President Donald Trump, Civic Responsibility and Espionage: A Case Study in Fake News and Political Polarization Promoted by Venezuela

“Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution…”

– James Madison

*****

While it’s all the rage in many news outlets these days to criticize President Trump – this article will provide ample evidence for his praise.

It will do this by using exclusive research to provide a series of contrapoints that illustrate how he has displayed a high degree of personal and Presidential civility in his handling of three current events:

The Transgender Military Ban
Chelsea Manning’s incarceration for refusing to speak with Grand Jury investigators
Nicolas Maduro’s impending departure from power

In addition to demonstrating how Donald Trump has embodied professionalism and the type of nationalistic paternalism appropriate to the Office of the President, it will also illustrate how these three examples are connected to ongoing intelligence operations by the government of Nicolas Maduro to spread misinformation and disinformation, to encourage espionage and civil unrest, and even to facilitate it.

In short, this will show the claim of Laura Durso, Vice President of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, that this ban “undermines military readiness and perpetuates the fear across the transgender and allied communities that this government will not protect them, not even those who would sacrifice everything to protect our nation” – along with similar claims made by others are motivated not by a desire to speak the truth but to spread an uninformed, hateful view of President Trump.

Trans-Soldier Ban & Trump’s Presidential Civility

Other commentators hint that the real reason for the ban is not because of financial costs but due to discrimination, prejudice or hate.

They are right the official government line is not true, but not because of those reasons.

Instead, the real reason for the Trans military ban stems from President Donald Trump’s genuine sense of love for the Americans that serve in the United States military.

Why is that?

By not sharing with the public that the real reason for the ban was due to a long-term espionage operation targetting Trans military personnel by Venezuelan Intelligence, President Trump absolves himself of divisive accusations that he questions troop loyalty or that he is any way giving cause for yet another mentally unbalanced person to baselessly attribute violent crimes to him.

Venezuela’s Counterintelligence Campaigns: Control Public Perception

This TeleSUR employee has written nearly an encyclopedia’s worth of content about politicians aligned with Rafael Correa, Hugo Chavez, and Nicolas Maduro.

During the Cold War the Soviet Union sound to disrupt U.S. international relations and undermine U.S. power in the world and undermine the appeal of U.S. democracy to other countries. Since 2002, Venezuela has sought to do the same through a variety of methods. Having state media employees at TeleSUR work full time to monitor certain Wikipedia entries is just one minor example. They have their own state media company as well, and it has numerous partners -such as Russia’s RT, Ruptly, Redfish and Sputnik, as well as Nicaragua, Cuba and Iran’s iterations of the same. And they are also connected to numerous “private” outlets in the U.S. as well – such as The Real News Network, WSWS, Teen Vogue, MintPress News, Democracy Now, etc. And there are also numerous independent journalists that have also gotten in on the act. I write about some of these journalists here, but in this article, will focus on Facebook as it’s quicker to illustrate my points as it relates to President Donald Trump’s civility.

Venezuela’s Honey Traps

Anarcha-Transfeminism is one of at least 300 Pages on Facebook that is moderated and operated by accounts promoting Venezuela’s anti-American worldview. While the above shares of official Venezuelan government websites and accounts make this easy to see, other content includes generalized incitement to violence, anti-voting messaging, disinformation and misinformation, and other forms of content designed to increase polarization.

The Great Sh!tpost Army

In addition to “Occupied” Facebook pages and numerous social media action centers in Venezuela that monitor and operate on Twitter and Facebook groups there is also an auxiliary force of voluntary shi!tposters, sock puppets operators, link-spammers, and others. Their goal is similar, to agitate online – Terms of Service be damned.

In the new world of digital media activism, one’s courage is determined by how many Facebook bans that you’ve come back from.

Appeals to Abstract Notion of Solidarity

How do they do this? For one by structuring images that help create a sense of belonging where there was once none and a sense of security where there was once none. This combined through the promotion of “solidarity” in a manner that simplifies the history and politics of Venezuela allows for deep-personal identifications to be made.

Considering how my other reports based on observation of official and non-official public groups and pages related to Venezuela’s intelligence operations show that sexism, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism are still quite alive despite their implications that it’s not – this is ironic, but that is really besides the point.

By collapsing the myriad complexities involved in any discussion of Venezuelan-U.S. relationships in this manner is a form of distortion, but one with potentially powerful emotional resonance.

Recruiting Trans People Online & In Real Life

Venezuelan accounts and Socialists sympathetic to them aren’t just engaged in trivial online behavior.

The International Socialist Organization, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and The Workers World Party – which has long been considered connected to foreign political interests – also have their members working in outreach and service organizations, or front groups to recruit.

The connection between this and military operations is yet unceratin, but the above images certainly indicate that espionage and the leaking of classified information to the benefit of military opponents is the goal.

Presumably, part of the investigation now being done in private by the U.S. Military related to the trans ban is not just about medical costs, but is about having American intelligence operatives pose as trans military personnel to determin the extent of active count-intelligence recruitment schemes going on.

Mainstreaming Revolution

Increasingly, this sort of radicalism isn’t just on the fringes either. Lucy Diavolo, the editor for Teen Vogue, frequently curates the writings of Venezuela associated writers like Keeanga Yamahtta and George Ciccariello-Maher.

Divalo, whose first written article for Teen Vogue was in praise of Chelsea Manning and who recently wrote an op-ed against her imprisonment for not cooperating with a grand jury investigation, hints at the extent to which the media has been influenced by Venezuela.

If this seems alarmist, consider the below evidence which indicates it might already have happened.

Celebrating Discharge and Promoting Espionage

After photos of Spenser Rapone stating that “Communism will win” were circulated through Venezuela’s coordinated inauthentic behavior network, they eventually made its way onto the desk of Florida Senator Marco Rubio. This and other veteran’s outcries of lead to Spenser’s other-than-honorable discharge.

Shortly after this, he presented at the Socialism conference in Chicago. The slogan for this event is “Another World is Necessary,” a variation of the World Social Form slogan – an organization founded in part to develop Socialism in America. One of their founders, Chico Whiataker, is currently on the WikiLeaks advisory board.

He also appeared on a new podcast called “unauthorized disclosure,” an obvious allusion to leaking information to the public. Mike Prysner, a former soldier himself, is also the finance of Venezuela spokesperson Abby Martin and a long time co-Producer for Empire Files, a program funded by the Venezuelan government.

While this could all be coincidence and affinities at work, it’s intereting to note that as of Thursday March 21st, Spenser Rapone is friends on Twitter with Ernesto Villegas, who previously had shared his photo on Instagram and Twitter and who is also the Minister of Venezuela’s Department of Popular Power and Culture – the Venezuelan equivalent of the CIA and the government body which also advises the president on how to operate TeleSUR.

Antifa and Nicolas Maduro

Military influence operations are just the tip of a much larger iceberg of Venezuelan intelligence projects in American. Since before 2007, Venezuela has been actively seeking to influence the American political scene.

Since 2010 Nicolas Maduro has been indoctrinating adolescents in Venezuelan collectivos to adopt “antifascism,” funded the development of eco-socialist and antifascism clubs throughout Latin America and in Spain. Though the motivating cause for collective action are different, as do the organizations backing them, there is nevertheless an underlying logic behind it all.

That’s why so many of the people that now make up Antifa are the same people that were previously involved in Occupy Wall Street and before that were in the Global Justice Movement.

The Smash Racism DC organizer, revolutionary communist and Antifa leader Jose Martin – who protested in front of Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s house, berated Sen. Ted Cruz at a restaurant until he and his wife were forced to leave, and was later involved in a fight wherein he yelled racist comments at U.S. troops – is just one of many examples of people radicalized in part by the Venezuelan intelligence operations whose goal is to help develop multiple dual-power, 21st Century Socialist movements in America.

President Trump’s Civic Responsibility in the Face of Fake News

Considering that so many non-governmental organizations, like Laura Durso’s LGBT Research and Communications Project, as well as numerous news and opinion, like the New York Times, CNN, VOX, and Teen Vogue, hire columnists and editorialists that don’t consider research as part of their professional process and that because of this President Trump is vilified, it’s understandable why he would have such disdain for the press.

He is, in this instance, like Batman – absorbing the hate of many people out of his love for the people. Were they informed of the Truth, Donald Trump would be praised for how he has handled Wikileaks/the World Social Forums/Venezuela’s attempts at getting U.S. military personnel – trans or otherwise – to commit acts of espionage.

It’s for these reasons that American’s should give the President due credit for his professional behavior in the face of calumny, and give him support in however he chooses to deal with Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.

English Translation of COLCIENCIAS Project Typologies version 5

English Translation of COLCIENCIAS Project Typologies version 5.

Available here Tipologias de Proyectos version 5 2018 or on COLCIENCIAS.

General Definitions.

Actor Recognized by Colciencias: Are those natural or legal persons that are susceptible of recognition by Colciencias as established in the policy of recognition of actors and that are enabled by the tax statute to give endorsement to a project that is presented to the call for tax benefits.

Scope of the project: i) The scope of an investigation indicates the goals that must be met or the results that will be obtained from the execution of the project and conditions the method that will be followed. ii) It is the work done to deliver a product, service or result with the specified functions and characteristics3

Social appropriation of science, technology and innovation: The Social Appropriation of the CTeI is an intentional process of understanding and intervention in the relationships between science, technology and society, which aims to expand the dynamics of generation, circulation and use of scientific knowledge -technological, and promote synergies between academic, productive, and state sectors, actively including communities and interest groups of civil society. It must include in a comprehensive manner the following components: Citizen participation in CIII, Communication of CIII, Exchange and transfer of knowledge, and Knowledge management in Social Appropriation of CIII.4

Guarantee: In the case of projects for tax benefits for investment, the guarantee must be given by the legal representative of the actor recognized by Colciencias. In any of the cases, the recognition must be valid at the time of making use of the tax benefit and it will be understood as official with the signature of the letter of presentation, endorsement and acceptance of commitments presented in the call.

The endorsement implies that the recognized actor is linked to the project with the role of Co executor or technical supervisor and is required to begin the evaluation process of the proposal.

Project life cycle: “It is the series of phases through which a project goes from its inception until it’s closure. (…) The phases are bounded in time with a beginning and an end or point of control. “5

Science, Technology and Innovation (CTeI): The qualification as technology and innovation science projects, hereinafter CTeI, includes the qualifications established in the law as “scientific, technological or innovation”, “research and technological development” projects or “of high content of scientific and technological research” as well as the other references in this matter contemplated in the current legislation.

