending expectations for the coming year. The article continues to be published in the first issue of RTM each year.
In 1988, as part of a redesign marking the journal’s thirtieth anniversary, Research Management was renamed Research-Technology Management (RTM). RTM retained RM’s focus on practitioner-oriented articles, pursuing IRI’s mission of “enhancing technological innovation in industry.” Authors are generally respected R&D experts in well-known organizations, with some representation of academic researchers.
RTM has been offered electronically since 2001 via Ingenta, with issues as far back as the November–December issue of 1998 available. In 2007, the journal became available on iTunes. In 2011, the journal underwent a redesign; the new layout was unveiled in the January–February 2012 issue—marking the beginning of RTM’s 55th year of publication.
Past Editors
Awards
In 2002, 2003, and 2004 RTM received the “Golden Page Award” from Emerald Management Reviews for “Practical Usability of Research” in the category of "Operations and Product Management." In 2004, an RPI citation-based study conducted by Jonathan D. Linton and Narongsak (Tek) Thongpapanl ranked RTM third among technology innovation management specialty journals. In 2009, an article authored by Kurt Swogger and Greg Stevens titled "Creating a Winning R&D Culture-I," which appeared in the January–February 2009 issue of RTM, was given a Citation of Excellence Award by Emerald Management Reviews.