After considering the results of earlier reports on productivity in research, the efficiency of research teams in relation to their size, and the connection between communication and success in R & D laboratories, the authors have developed a mathematical model to analyse the qualitative and quantitative relationships between cooperation among researchers and the chances of success interdisciplinary groups may have. As the results show, this model can answer questions like: To what degree does the probability of success of inter‐disciplinary research groups depend on the size of the group, the number of disciplines involved and the willingness of the individual members of the group to cooperate with colleagues within the group? or ‘How great is the marginal improvement in the probability of success of an inter‐disciplinary group if two members of the group, which did not previously cooperate at all, start to cooperate, and are then joined by the third and so on, until full cooperation is reached? Is it the second, third or fifth researcher who makes the greatest contribution to the success of the group through his decision to Cooperate with the others?’

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Information retrieval systems in R & D laboratories are normally used to provide information about the state of the art in fields of corporate interest and to help to solve day-to-day problems. The authors show that such systems can also be used as a tool for planning by R & D managers, corporate planners and others involved in evaluating and setting strategic objectives for the firm. Their approach is to use the Science Citation Index to ascertain the specific institutional setting and geographical locations of researchers in whom material published by the subject firm excited a 'resonance'.In their study they used the publications lists covering a five-year period provided by two West German companies. They point out that it is possible not only to assess the scientific standing of the R & D laboratory but also to get early warning of spin-offs into hitherto unrecognized fields, to identify 'markets' for the profitable exchange of information and to locate complementary sources of expertise.

In recent years new forms of research organizations have been established at universities, which have been faced to a much higher degree with problems of research management. This circumstance provides the main reason for starting research on research in the university field on a new basis.In the 'Sonderforschungrbereich 7 9 , a large interdisciplinary research unit at Hannover University concerned with 'water research in the coastal area', a symbiosis and active co-operation was arranged between a small group of scientists engaged in research on research and a large number of scientists and engineers of several disciplines. The strong liaison between R o R scientists and their subject of investigation is institutionally organized. The purpose of this liaison is to involve R o R scientists in a feed-back process with a large university research organization and its actual management problems. The results to date have been encouraging and indicate that such an experiment can be a very worthwhile exercise.

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