Contingency: An event or an occurrence that could affect the execution of the project and that can be taken into account as a reservation.

Counterpart: These are the resources contributed by income taxpayers for the realization of a Science, Technology and Innovation project that will access tax benefits. The counterparts can be in cash or in kind (when a cash payment is not made for the development of said activities).

Copyrights: “They are the rights of the creators on their literary and artistic works. Works that lend themselves to copyright protection range from books, music, painting, sculpture and films to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps and technical drawings. “7

Industrial design: “It is any external form or aesthetic appearance of functional or decorative elements that serve as a pattern for its production in industry, manufacturing or crafts with special characteristics, so that they add value to the product and generate differentiation and variety in the market. . The protection modality is called an industrial design registry. “8

The large volume of design work in an industrial sector that is oriented to production processes, is not classified as R & D. However, some elements of the design work, such as plans and drawings to define processes, technical specifications and operating characteristics necessary for the conception, development and manufacture of new products and processes, must be included as R & D.

Evaluation: It is the process of conceptualization or evaluation of a program, a project, a document, an information (among others), which necessarily implies the review by a scientific / academic / expert pair who as an evaluator must present a written concept of the evaluation – according to previously defined criteria – a concept that should be clearly supported.

Impact Evaluation: “Impact evaluation is a type of summative evaluation” 9. The World Bank 10 defines impact assessment as the measurement of changes in the well-being of individuals that can be attributed to a specific program or policy. Its general purpose is to determine the effectiveness of policies, programs or projects executed. The impact evaluation can be used to determine to what extent the planned results were produced or achieved, as well as to improve other projects or programs in execution or future (Brousseau and Montalvn, 2002) “11.

Layout Schemes of Integrated Circuits:

a) Integrated circuit: A product, in its final or intermediate form, whose elements, of which at least one is an active element and any or all of the interconnections, form an integral part of the body or surface of a piece of material, and that is intended to perform an electronic function;

b) Layout diagram: The three-dimensional arrangement, expressed in any form, of the elements, at least one of them being active, and interconnections of an integrated circuit, as well as that three-dimensional arrangement prepared for an integrated circuit destined to be manufactured.12

Project Risk Management13: Project risk management includes the processes to carry out the identification, analysis, assessment, response and control of the associated risks.

Guide14: A recommendation or official advice that indicates policies, standards or procedures about how something should be done.

Indicator: i) It is an instrument to measure the achievement of the objectives of the programs and a reference for monitoring progress and for evaluating the results achieved. ii) Tools to clarify and define, more precisely, objectives and impacts (…) are verifiable measures of change or result (…) designed to have a standard against which to evaluate, estimate or demonstrate progress ( …) with respect to established goals, facilitate the distribution of inputs, producing (…) products and reaching objectives15 “.

Executing Entity: Any income taxpayer that makes a capital or own resources placement that is recorded as a counterpart for the execution of a project in CTeI.

Administrative staff16: This category includes leaders, managers, administrators or managers who carry out administrative, economic and / or project management activities, as well as qualified and unskilled personnel for office support, maintenance, surveillance and secretariat, among others and that participates as support in the execution of the projects of CTeI. The fees of these personnel must be recorded in the project administration expense item.

Patent: “A patent is an exclusive right that is granted over an invention. That is, a patent is an exclusive right that is granted over a product or a process that, in general, offers a new way of doing something or a new technical solution to a problem. To obtain a patent, you must submit an application in which technical information about the invention is publicly disclosed. “17

Patent of invention: A patent of invention is the protection given to every new product or procedure, in all fields of technology, which offers a new way of doing something, or a new technical solution to a problem. The invention patent must be new (novelty), have an inventive level and be susceptible of industrial application.

Utility Model Patent: A utility model is considered as any new form, configuration or arrangement of elements, of any device, tool, instrument, mechanism or other object or part of it, that allows a better or different operation, use or manufacture of the object that incorporates it or that provides it with some utility, advantage or technical effect that it did not have before.18

Pilot plant19: “The Pilot Plant is defined as the process consisting of specific assembled parts that operate as a harmonious whole with the purpose of reproducing, at a scale, production processes.

It facilitates the subsequent operation and application at industrial level or in a certain work area; It also serves to compare theory (models) with practice and experimentation in various areas of knowledge. Its purpose is:

Predict the behavior of a plant at an industrial level, operating the pilot plant at conditions similar to those expected. In this case, the data obtained will be the basis for the design of the industrial plant.

Study the behavior of industrial plants already built, where the pilot plant is a replica and will be subject to the operating conditions foreseen for the industrial plant. In this case, the pilot plant is called a model and its main function is to show the effects of changes in operating conditions more quickly and economically than if they were carried out in the original plant. ”

The construction and use of a pilot plant are part of the R & D, as long as the main objective is to acquire experience and obtain technical or other data that can be used in:

– The evaluation of hypothesis.

– The development of new product formulas.

– The establishment of new finished product specifications.

– The design of special equipment and structures necessary for a new process.

– The drafting of operating instructions or manuals about the process.

– Standardization of batches of testing and development of production processes.

Once the experimental phase is completed, the pilot plant functions as a normal unit of commercial production. As of that moment, its activity can not be considered to be of R & D or technological development, even if the plant continues to be called a pilot plant. Since the fundamental objective of a pilot plant is not of a commercial nature, in principle it is irrelevant that part or all of its production may end up being sold20.

Prototypes21: A method to obtain an early feedback regarding the requirements, providing a functional operating model before actually building it.

Industrial prototype: Original built model that has all the technical and operational characteristics of the new product.

Once all the necessary modifications have been made to the prototype (s) and all the relevant tests have been carried out satisfactorily, the R & D phase is considered to be completed. The construction of several copies of a prototype to meet commercial, military or medical needs, once the original prototype has been successfully tested, does not constitute part of this phase, even though this activity is carried out by the expert staff in I + D22.

Project: “Project is a temporary effort that is carried out to create a product, service or unique result.” 23

CTeI Project: It is a coherent and comprehensive set of science, technology and innovation activities, which seek to achieve an ultimate goal through specific objectives, using a coordinated and interrelated methodology defined in a period of time, which can be supported in key elements such as: tools, human resources, support of guidelines and guidelines of senior management, essential technological or physical resources, in addition to previously estimated financial resources.

A CTeI project seeks to generate new knowledge, generate new products, services, organizational models, develop prototypes and / or pilot plants, develop experiments among others.

Responsible for the project before the CNBT, all the entities participating in the project will be responsible for the execution of the project and for the use of the benefit granted, according to their role and contributions. However, the entity responsible for coordinating the presentation of the project and the annual execution reports, will be the entity that provides the greatest resource to the project as an investor in the case of deductions, and in the case of donations, it will be the entity grantee

Risk (24): An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more of the project’s objectives.

Role (25): A defined function to be performed by a member of the project team.

Transfer of knowledge and technology: The Transfer of Knowledge and Technology (TCT) defined from the perspective of the Innovation Systems, comprises a set of actions at different levels carried out by different institutions in an individual and aggregated way for the development, use, use, modification and diffusion of new technologies and innovations, and that constitutes the framework in which governments apply policies to contribute to innovation processes. (26)

The TCT requires a system of interconnected public and private institutions to create, store and transfer information, knowledge, skills and competencies. Usually the transfer is made with Intellectual Property assets through the following processes27:

Sale of intellectual property rights.
Licensing of intellectual property assets.
Joint ventures or collaboration agreements.
Generation of new technology-based companies (spin-off and start-up).

2. Typology of CTeI projects.

The definition of Science, Technology and Innovation projects is very broad and also involves efforts made by companies and the academic sector to generate new knowledge and materialize it in products and / or services, organizational models and processes that allow it to be more competitive and generate a social and economic impact.

In order to establish which projects can access the tax benefits, the National Council of Tax Benefits (CNBT) has established the conditions and characteristics of the projects that respond to the nature of the instrument and are aimed at generating value in the companies and the society.

For the Colombian case, scientific research projects, technological development and innovation are considered CII projects and are conceived as a systematic process that starts with the understanding of the foundations of observable phenomena and facts (basic research), ending with the introduction of implementation of solutions to problems faced daily by different sectors of society, which translates into the improvement of the country’s social and economic indicators.

CTeI projects are classified into three types: i. Scientific research projects, ii. Technological development projects and iii. Innovation projects.

2.1. Scientific Research Projects

Scientific research includes “creative work carried out systematically to increase the volume of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of that knowledge to create new applications.” (OECD, 2002) 28: The term Scientific research encompasses three modalities: basic research, applied research and experimental development, which can be defined according to the OECD (2002) as shown below:

Basic research “consists of experimental or theoretical works that are undertaken mainly to obtain new knowledge about the foundations of observable phenomena and facts, without thinking about giving them any application or specific use” .29 Regardless of the area of knowledge.

Applied research “also consists of original work carried out to acquire new knowledge; however, it is fundamentally directed towards a specific practical objective “30, regardless of the area of knowledge. Applied research is undertaken to determine the possible uses of the results of basic research, or to determine new methods or ways to achieve specific predetermined objectives.31

Experimental development “consists of systematic works based on existing knowledge obtained by research or practical experience, which are directed to the manufacture of new materials, products or devices, to establish new procedures, systems or services or to considerably improve those that already exist “ 32

The main objective of scientific research projects is the generation of new knowledge, with the aim of acquiring a deep understanding of the phenomena under study and the possible applications that may be made in the future. Table 2.1 shows the main objectives of the types of scientific research based on what is defined in the Frascati Manual.

Main objectives of the scientific research projects based on the Frascati manual:

Basic Research: Its main purpose is the generation of knowledge with two purposes: the first is to expand the volume of existing knowledge about a phenomenon and / or observable facts, the second has the objective of increasing the volume of knowledge available on a problem in order to to promote understanding for the future to develop a solution or application.

Applied research: Its main objective is to acquire new knowledge oriented towards a specific practical objective. To achieve this, all existing and available knowledge must be considered to solve specific problems.

Experimental Development: Its main objective is a deep understanding of the phenomena and factors that affect the materialization of an idea. It differs from applied research because in this type of project, there is a theoretical solution to a problem but it still does not meet the necessary conditions for the development of a functional prototype.

2.1.1. Projects that qualify as scientific research.

Projects that qualify as scientific research as defined by the National Council for Tax Benefits based on international manuals, could be summarized in table 2.2., Which contains illustrative and non-exhaustive examples to guide evaluators and proponents to identify in what type Your project can be located.

