Evaluation, Ranking and Selection of the Most Effective Research Projects in Universities Based on the Research and Technology Policies (Case study: Shiraz University of Technology)

The Sixth Five-Year Economic, Cultural, and Social Development Plan of Iran (2016-2021), the research and technology priorities and policies of the country (2016-2021) and the Transformation Plan of Cooperation between Universities and Industry (approved by MSRT) all emphasize the importance of the R&D activities based on the demands of industry and society in the form of research projects. This study proposes an approach including four stages to evaluate and rank technology-oriented research projects. In the first stage, the key criteria in evaluating research projects are identified. In the second stage, the interdependencies of the criteria are identified by DEMATEL, and then by the analytic network process, the relative importance of the criteria is determined. In the third stage, the rank of the projects is determined and in the fourth stage, the results are compared and then sensitivity analysis of the criteria is carried out under thirteen scenarios. Finally, the results are integrated by the linear assignment method and the final rank is determined. In this study, 23 projects at the Shiraz University of Technology have been evaluated in seven dimensions including 19 criteria and then they have been ranked. The research results indicate the high priority of financial, marketing and technical dimensions in the selection of R & D projects. Thus, using a systematic approach in selecting projects allows defining them with greater accuracy.