Community Forum – Is your department called R&D or Technology?

Our organization is working on a global benchmarking project and one of its final components is the development of appropriate descriptors both for functional areas and for those individuals within them.  For example, we have found that the descriptor Technology for the function comprising our material scientists and engineers is very often implied as referring to our information technology group. 

• Other:
  • Close, but Research, Development and Engineering is closer.
  • We have separate departments for R&D and Innovation; the names accurately reflect their roles.
  • Sometimes.  We have been called “Technology” for quite some time.  R&D might be more accurate, but we are slow to change.
  • Technology is in the name of our locations, but R&D is used in day-to-day communications. R&D is more fitting.
  • Partly, we have changed names over the years – R&D then RD&E (Engineering) then TI (Technology and Innovation) then back to R&D and now I&D.  The problem is when you have to tell people outside your organization that you are called I&D – they do not know what it means so I just say I&D.
  • We switch between R&D and Technology.  It is confusing because of IT department.  So I use R&D whenever possible but we also do Tech Service.  I get way too much spam mail and phone calls for IT type services because of my title.

• Additional comments:
  • Yes, but there tends to be some confusion, since outsiders think of it as an Information Technology group, and not a Materials Technology group.
  • Yes (research), but large overlap (also due to new interlaced organization) with development.
  • Yes, but it is also confused with the CIO office.
  • Yes, but we are considering a name change, as we also struggle with the “technology” confusion with IT.
  • Yes, but would like to change name to reduce IT telemarketing calls and e-mails.
  • Yes, There are several organizations within the office of the CTO, including strategy and innovation, advanced technology development, global product engineering, etc.
  • Yes.  No changes planned.  We use Technology, as R&D is only one of the functions part of this organization.

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