2.1.2. Projects that do not qualify as Scientific Research.

Projects that do not qualify as scientific research are those that by their scope or form of execution do not conform to what is defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals. Below is an enunciative list of these type of projects:

1. Projects that by their scope, structure and results may be considered Technological Development or Innovation.

2. Projects whose main objective is:

A) Teaching and training of personnel.

B) Development of undergraduate, Master and Doctorate theses.

C) Scientific, technological and technical information services.

D) Acquisition, collection and processing of data.

E) Tests and standardization of laboratory tests.

F) Accreditation of laboratories and bioterios.

G) Specialized technological and technical services.

H) Specialized consultancies

I) Administrative and legal activities aimed at obtaining property products

intellectual.

J) Pre-feasibility and / or feasibility studies.

K) Indirect management and support activities that do not constitute R & D in themselves.

L) Purchase, expansion, maintenance or update of infrastructure, equipment and machinery or computer programs.

M) Routine software use and maintenance activities.

N) Development of information systems that use known methods and tools

existing IT

O) The conversion or translation of computer languages.

P) The addition of user functions to those of computer applications.

Q) The debugging of computer systems.

R) The adaptation of existing software that does not imply new developments.

S) Strengthening of institutional capacities.

T) Activities that are of a routine nature and that do not imply scientific or technical advances or

do not solve technological uncertainties.

U) The creation of research centers, technological development centers, incubator of

companies, technological parks laboratories, among others.

3. Those developed in Free Zones based on the simple fulfillment of the Master Plan of

General Development of the Free Zone.

4. Those that are developed based on simple compliance with the regulations in force and / or obtaining certifications.

2.1.3. Content requested for the evaluation of a scientific research project.

In order to carry out the proposal evaluation process, the Technical Secretariat of the National Council of Tax Benefits has defined a series of contents requested in the online form for the registration of projects. Below is each of these contents with their respective description to guide proponents and / or evaluators in the process of qualifying the proposals as CTeI projects.

Title of Project

The title is the first reference of the project, it must describe the subject and the work to be done, for this it is important to take into account the content of the proposal and the purpose for which the research work is carried out. It is recommended to use a maximum of 250 characters for the title.

Amount requested for tax benefits for investment

The executing agency of the project must register in the online form what amount they request for the tax benefit during the duration of the project.

If there are more entities in the development of the project, this amount corresponds to the totality of the resources contributed by the participating entities and must coincide with the total value of the project without including the amounts financed with public resources.

The tax benefit applies only to the resources contributed by the income taxpayers that participate in the project and that are invested in the current and future fiscal period.

Type of Project

The type of project of a scientific research nature that is presented must be classified according to these options:

 Basic research

 Applied research

 Experimental development

Justification of the nature of the project

Arguing the reasons why they consider that the project conforms to the type of scientific research, for this they may take into account the guidelines of the National Council of Tax Benefits consigned in this document and the own analysis that the proposer made at the time of formulating the proposal taking into account criteria such as the scope and purpose of the project. It is recommended to make a concise justification, which does not exceed 500 words and which answers the question What characteristics does the present project have that can be classified as a scientific research proposal?

Executive Summary

Summarize in a maximum of 500 words the necessary information to explain what the problem or need consists of, how you think it will solve it, what are the reasons that justify its execution and the tools that will be used in the development of the project.

Knowledge that will generate the research project (Identification and description)

Mention the new ideas or concepts that are important for scientific progress in the subject that contribute to achieving the proposed objectives. It is recommended to describe the relevance and contribution of the proposed project to the subject under investigation and explain how it will contribute to the generation of new scientific – technological knowledge or the advancement of the state of the art.

Statement of the problem or need

The approach of the problem makes it possible to identify the need to carry out the study and must be formulated in a clear and concrete manner, allowing the identification of the question or hypothesis to be answered, whose solution or understanding will contribute to the advancement of science and the generation of new knowledge.

The definition of the problem is one of the most complicated phases when formulating a project of any kind, since it must define what the problem consists of in a broad way, delimit it, and analyze if it is worthwhile to carry out a project to solve it. For scientific research projects it should be evident that there is a gap in the knowledge of a topic or for the materialization of a solution for the case of experimental development.

For this stage it is necessary to review the background and importance of the subject to be investigated, the previous studies carried out at national and international level and the way in which the development of the present investigation will contribute a new knowledge or allow the materialization of the knowledge in a good or service to future that satisfies a need.

State of the Art

The purpose of the elaboration of the state of the art is to give theoretical support to the problem posed and to the research that seeks to be carried out, and its objective is to know in depth the topic to be investigated and to identify the main advances obtained to date in this area of knowledge for guide research to generate new knowledge.

A state of the art must contain among other elements:

1. Analysis of the available scientific information on the subject, in order to corroborate that there is in fact a gap in knowledge. For this purpose, systematic searches of the scientific literature should be carried out to demonstrate the advance of scientific knowledge in this field. Remember that a state of the art must include the most recognized authors in the subject and an analysis of the works published in the last five years, as well as describe the main components and elements of the topic to be investigated.

2. The way in which the subject has been addressed in previous research, in this case, the results and methods used in the research that most closely approach the topic under study must be documented in order to guide the research to new ways of approaching the subject. problem or the identified need.

3. Know the perspectives or approaches of previous research on the related subject, so that new perspectives can be considered to analyze it, for example when studying the topic of traffic accidents in a region of Colombia, in the state of the art it is evident that the previous investigations focused on analyzing only the incidence of the road infrastructure and the safety of the vehicles that travel the most in this zone in the accident rate, for which a research that analyzes whether cultural and social factors affect said rate of accidents would generate new knowledge.

4. An analysis of similar cases of research at the regional, national or international level, in order to avoid “inventing the wheel” and take advantage of the results of previous research to generate new knowledge.

In case the project does not have direct antecedents or with a low number of publications, this situation should be evidenced by an analysis of the bibliography in recognized scientific sources.

In the case of projects with previous phases developed by the entity, the results achieved in the phases developed must be related.

For this item, it is recommended to take into account the analysis of technological surveillance, consult scientific databases and patents, relate bibliographic review (retaining the structure of formats such as the APA), and consult Scienti to verify the state of the national technique.

Remember to respect the intellectual property rights of article authors by citing them properly and including such references in the bibliography section.

Objectives of the project

The objectives define what is intended to achieve with the development of the project and become a guide during its execution as they define the scope of the research. When formulating an objective, it is necessary to verify that it is achievable and drafted clearly, in such a way that ambiguities or deviations are avoided throughout the development of the project. Below are some recommendations for its formulation:

The general objective of the project is one and you must establish that you intend to achieve the research, for that you must answer what and what you want to do the project for. It must be shown in a general way what will be the result of the research, the methods to be used and the challenge to be solved. It is recommended to write with a verb in infinite that translate action for example establish, implant, synthesize, analyze, develop among others.

The specific objectives define the aspects, phases and / or main stages that are needed to reach the general objective, they must be coherent with each other and show what the results and methods are for each phase of the project. It is recommended to establish a maximum of 5 objectives and write starting with a verb in infinitive.

Main errors in the formulation of objectives:

1. Confuse objectives with activities, processes or procedures.

2. Repeat the general objective within the specific objectives, remember that the general objective is the purpose of the project and the specific objectives detail the

main phases to achieve it.

3. Write objectives that are not consistent with the title and the problem

raised, remember that the projects have a common thread that begins with the

Title.

4. Write objectives ambiguously so that it is not possible to identify

who is looking for the project and what the results will be.

5. Explain the objectives, given that in this field only those are defined, the objectives are justified with the problem and state of the art and are explained in the methodology.

Proposed Methodology

The methodology defines the way forward to achieve the proposed objectives, and must identify and describe the use of qualitative and quantitative methods, procedures, analytical techniques that will be used to achieve each of the specific objectives.

It is recommended to write the methodology by specific objective and define for each of them, the procedure, technique or tool to be used, for example observations, surveys, interviews, experimental designs, simulations, validations, tests, tests and others, the variables to analyze when applicable and the information or data that you aspire to obtain and the results.

Main errors in the formulation of the methodology:

1. Write the methodology as a list of activities, this is done in the project schedule

2. Define the methodology with little detail, given that without sufficient information an evaluator of the proposal could consider that the objectives are not attainable.

Project Risks

Risks are an event or condition of uncertainty that, when materialized, can have a positive or negative effect on the scope of one or more project objectives (PMI, 2013).

In this item, it is requested to record the main risks that the entities have identified that could impact the execution of the project and the activities or control points for their mitigation. This information is necessary to follow the project.

In the case of the evaluation of the proposals, the evaluators will verify that the identified risks allow to reduce the uncertainty of reaching the proposed objectives.

It is suggested to write the risks based on the following structure: “As a result of (enter the cause), there is a possibility that (possible future event) causing (enter the effect)” for example as a result of inadequate handling of samples, there is the possibility that the results of the laboratory tests are not as expected, causing the specific objective not to be reached 1. For this risk, the entity defines safety and sample management protocols and includes tools that allow researchers to constantly monitor the conditions environmental aspects of laboratory tests.

Trajectory and capacity of the working group or institutions participating in the project

Describe the experience and trajectory that the executing and co-executing entities and the actor recognized by Colciencias have in the subject of the proposed project, it is suggested to include previous research, products obtained, publications, presentations, technical documents, among others.

In case an entity considers that the information included in the Scien-ti platform is sufficient to evaluate the trajectory and capacity, include in this item the information about the group to be validated in the evaluation process.

Distribution of project responsibilities:

Clearly describe the activities and deliverables that will be developed in the execution of the

a) The executing agency

b) Co-executing entities

c) The actor recognized by Colciencias

d) The entities and / or persons that will carry out specialized consulting activities.

e) The entities that will perform technological services within the framework of the project.

Bibliography

Relate the sources of scientific and / or technological information relevant, current and / or updated that were consulted and / or cited in the text of the project. It is recommended to use sources recognized by the national or international scientific and technological community and the APA, ISO or MLA formats for citations. The proponent of the project is responsible for making the respective citation of the documents consulted.

Environmental Impact in the execution of the Project

Identify the effects of the development of the research project, whether positive or negative. In the event that the project identifies a negative environmental impact, it must identify if it is necessary to obtain the permits and environmental authorizations issued by the competent authorities that enable the development of the project. It is recommended to establish the pertinent actions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts identified.

Remember that with the joint signature of the letter of presentation, endorsement and acceptance of commitments, the project entities certify that “The present project was formulated taking into account the environmental norms, norms of health research or applied, in the case of genetically modified organisms or access to biological and genetic resources, or in case of using live resources, agents or biological samples, personal data, information from previous research carried out with living beings or that have no impact on life. And they have the respective supports (ethics committee, environmental licenses among others), in case COLCIENCIAS requires them “.

If, to the consideration of an evaluator, a project that requires a special permit for its execution, the supports may be requested to the proponents in the feedback stages and in case of not sending it, the National Council of Tax Benefits may reject its proposal due to non-compliance the requirements established by law.

Aspects of Intellectual Property

The entities participating in the project must define the ownership of the intellectual property rights derived from the results, taking into account the roles of the parties involved and their functions in the project. For more information, consult the Intellectual Property Guide adopted by the CNBT available on the Colciencias website. If there are no results that can be protected by intellectual property or that other protection mechanisms are defined, this should be explicitly stated.

Technical results by specific objective.

Relate for each specific objective the results that show its scope.

In the event that I consider that there are other results than those registered in the “results” field, they may be included in this space and identify the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators thereof.

Schedule

To relate the main activities required for the execution of the project based on what is defined in the methodology and to limit them in a period of time, in such a way that it allows to observe all the execution of the project and to know the progress status. It is advisable to take into account possible contingencies and / or delays that may arise during the execution of the project when defining its duration.

Remember that for the development of this project, you may apply to the CNBT for an extension for the execution of the project only when it is not possible to obtain the technical results in the time initially stipulated, this extension may not exceed one year.

Results

Define the measurable and quantifiable products that will be reached with the development of the project. It is necessary to establish at least one result for each specific objective and indicate the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators.

Remember that these results must be fully achieved within the framework of the project development and must be consistent with the methodology and demonstrate compliance with the project’s objectives.

Example of indicators: number of indexed publications, tests carried out, presentations, laboratory tests developed, experiments performed, etc. (during the execution of the project). A guide to the possible results can be found in section 5 of this document.

Expected Impacts

Relate the expected medium and long-term effects with the development of the project as a result of the knowledge acquired and generated in the research.

It is important to identify for each impact, the qualitative and quantitative indicators that can be verified, their description and the year of measurement. An example of indicators could be: number of new publications made by participating entities, number of prototypes developed, number of projects developed based on the knowledge generated, among others.

Budget

The budget of the project gives financial backing to the proposal and becomes one of the restrictions that limit the scope of the project. It is for this reason that it must be directly related to the activities defined in the methodology and the resources required to achieve the objectives.

In this item, the entity must record the values of the investment in the project within the framework of the items approved by the National Council for Tax Benefits (CNBT) for tax purposes. These can be consulted in number 3. It is important to register the

Provider when a purchase is made to other entities and the justification of why this item is necessary in the project and its relation with the proposed methodology and activities. Likewise, it is recommended to break down the items in detail and not to group investments in large items (for example: acquisition of machinery necessary for the development of the project).

To plan these items, it is necessary to make an estimate of costs taking into account factors such as inflation and the projection of the value of the dollar, so that the company can access the tax benefit in an appropriate manner. Remember that you will not be able to increase the value of the budget registered for tax purposes, so that investments with amounts higher than those approved by the CNBT will not be able to access the tax benefit. Entities may only make a quota transfer for tax purposes throughout the life cycle of the project.

2.1.4. Qualification criteria for a scientific research project.

Quality of the project,

(viability(33) of the project): (74%)

to)

b) Formulation of the proposal: (1%)

i) It will be verified that the registered project has been formulated taking into account the project typology document approved by the CNBT.

Quality of the proposed concepts: (5%) will be considered

i) The quality of the proposed research or development actions, as the case may be and

proposed methods for the execution and monitoring of the project, which guarantee the approach of

the proposed objectives.

ii) The quality of the project’s background, that is, whether the project is adequate and updated.

Information provided on:

The theme of the project.
The state of the art in the subject.
The approach of the problem.
The bibliographic review.

Aspects related to technological surveillance or other pertinent documentation

that leads to identify the added value provided by the development of the project at the local, sectoral, regional, national or international level.

Quality and efficiency of project planning. (68%)

It will be verified

The clear and coherent definition of the specific objectives set to achieve the general objective.
The coherence and relevance of the methodology and the activities to be developed in order to achieve the objectives and results proposed.
The technical expertise of the participants that make up the work team, necessary to perform the tasks assigned within the project. The knowledge and verifiable technical trajectory related to the theme of the submitted proposal must be assessed.
The coherence of the time spent by the work team in the activities to be developed.
The consideration of technological competitiveness for technological development or
innovation projects, that is, the advantages for the country, the risk of obsolescence and the possibility of generating patents
The coherence between the proposal and the administrative and technical management capacity of the group or recognized center that co-executes or supervises the project to qualify.
The clarity and coherence of the distribution of budgeted resources in the project. He
It will verify that the budgeted items are necessary to achieve the objectives, are clearly defined, justified and conform to the project typology document.

Potential impact of the project through the development, dissemination and use of project results. (20%)

It will be verified:

III.

Relevance of the project. (6%)

It will be verified:

The contribution to the strengthening of the country’s research and development.
The contribution with scientific training, knowledge transfer or new technologies.
The clear, coherent definition of the expected results for each of the specific objectives.
The contribution and implementation of the added value provided by the results of the project.
For research projects: identify contributions of new knowledge.
The identification of the results with verifiable quantitative and qualitative indicators.
The strengths of intellectual property.
The validity and relevance of the means and type of proposed disclosure.

2.2. Technological Development Projects

Technological development is understood as: “Application of the results of research, or any other type of scientific knowledge, for the manufacture of new materials, products, for the design of new processes, production systems or services, as well as the substantial technological improvement of pre-existing materials, products, processes or systems. This activity will include the realization of the results of the research in a plan, scheme or design, as well as the creation of non-marketable prototypes and the initial demonstration projects or pilot projects, provided that they are not converted or used in industrial applications or for commercial exploitation “.34

The main objective of these projects is the materialization of the knowledge available or obtained by the entities participating in the project, in prototypes, pilot plants, models to validate their usefulness in satisfying a need whether internal, external or from the market.

Technological development is considered as the first phase of innovation, and include in its scope the manufacture of test batches at pilot scale for the case of new products or the development of pilot plants for the validation of new production processes.

Experimental development projects differ from technological development because in this type of research, there is a theoretical solution to a problem but it still does not meet the necessary conditions for the development of a prototype. Its objective is a deep understanding of the phenomena and factors that affect the materialization of an idea and not in the development of prototypes.

2.2.1. Projects that qualify as Technological Development.

The projects that qualify as technological development as defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals, are summarized in the following table, which contains illustrative and non-exhaustive examples to guide evaluators and proponents to identify in what type tour project can be located.

Features

Technological development projects validate solutions at the prototype and pilot level, before scaling up at an industrial level, its objective is to reduce the uncertainty generated by the theoretical solutions proposed.

Possible Results

Prototypes, pilot plants, models

Design, optimization and / or standardization of pilot-level processes.

Validation of design and its impact on improving the quality of goods or services.

Development of information technologies in relation to operating systems, programming languages, data management, programs of communications and tools for software development.

The development of software that produces advances in the generic approaches for the capture, transmission, storage, recovery, treatment or presentation of information.

R & D in software tools or technologies in specialized areas of computer science (image processing, presentation of data recognition characters, artificial and others).

Geographic, intelligence interactives, prototypes and artifacts for science centers.

Examples

Design of a prototype of bumper and directions in low range cars from thermoplastic polyurethanes, with greater resistance to friction and tenacity, for automobiles.
Design of a pilot plant for the analysis of the efficiency of the reading system by means of bluetooth, for the traceability of products.
Application of algorithms based on neural networks for the development of pilot software for traffic lights in cities.
Pilot plant for potassium nitrate for the manufacture of fertilizers in citrus fruit plantations
Prototypes for the development of intelligent textiles from nanotechnology processes.
Prototypes for the development of reverse engineering for the production of mechanical parts in the automotive sector.
Development and validation of robot prototypes for automation processes that improve the productivity and / or efficiency of the plant.

2.2.2. Projects that do not qualify as Technological Development.

Projects that do not qualify as Technological Development are considered to be those that by their scope or form of execution do not conform to what is defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals. Below is an enunciative list of this type of projects:

1. Projects that by their scope, structure and results can be considered as scientific research or Innovation.

2. Projects that consist essentially of technological services and / or specialized consultancies.

3. Projects whose main objective is:

A) Regular or periodic modifications made to products, production lines, manufacturing processes, existing services and other operations in progress, even when said modifications may represent improvements to them.

B) Scaling at an industrial level35 or commercialization of the results obtained or developed at the pilot plant level.

C) Routine efforts36 to improve products, processes or services.

D) Routine adjustments made by the company due to its normal operation or leveling with

with respect to competitors that does not imply a development by the executing company.

E) Periodic changes, seasonality or seasonal changes (eg fashion design), that do not imply

changes in the functionality of the products.

F) Design changes that do not modify the functionality of the product or service.

G) Aesthetic modifications of existing products to differentiate them from similar ones.

H) Marketing of products and services of other companies, including parent companies.

I) Consulting

J) The replacement, purchase, expansion or update of infrastructure, machines, equipment or

Software.

K) Strengthening institutional capacities

L) Pre-feasibility studies (37), feasibility (38).

M) Hiring technological services and / or specialized technicians.

N) Administrative and legal activities aimed at obtaining property products

intellectual

O) Indirect management and support activities that do not constitute R & D in themselves.

P) Computer activities that are routine in nature and do not involve advances

scientists, technicians, who do not resolve technological uncertainties or who do not demonstrate their CTeI component.

Q) Commercial application software and development of information systems that use methods

known and existing computer tools.

R) The maintenance of existing computer systems.

S) The conversion or translation of computer languages.

T) The debugging of computer systems.

U) The adaptation of existing software.

V) The preparation of documentation for the user.

W) Teaching and training of personnel, development of undergraduate thesis, Masters and Doctorate.

X) Scientific, technological and technical information services.

Y) Acquisition, collection and processing of data.

Z) Tests and standardization of laboratory tests.

3. Those developed in Free Trade Zones according to the simple fulfillment of the General Development Master Plan of the Free Trade Zone.

4. Those developed based on simple compliance with current regulations and / or obtaining certifications.

2.2.3. Content requested for the evaluation of a Technological Development project.

In order to carry out the proposal evaluation process, the technical secretariat of the National Tax Benefits Council has defined a series of contents requested in the online form for the registration of projects. Below is each of these contents with their respective description to guide proponents and / or evaluators in the process of qualifying the proposals as CTeI projects.

Information requested by Colciencias

Title of the project

Amount requested for tax benefits for investment

The executing agency of the project must register in the online form what amount they request for the tax benefit during the duration of the project.

The tax benefit applies only to the resources contributed by the income taxpayers that participate in the project and that are invested in the current and future fiscal period.

Project Type

The type of project must be classified, for this case it is Technological Development.

Justification of the nature of the project

Argument the reasons why they consider that the project conforms to the type of Technological Development. For this purpose, they may take into account the guidelines of the National Council of Tax Benefits consigned in this document and the own analysis that the proposer made at the time of formulating the proposal, taking into account criteria such as the scope and purpose of the project. It is recommended to make a concise justification, that does not exceed 500 words and that answers the question: What characteristics does this project have that can be classified as a Technological Development proposal?

Technological development of the proposal (identification and description)

Mention the new ideas or concepts that are important for the scientific and technological advance in the subject that contribute to achieving the proposed objectives. It is recommended to describe the relevance and contribution of the proposed project to the subject under investigation and explain how they will contribute to the materialization of an idea in a prototype, pilot plant, model among others.

Pre-evaluation of the market for technological development.

Mention what are the needs and opportunities of the market identified for this project. For this purpose, it will have to consult or identify needs with customers, analyze competitors and the market and, as far as possible, characterize the potential market for new products and, for processes and / or organizational models, the needs of the company in comparison with the available solutions.

Statement of the problem or need

The approach of the problem allows to identify the need and / or opportunity to carry out the study and must be formulated in a clear and concrete way, allowing identifying the need or opportunity that one wants to replace with the development of the project and the scientific / technological uncertainty whose solution or understanding it will contribute with the materialization of available knowledge in a tangible good or service at the prototype or pilot level.

The definition of the problem is one of the most complicated phases when formulating a project of any kind, since it must define what the problem consists of in a broad way, delimit it, and analyze if it is worthwhile to carry out a project to solve it. For technological development projects, it should be evident that there is a challenge in the materialization of a theoretical solution, that merits a stage of development and validation of the same before implementing it or launching it into the market.

For this stage it is necessary to review the background and importance of the subject to be investigated, the previous studies carried out at national and international level and the way in which the development of the present investigation will allow the materialization of the knowledge in a good or service that satisfies a need in the medium term.

State of the Art

The purpose of the elaboration of the state of the art is to give theoretical support to the problem posed and to the project that seeks to be carried out, and aims to know in depth the topic to be investigated and to identify the main advances obtained to date in this area of knowledge for guide the project to the development of a prototype or pilot plant that will allow an improvement of existing products and solutions.

A state of the art must contain among other elements:

Analysis of the available scientific information on the subject, in order to corroborate that there is a real challenge in the materialization of these solutions. For this purpose, systematic searches of the scientific literature should be carried out to demonstrate the advance of scientific knowledge in this field. Remember that a state of the art must include the most recognized authors in the subject and an analysis of the works published in the last five years, as well as describe the main components and elements of the topic to be investigated.
The way in which the subject has been addressed in previous research and / or projects. In this case, the results and methods used in the investigations that are closest to the topic under study and / or to the possible prototypes or pilot plants developed must be documented, in such a way that it guides the project to new ways of approaching the problem or the identified need.
The perspectives or approaches of previously developed projects on the related subject, in such a way that new perspectives can be considered to analyze it. For example, a company proposes a project for the design of a prototype of an aquatic robot, in the state of the art they review the possible materials with which they can comply with the designs and identified that there is a type of alloy that is malleable and resistant to high hydrostatic pressures but that has never been used to build a robot, so they decide to include it for the development of the project.
An analysis of similar cases of research at the regional, national or international level, in order to avoid “inventing the wheel” and take advantage of the results of previous research to generate new functional prototypes, improvements in pilot plants, new models, others.
In case the project does not have a direct background or with a low number of publications, this situation should be evidenced by an analysis of the bibliography in recognized scientific sources.
In the case of projects with previous phases developed by the entity, the results achieved in the phases developed must be related.
For this item, it is recommended to take into account the analysis of technological surveillance, consult scientific databases and patents, relate bibliographic review (retaining the structure of formats such as the APA), and consult Scienti to verify the state of the national technique.
Remember to respect the intellectual property rights of article authors by citing them properly and including such references in the bibliography section.

Objectives of the project

The general objective of the project is one and you must establish that you intend to achieve the research, for that you must answer what and what you want to do the project for. It must be shown in a general way what will be the result of the research, the methods to be used and the challenge to be solved. It is recommended to write with a verb in infinitive that translates action for example establish, implant, synthesize, analyze, develop among others.

The specific objectives define the aspects, phases and / or main stages that are needed to reach the general objective, they must be coherent with each other and show what the results and methods are for each phase of the project. It is recommended to establish a maximum of 5 objectives and write starting with a verb in infinitive.

Main errors in the formulation of objectives:

Confuse objectives with activities, processes or procedures.

Repeat the general objective within the specific objectives, remember that the general objective is the purpose of the project and the general objectives detail the main phases to achieve it.

Write objectives that are not consistent with the title and the problems raised, remember that the projects have a common thread that begins with the title.

Draft objectives in an ambiguous way so that it is not possible to identify what the project is looking for and what the results will be.

Explain the objectives, given that in this field only those are defined, the objectives are justified with the problem and state of the art and are explained in the methodology.

Proposed Methodology

It is recommended to write the methodology by specific objective and define for each of them, the procedure, technique or tool to be used, for example simulations, validations, tests, tests, among others, the variables to be analyzed when applicable and the information or data that aspire to obtain and the results.

Main errors in the formulation of the methodology:

Write the methodology as a list of activities, this is done in the project schedule

Define the methodology with little detail, given that without sufficient information an evaluator of the proposal could consider that the objectives are not achievable.

Project Risks

Risks are an event or condition of uncertainty that, when materialized, can have a positive or negative effect on the scope of one or more project objectives (PMI, 2013).

In the case of the evaluation of the proposals, the evaluators will verify that the identified risks allow to reduce the uncertainty of reaching the proposed objectives.

1. For this risk, the entity defines a validation with design experts before making the prototype.

Trajectory and capacity of the working group or institutions participating in the project

Describe the experience and trajectory that the executing and co-executing entities and the actor recognized by Colciencias have in the theme of the proposed project. It is suggested to include previous research, products obtained, publications, presentations, technical documents, among others.

Distribution of responsibilities

Clearly describe the activities and deliverables that will be developed in the execution of the project:

The executing entity.
Co-executing entities.
The actor recognized by Colciencias.
The entities and / or persons that will carry out specialized consulting activities.
The entities that will perform technological services within the framework of the project.

Bibliography

Environmental Impact in the execution of the Project

Identify the effects that the development of the research project has, whether positive or negative. In the event that the project identifies a negative environmental impact, it must identify if it is necessary to obtain the permits and environmental authorizations issued by the competent authorities that enable the development of the project. It is recommended to establish the pertinent actions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts identified.

If, to the consideration of an evaluator, a project that requires a special permit for its execution, the supports may be requested to the proponents in the feedback stages and in case of not sending it, the National Council of Tax Benefits may reject its proposal for non-compliance the requirements established by law.

Aspects of Intellectual Property

Technical results by specific objective.

Relate for each specific objective the results that show its scope. In the event that I consider that there are other results than those registered in the “results” field, they may be included in this space and identify the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators thereof.

Schedule

Results

Define the measurable and quantifiable products that will be reached with the development of the project, it is necessary to establish at least one result for each specific objective and indicate the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators.

Example of indicators: number of functional prototypes, tests performed, presentations, laboratory tests developed, pilot plants, experiments performed, etc. (during the execution of the project). A guide to the possible results can be found in section 5 of this document.

Expected Impacts

Relate the expected medium and long-term effects with the development of the project as a result of the knowledge acquired and generated in the research.

Personal

Register the necessary personnel for the execution of the project by participating entity. The scientific and support staff must be registered and clearly define the function in the project, role, specialty and function. To know the type of scientific and support staff consult section 4.2.

It is necessary to define a principal investigator in the project and identify which is the scientific staff of the proposal, since it will be the only one that will be able to access the benefit of Non-Constituent Income of Income and / or Occasional Gain.

Budget

The project budget gives financial support to the proposal and becomes one of the restrictions that limit the scope of the project, which is why it must be directly related to the activities defined in the methodology and the resources required to achieve the objectives.

In this item, the entity must register the investment values in the project within the framework of the items approved by the National Council for Tax Benefits (CNBT) for tax purposes. These can be consulted in number 3. It is important to register the supplier when make purchase to other entities and the justification of why this item is necessary in the project and its relation with the methodology and activities proposed. Likewise, it is recommended to break down the items in detail and not to group investments in large items (for example: acquisition of machinery necessary for the development of the project).

To plan these items it is necessary to make an estimate of costs taking into account factors such as inflation and the projection of the value of the dollar so that the company can access the tax benefit in an appropriate manner. Remember that you will not be able to increase the value of the budget registered for tax purposes, so that investments with amounts higher than those approved by the CNBT will not be able to access the tax benefit. Additionally, entities may only make a quota transfer for tax purposes throughout the life cycle of the project.

2.2.4. Qualification criteria for a Technological Development project.

Relevance of the Project: (50%)

It will be evaluated that:

1. The proposal of technological development points to the materialization of available knowledge and responds to a real need of the market identified, quantified and characterized by the company.

2. The proposal is duly formulated and the proposed activities point to the realization of the available knowledge at the prototype or pilot level.

3. In the proposal, there is a clearly identified market with potential customers and requirements of the defined products or processes that will be developed and validated in the project.

4. The scientific staff has experience in the scope of application of the project and has been immersed in other processes of technological development previously executed. The knowledge and verifiable technical trajectory related to the theme of the submitted proposal must be assessed.

5. The company has the capacity of infrastructure and equipment necessary for the development of the project and to allocate the necessary resources for its successful execution.

6. The support staff defined in the proposal is sufficient to perform the tasks assigned within the project.

7. There is coherence between the time spent by the work team and the activities to be developed.

8. There is coherence between the proposal and the administrative and technical management capacity of the group, center, R & D & I unit recognized or the researcher who co-executes or supervises the project to be qualified.

9. The distribution of budgeted resources in the project is coherent and sufficient. It will be verified that the budgeted items are necessary for the achievement of the objectives, are clearly defined, justified in the proposal and conform to the project type document.

10. The Technological Development proposal has previous studies or theoretical background that provide support to the proposed solution and contains novel elements that have not been implemented or developed previously and that pose a challenge for the company.

Quality of the project: (30%)

It will be verified:

There is coherence between the description of the problem or need, the state of the art, the challenge or opportunity to be addressed and the objectives of the project.
The results of the project point to the materialization of the results of previous research stages that lead to the development at the pilot or prototype level of new products, organizational models processes.
The proposed methodology allows the obtaining of results, the scope of the general objective and responds to the nature of a technological development project.
The project clearly evidences the difference between what exists in the company and the challenge and / or challenge that the company faces with the development of the proposal.
The technological development contains theoretical foundations that give viability to the project and satisfy a quantified and identified need.
Within the postulated project, there are activities that allow the appropriation of the knowledge generated by the company, the sector and / or country, or the patent application on the obtained development.

Impact of the project: (20%)

It will be verified:

There is a clearly identified proposed strategy within the company to capture the added value of the project and scale it up in future stages.
The development of the project, will result in the materialization of knowledge in a prototype or pilot of a new or significantly improved product or service, or a new organizational model for the company, the country or internationally.
The economic, social, technological, environmental and cultural impact of technological development has been identified and quantified and is considered significant compared to the identified problem situation.
The contribution with the scientific training, knowledge transfer or new technologies that aim at the competitiveness of the companies and the productive sector.

NOTE: The minimum qualification for the approval of a project will be 80 points.

2.3. Innovation Projects

An innovation is the introduction to the use of a product (good or service), of a process, new or significantly improved, or the introduction of a new marketing or organization method applied to business practices, work organization or external relations “(39).

For there to be innovation, it is necessary, at least, that the product (good or service), the process, the marketing method (40) or the method of organization are new or significantly improved for the company.

“Innovative activities correspond to all scientific, technological, organizational, financial and commercial operations that effectively lead, or that aim to lead the introduction of innovations. Some of these activities are innovative in themselves, others are not new but are necessary for the introduction of innovations. Innovation activities also include R & D activities that are not directly linked to the introduction of a particular innovation “ (41).

Innovation should be considered as a continuous process, based on a methodology that generates knowledge, the use of new technologies or the generation of innovation opportunities. For purposes of the instrument of Tax Benefits for investment, the National Council of Tax Benefits in Science, Technology and Innovation has defined that the following may be considered as innovation projects:

Product Innovation

“A product-service innovation is the introduction of a new or significantly improved good or service with respect to its characteristics or possible uses. This type of innovation includes significant improvements in technical specifications, components, materials, embedded software, ergonomics or other functional characteristics. “Significant improvements of existing products may be the result of changes in materials, components or other features that improve their performance43. Service innovations can include significant improvements in supply operations (for example, in terms of efficiency or speed), the addition of new functions or features to existing services, or the introduction of entirely new services44.

Innovation in Process

“A process innovation is the introduction of a new or significantly improved production or distribution method. It includes significant improvements in techniques, equipment or software45. In services, process innovations include new or significantly improved methods for the creation and delivery of them. Innovation in the process includes innovations in the methods of distribution and production, in the former they are linked to the logistics of the company and include the equipment, the computer programs, the techniques for supplying inputs, the allocation of supplies within the company or the distribution of final products. Production methods include techniques, equipment and programs that can be used to produce goods or services.

Organizational Innovation

“Organizational innovation is the introduction of a new method of organization applied to business practices, to the organization of work or to the external relations of the company46”. The differentiating characteristic of an organizational innovation, compared with other changes organizational, is the application of a new organizational method (to business practices, to the organization of work or external relations) that has not been used before in the company and that is the result of strategic decisions of the management (47). Within the organizational innovation is among others:

Innovations in the organization of the workplace (48): These innovations imply the introduction of new methods of attribution of responsibilities and decision-making power among employees for the division of labor, or of new structuring concepts.
Innovations in foreign relations (49): involve the introduction of new ways of organizing relationships with other companies, research organizations, clients, suppliers and public institutions.

The main objective of innovation projects is the introduction into the market of a product or service or the implementation of a new process on an industrial scale or an organizational method in all the areas involved.

Innovation in product: Its main purpose is the introduction of new products or services for the sector, the region or the country or significantly improved, that is to say that they modify some characteristic of the product in such a way that they have better performance.

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Process innovation: Its main objective is the introduction of new processes for the production of a product or provision of a new or significantly improved service, that is to say that they modify components of the process to improve the performance of the process in terms of cost reduction and increase Of capacity. The main difference between a process innovation and a product innovation is that the first is focused on improving the way the product is made while the second is focused on improving the characteristics of the product.

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Organizational innovation: Its main objective is to introduce new organizational models in the company, and is focused mainly on people and / or work organization, while process innovation refers more to the introduction or modification of the components of the process to improve its performance, efficiency, among others.

Table 2.6. Main objective of the innovation project types.

2.3.1. Projects that qualify as Innovation

Projects that qualify as innovation as defined by the National Tax Benefits Council based on international manuals, could be summarized in the following table, which contains illustrative and non-exhaustive examples to guide evaluators and proponents to identify which type can be located her project.

Typology

Product or service innovation features introduce new or significantly improved products or services for the sector.

Possible Results

Substitution of products or imports.
Development of friendly products with the environment.
Development of functionalities increase the aggregate of the product or service.
Entry to new markets.
Increase market share.
Improvement of quality of goods and services.

Examples

1. Introduction to the market of pest biocontrollers in crops.

2. Validation and introduction to the market of a bumper to from thermoplastics, production, marketing, manufacturing plant.

3. Implementation of a mobile application of an early warning system, based on data analysis with Big data technology, for inhabitants in populations at high risk of flooding or avalanche by increasing rivers.

Typology: Process innovation

Features

Implementation of new or significantly improved manufacturing processes or service provision.

Possible Results

Reduction of response times to the needs of customers.
Reduction of consumption of raw materials and energy.
Improvements in the flexibility of the production process or the provision of services.
Increases in production capacity or provision of services.
Reduction of labor costs. Reduction of product out of specifications.
Reduction of product design costs.
Reduction of operating costs for the provision of services.
Optimization of a process.
Significant improvement in the quality of service
Reduction of environmental impacts.
Reduction of response times to customer needs.

Examples

1. Implementation in the company of a product traceability system through bluetooth, to reduce the quantity of non-conformed products marketed and identify the critical points of Process Control.

2. Implementation of a telemedicine system in rural hospitals for the treatment of chronic diseases.

3. Improvement of Efficiency in electrical systems through the transfer and dissemination of new knowledge in management.

4. Implementation of a system for smart traffic lights in large cities.

Typology: Organizational Innovation

Features

Implementation of new organizational models at work, mainly in the organization of the workplace, the external relations of the company or the application of new organizational methods.

Possible Results

Administrative transaction reduction.
Reduction of supplies and/or of costs
Significant improvement of working conditions.
Improvement in communications and interactions between the different business units.
Increase in the transfer of knowledge with other organizations.
Increased ability to adapt to changes in customer demand.
Increase in the efficiency or speed of the supply / distribution chain and / or shipment of goods and services.
Development of new methods of relationship with customers and / or suppliers
Development of new capabilities that have a different impact on the business model.

Examples

Auto parts supplier development program: Management model for competitiveness

Incorporation of new practices to the business model.

2.3.2. Projects that do not qualify as Innovation.

Projects that do not qualify as innovation are considered those that by their scope or form of execution do not conform to what is defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals. Below is an enunciative list of this type of projects:

Projects that due to their scope, structure and results can be considered as Scientific Research or Technological Development.
Projects that consist essentially in the contracting of technological services and / or specialized consultancies.
Routine efforts (50) to improve the quality of products.
The adaptation of an existing product or production process to the specific requirements imposed by a customer (Custom production). Unless they imply significantly different functional attributes.
The periodic or seasonal changes (eg, fashion design).
Design changes or aesthetic modifications that do not alter the functionality of the product or existing products.
Marketing of products and services of other companies, including parent companies.
Routine adjustments made by the company due to its normal operation or leveling with respect to competitors that do not involve developments by the company.
Increases in production or service capacity, due to the increase in production capacity or the use of logistics systems similar to those currently used by the company. (Projects to increase production or service capacity that have not been derived from R & D processes or activities 51
Changes in business practices, work organization or external relationships that are based on organizational methodologies already used by the company.
Projects of organizational innovation that do not imply the introduction of new organizational methods or that have been previously used by the company.
Projects whose main focus is the application or contracting of existing methodologies, for example: competitions, challenges, methodology for closing gaps, among others.
Mergers, acquisitions and / or similar operations, for example: transformation, asset purchase, spin-off, etc.
The acquisition and simple parameterization of software for business management (ERP – CRM).
The projects whose main objective are:
Prefeasibility studies52, feasibility53.
Hiring of technological services and / or specialized technicians.
Administrative and legal activities aimed at obtaining intellectual property products
Management and indirect support activities that do not constitute R & D in themselves.
Consulting activities
The replacement, purchase, expansion or update of infrastructure, machines, equipment or computer programs.
Strengthening of institutional capacities derived from routine activities of the company.
Commercial application software and development of information systems using known methods and existing computer tools
Adaptation and / or purchase of software for the integration of other existing systems.
The maintenance of existing computer systems.
The conversion or translation of computer languages.
The addition of user functions to those of computer applications.
The adaptation of existing software.
The preparation of documentation for the user.
The unique development of a digital application (app) or customization of an existing digital application.

Those developed in Free Trade Zones based on the simple fulfillment of the Master Plan for General Development of the Free Trade Zone.

Those that are developed based on simple compliance with current regulations and / or obtaining certifications.

2.3.3. Content requested for the evaluation of an Innovation project.

2.3.4 Criteria for qualification of an Innovation project.

Pertinence of the Project: (50%), it will be evaluated that:

The proposal is duly formulated and the proposed activities point to the solution of previously identified needs. In the proposal, there is a clearly identified market with its economic and social impacts, compared to: potential customers, final and direct users, estimates of the volume of additional revenue or market share that the company can obtain. In the case of innovations in process and organizational, the company has identified and quantified the cost savings or the impact in terms of performance variables, positioning or quality attributes that will bring the implementation of innovation to the company.

The scientific, professional or interdisciplinary staff (for example, technicians, commercial experts, financiers, researchers, etc.), has experience in the scope of application of the project and has been immersed in other innovation processes or has had experience in the development of projects of impact in the sector linked to the proposal. The knowledge, technical or verifiable professional trajectory related to the theme of the submitted proposal must be assessed.

The company has the capacity of infrastructure and equipment necessary for the development of the project and to allocate the necessary resources for its successful execution.

The support staff defined in the project is sufficient to perform the tasks assigned within the project.

There is coherence between the time spent by the work team and the activities to be developed.

There is coherence between the proposal and the administrative and technical management capacity of the group, center, R & D unit recognized or the researcher who co-executes or supervises the project to be qualified.

The distribution of budgeted resources in the project is coherent and sufficient. It will be verified that the budgeted items are necessary for the achievement of the objectives, are clearly defined, justified in the proposal and conform to the project type document.

The innovation proposal has previous developments or background that provide support to the proposed solution and contains novel elements that have not been implemented or developed previously by the company and that aim to generate competitive advantages.

Quality of the project: (30%), it will be verified:

There is coherence between the description of the problem or need, the state of the art, the challenge or opportunity to be addressed and the objectives of the project.

The results of the project point to the scaling of results of previous stages of research or innovation that lead to the incorporation of innovation in the market and / or implementation of the solution in the company.

The proposed solution presents a degree of novelty and added value, to address the opportunity; the technological or non-technological challenges to be solved; or it generates changes of positioning in the market that the company would have given the execution of the project.

The methodology proposed allows the obtaining of results, the scope of the general objective and responds to the nature of an innovation project.

The innovation contains theoretical or practical foundations that give viability to the development of the project and satisfaction of an identified need.

Within the postulated project, there are activities that allow the appropriation of the knowledge generated by the company, the sector and / or country, or the patent application on the obtained innovation.

Impact of the project. (20%) It will be verified:

There is a clearly identified strategy within the company to capture the value added by innovation.

The development of the project, will bring as a result an innovation for the company, the sector, the region, the country or internationally.

The economic, social, technological, environmental and cultural impact of innovation has been identified and quantified and is considered significant compared to the identified problem.

The contribution to strengthening the competitiveness of companies and the productive sector.

NOTE: The minimum qualification for the approval of a project will be 80 points.

3. Financeable items for CTeI projects

The National Council of Tax Benefits has defined as items that can access tax benefits for investment in Science, Technology and Innovation projects, which are shown below:

SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL

This item includes the fees paid to scientific personnel. These personnel carry out direct activities of Science, Technology and Innovation in the project aimed at achieving the objectives. Remember that only the values described in this item may access Non-Constituent Income from income and / or occasional gain. (More information see section 4.2.)

Fees paid to support staff, administrative staff related to the proposal and personnel not involved in the project.

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4. Roles in the projects of CTeI4.1. Roles of the entities participating in the project

The entities participating in the postulated projects, depending on the functions and tasks assigned, will have one of the following roles:

Executor: Any mixed or private company or natural person, who technically and financially leads the project and is responsible for carrying out the fulfillment of the objectives and results proposed for the CTeI project and the investments registered in the SIGP. There can only be one executing agency in the project and it must be a taxpayer of income.

Co-executor: Any company, public or private institution, that participates directly in the fulfillment of the objectives and results proposed for the CTeI project, under the direct or indirect coordination of the executor. Co-executors can participate with different income taxpayers of the executing agency who participate and invest in the execution of the project, as well as a research group or center, research centers and institutes, technological development centers, Science Technology parks and Innovation, Research Results Transfer Offices (OTRI), innovation and productivity centers, technology-based incubators, science centers and organizations that promote the use and appropriation of science, technology and innovation that will be part of the development of the project.

Technical Supervisor: Natural or legal person who exercises a specialized technical activity, and whose fundamental purpose is to guide, support and ensure compliance with scientific, technical and budgetary commitments throughout the life cycle of the CTeI project. Every supervisor must have the recognition of Colciencias as a research group or center, research centers and institutes, technological development centers, Science Technology and Innovation parks, Research Results Transfer Offices (OTRI), innovation and productivity centers , technology-based incubators, science centers and organizations that promote the use and appropriation of science, technology and innovation, with expertise in the thematic area of project development and that will endorse the project they will present.

If a change of the actor recognized by Colciencias is required, the proponent must request COLCIENCIAS the approval of the new entity that will endorse the project, for which COLCIENCIAS will verify the suitability based on the information registered in the ScienTI platform or Colciencias own databases.

4.2. Roles of the staff in the project

The project personnel are the people who work directly and indirectly in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, services, methods and systems, 54 and can have the following roles:

SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL: These are the people who carry out direct CTeI activities that require the application of concepts, design of methodologies, validation of results and are in charge of coordinating and controlling the execution of the project. These personnel perform tasks directly related to the main activities of the project, and have verifiable technical and / or professional expertise in the development of CTEI projects and / or in the main thematic area of the proposal. This category includes the Principal Investigator, researcher Company of the productive sector, Co-researcher, Software Developer and advisor.

Principal Investigator: Is the director or leader of the life cycle of the project. It directly develops activities of planning and management of the scientific and technical aspects of the work of the co-researchers, among its main tasks are the formulation, execution and technical coordination for the development of the objectives and achievement of the proposed results. It has the technical capacity and accredited expertise in the thematic area of the project to be developed. For purposes of software development projects, the principal investigator will be the one responsible for the software life cycle. In the case of personnel associated with the companies, the principal investigator will be the professional with experience in the development of research and / or innovation projects.

The principal investigator will be in charge of approving personnel changes and transfers between items approved by the CNBT without exceeding 20% of the total value of the fiscal period and report them to COLCIENCIAS in the annual technical and financial execution report. When for some reason it is required to change the principal investigator of the project, you must request it from COLCIENCIAS by sending the resume of the new principal investigator who must have an equal or superior profile, when in the framework of the project they do not have an equal or superior profile, the entity must send a summary of the resumes of the scientific personnel to COLCIENCIAS and request the designation of the principal investigator.

It is necessary to designate a principal investigator for each project and must be linked to the project throughout the life cycle and have a time commitment according to the defined functions.

Co-researcher: Thematic expert who contributes and technically and operationally supports the activities of CTeI during the life cycle of the project. Participate directly from your field of expertise. Doctoral or master’s degree students who are directly linked to the execution of the project are included in this category. In the case of companies, it consists of technical or professional personnel specialized in the thematic areas where the project is developed, an example of this may be the production manager or the supervisor of a production line in an automotive or food factory.

Researcher of the Productive Sector: Person who, due to his / her academic training and / or professional experience, has the knowledge related to the system or topics

intervene and participate actively in the development of the project, technically and operationally supporting the activities to be executed.

Software developer: Person who, due to his training and experience, actively participates in one or more aspects of one or several stages of the software development cycle and technically and operationally supports the activities of the project to be executed.

Advisor: Consultant or counselor of an external nature to the participating entities, expert in the subject, and whose services are contracted given their expertise in the topic of the CTeI project. Your contributions are required for the development of the project, therefore you must clearly identify the specific deliverables of your advice. This advisor can be national or international.

SUPPORT PERSONNEL: These are the people who carry out indirect activities of CTeI that require the application of concepts and operational methods, under the supervision of scientific personnel. This category includes research assistants, field staff, laboratory support personnel, operators, technicians, and students in general.

Their tasks include among others:

Perform bibliographic searches and select material and relevant information in archives and libraries.
Perform validation tests of the first versions of software
Perform experiments, tests and analysis.
Prepare the materials and equipment necessary for conducting experiments, tests and analysis.
Record data, make calculations and prepare tables and graphs related to the project.
Conduct statistical surveys and interviews necessary for the project.

ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL: These are the people who perform administrative support activities for the development of a CTeI project. Included in this category are financial, security, general services, managers or project coordinators with project management functions without deepening the design of the research or the validation of results.

5. Typology of products as results of CTeI activities

Products resulting from Generation of New Knowledge activities

Research articles A1, A2, B and C

Articles in indexed journals, in the indices and bases mentioned in the group measurement model.

Research articles D

Articles in indexed journals, in the indices and bases mentioned in the group measurement model.

Research result books

Books that meet the minimum quality requirements specified in the group measurement model.

Chapters in book result of research

Chapters in research results books, which meet the minimum quality requirements defined in the group measurement model.

Technological products patented or in the process of granting the patent

Patent obtained or requested via PCT or traditional and utility model, which meet the requirements defined by the group measurement model.

Vegetable variety and animal variety

Must meet the quality requirements of the group measurement model.

Products resulting from Technological Development & Innovation activities

Certified or validated technological products

Industrial design, integrated circuit scheme, software, pilot plant, industrial prototype and distinctive signs that meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Regulations, rules, regulations or legislations

Regulations, norms, regulations, legislations, clinical practice guides and differentiated bills according to the scope of application (national and international), that meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Business Products

Business secret, technology-based companies (spin-off and start-up), creative and cultural industries, innovations generated in business management, innovations in processes, procedures and services that meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Scientific-technological consultancies and final technical reports

Scientific-technological consultancies and final technical reports; and consulting in art, architecture and design, which meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

License agreements for the exploitation of works protected by copyright

License agreements for the exploitation of works protected by copyright, which complies with the requirements of the group measurement model.

Products resulting from activities of Social Appropriation of Knowledge

Citizen participation in CTEI

Citizen participation or community (s) in research projects. Space / event of citizen or community participation (s) related to the CTeI, which meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

Pedagogical strategies for the promotion of the CTEI

Program / Pedagogic strategy to promote the CTEI. It includes the formation of networks to promote the social appropriation of knowledge, which meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

Social communication of knowledge.

Knowledge communication strategies, generation of printed, multimedia and virtual contents, that meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

Circulation of specialized knowledge

Scientific events and participation in knowledge networks, creation workshops, cultural and artistic events, working papers, informative bulletins of research results, scientific journal editions or books resulting from research and final research reports, meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Acknowledgments

Awards or distinctions granted by institutions, public or private organizations that use parameters of excellence to recognize management, productivity and contributions and the impact of research or technological development in an area of knowledge.

Products of activities related to the Training of Human Resources for the CTEI

Doctoral thesis

Management or co-direction or advising of Doctoral Thesis, theses are differentiated with recognition of those approved. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Master’s degree work

Management or co-direction or consultancy of work of master’s degree, works are differentiated with recognition of those approved. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Undergraduate work

Management, co-direction or advice of work of undergraduate degree, work is differentiated with recognition of those approved. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Research and Development Projects

Projects executed by the Research Groups as Principal Investigator classified according to funding sources. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Research projects – Creation

Projects executed by the research groups in their capacity as principal investigator, classified according to funding sources. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Research, Development and Innovation Projects (R + D + I)

Projects executed by researchers in companies and projects with young researchers in companies. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Extension and social responsibility project in CTEI

Extension projects, in which the type of participation of the research group in the project is specified (extension project in CTEI or social responsibility project – solidarity extension). These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Support for training programs

Support for the creation of master’s or doctorate programs or courses. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Accompaniment and advising of thematic lines of the Ondas Program

Accompaniments and advice on thematic lines of the Ondas Program. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Annex 1: Software Project

DEFINITION OF SOFTWARE56: “A software product is the sum total of the computer programs, procedures, rules, technical documentation and associated data that are part of the operations of a computer system.”

It includes among others:

Several independent computer programs.
Configuration files that are used to execute these programs.
A documentation system that describes the structure of the system.
The documentation for the user that explains how to use the system.
Websites that allow downloading information on recent products57.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT58: “In order for a software development project to be classified as R & D, its realization must lead to scientific or technical progress and its objective must systematically resolve a scientific or technical uncertainty.

The development of the software in the projects can be classified in R & D whenever there is an advance in the field of information technology.

Normally, these advances are generally evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Therefore, upgrading to a more powerful version, improving or modifying an existing program or system, can be classified as R & D if they provide scientific and / or technological progress that leads to greater knowledge “(.. .)

LOGICAL SUPPORT

The software consists of one or more of the following elements: the computer program, the program description and the auxiliary material.

For the purposes of the previous article, it is understood as:

a) “Computer program”: The expression of an organized set of instructions, in natural or coded language, regardless of the medium in which it is stored, whose purpose is to make a machine capable of processing information, indicate, perform u obtain a function, a task or a specific result.

b) “Program description”: A complete presentation of procedures in a suitable form, sufficiently detailed to determine a set of instructions that constitute the corresponding computer program.

“Auxiliary material”: Any material, other than a computer program or a program description, created to facilitate its understanding or application, such as description of problems and instructions for the user. … “

APPLICATION DOMAINS OF THE SOFTWARE

Currently, there are seven major software categories:

Systems software: Set of written programs to service other programs. Certain systems software (for example, compilers, editors, and tools for managing files) processes complex but deterministic information structures. Other applications of systems (for example, components of operating systems, drivers, network software, telecommunications processors) process mostly indeterminate data. In any case, the systems software area is characterized by: great interaction with the computer hardware, intensive use by multiple users, concurrent operation that requires sequencing, shared resources and administration of a sophisticated process, complex structures of data and multiple external interfaces.

Application software: Isolated programs that solve a specific business need. Applications in this area process commercial or technical data in a way that facilitates business operations or administrative or technical decision making. In addition to conventional data processing applications, application software is used to control real-time business functions (for example, point-of-sale transaction processing, real-time manufacturing process control).

Engineering and science software: It has been characterized by algorithms “devourers of numbers”. Applications range from astronomy to volcanology, from stress analysis in automobiles to the orbital dynamics of the space shuttle, and from molecular biology to automated manufacturing. However, modern applications within the area of engineering and science are abandoning conventional numerical algorithms.

Computer-aided design, system simulation and other interactive applications have begun to be done in real time and have even taken on system software features.

Embedded Software: Resides within a product or system and is used to implement and control features and functions for the end user and the system itself. Embedded software performs limited and particular functions (for example, control of the panel of a microwave oven) or provides significant operational and control capability (digital functions in a car, such as fuel control, control panel and control). braking systems).

Product line software: It is designed to provide a specific capacity for use by many different consumers. The product line software focuses on a limited and particular market (for example, product inventory control) or is directed to mass consumer markets (word processing, spreadsheets, computer graphics, multimedia, entertainment, database management and applications for personal or business finances).

Web applications: Called “webapps”, this category of network-centric software groups a wide range of applications. In its simplest form, webapps are little more than a set of linked hypertext files that present information with limited text and graphics. However, since the emergence of Web 2.0, webapps are evolving into sophisticated computing environments that not only provide isolated features, computing functions and content for the end user, but are also integrated with corporate databases and business applications.

Artificial intelligence software: It makes use of non-numerical algorithms to solve complex problems that are not easy to treat computationally or with direct analysis. Applications in this area include robotics, expert systems, pattern recognition (image and voice), artificial neural networks, theorems and games demonstration.

STAGES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOFTWARE61

The development of the Software includes the following stages62:

Analysis stage: Process in which the requirements of the system are defined, by the precision of its functions, its behavior, degree of performance, the architecture to be used and the integration with other systems. You can refer to the Software Requirements (ERS) specification as defined in the IEEE 830 standard.

Design stage: Process in which the definition and description of the information model is carried out, the modules that make up the architecture, the characteristics of the user interface and the procedural detail (algorithms) of the software, in accordance with the defined specifications In the analysis. You can refer to standard such as UML.

Implementation stage: Process in which the translation of the design is carried out in source code and the tests for the detection of errors in the developed code.

Validation and verification stage: Process in which tests are carried out to verify compliance with the requirements and acceptance by the end user.

Annex 2: Additional score awarded for participating in programs and strategies defined by the CNBT.

The National Council of Tax Benefits (CNBT) with the purpose of encouraging private investment in Science, Technology and Innovation projects, approved in the sessions held on July 30, December 17, 2015 and September 28, 2017, according to in minutes 2 and 3 of 2015 and minutes 3 of 2017, give an additional score to the projects presented by companies that participate in the programs and / or strategies defined by the CNBT, which are shown below:

PACT FOR INNOVATION

The companies that sign the Pact for Innovation and that are part of the Systems for

Innovation, you will obtain a total of 5 additional points in the global qualification of the project.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN USERS OF BENEFIT AND SMES.

In order to promote the association between user companies of the tax benefit and SMEs, the CNBT will award an additional score in the global rating of the project to those entities that involve SMEs as co-executors, granting the projects a score in a range of 1 to 5 according to the following criteria approved by the CNBT:

PROJECTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE GOALS OF THE OBJECTIVES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIZED BY THE CNBT.

The projects presented by companies that, within their formulation and results, contribute to the fulfillment of the goals established within the sustainable development objectives shown below, will obtain a total of 10 points in the overall project rating. The technical evaluators will define in the qualification of the project, if they award the additional score to the presented proposal.

Ending poverty

Appropriation and access to new technologies for populations in situations of poverty and vulnerability.
Promote the resilience of the poor and people in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to extreme events related to climate and other economic, social and environmental crises and disasters.

Hunger and food security

Duplicate agricultural productivity and income of small-scale food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishermen, including through secure and equitable access to land, to others production and input resources, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for the generation of added value and non-agricultural jobs.
Sustainability of food production systems and resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, contribute to the maintenance of ecosystems, strengthen the capacity to adapt to climate change, extreme weather events, droughts, floods and other disasters, and progressively improve the quality of soil and soil.
Maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farm and domesticated animals and their related wild species, inter alia through good management and diversification of seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge and their fair and equitable distribution.
Increase investments in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technological development and gene banks of plants and livestock in order to improve agricultural production capacity.
Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to information on markets, in particular on food reserves, to help limit the extreme volatility of food prices.

Health

Reduce the maternal mortality rate and put an end to the avoidable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.
End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, waterborne diseases and other communicable diseases.
Reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
Strengthen the prevention and treatment of the abuse of addictive substances, including the misuse of narcotics and the harmful consumption of alcohol.
Reduce deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents in the world.
Guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
Achieve health coverage, in particular protection against financial risks, access to quality essential health services, and access to safe, effective, affordable and quality medicines and vaccines for all.
Substantially reduce the number of deaths and diseases caused by hazardous chemicals and the pollution of air, water and soil.
Strengthen the application of the Framework Convention of the World Health Organization for Tobacco Control.
Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for communicable and noncommunicable diseases that affect the population and facilitate access to essential medicines and vaccines.
Strengthen the country’s capacity for early warning, risk reduction and risk management for national health

Education

Substantially increase the number of young people and adults who have the necessary skills, particularly technical and professional, to access employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access for vulnerable people, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in situations of vulnerability, at all levels of education and vocational training .
Ensure that all young people and at least a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, have reading, writing and arithmetic skills.
Gender equality and empowerment of women.
Guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
Undertake reforms that grant women the right to economic resources under equal conditions, as well as access to property and control of land and other assets, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
Improve the use of instrumental technology, particularly information and communication technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

Clean water and basic sanitation

Achieve equitable access to adequate sanitation and hygiene services for all and put an end to open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and people in vulnerable situations
Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the discharge of hazardous materials and chemicals, halving the percentage of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and reuse in safety conditions worldwide
Substantially increase the efficient use of water resources in all sectors and ensure the sustainability of the extraction and supply of fresh water to cope with water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
Implement the integrated management of water resources at all levels.
Protect and restore ecosystems related to water, including forests, mountains, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
Capacity-building in activities and programs related to water and sanitation, including water storage and storage, desalination, efficient use of water resources, wastewater treatment, and recycling and reuse technologies.
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in the improvement of water management and sanitation.

Energy

Guarantee access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
Substantially increase the percentage of renewable energy in the set of energy sources.
Improve the rate of energy efficiency.
Improve technology to provide modern and sustainable energy services.

Economic growth

Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological modernization and innovation, among other things by focusing on sectors with higher added value and labor-intensive use.
Improve the efficient production and consumption of natural resources and seek to dissociate economic growth from environmental degradation.
Promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
Resilient infrastructures.
Readjust industries to be sustainable, using resources more effectively and promoting the adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.

Resilient and sustainable cities

Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all and improve road safety, in particular through the expansion of public transport, paying special attention to the needs of vulnerable people, women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly.
Increase inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable planning and management of human settlements.
Significantly reduce the number of deaths and people affected by disasters, including those related to water, and substantially reduce the direct economic losses linked to the global gross domestic product caused by disasters, with a particular emphasis on the protection of poor people and people in vulnerable situations.
Reduce the negative environmental impact per capita of cities, including paying special attention to air quality and the management of municipal and other types of waste.

Responsible production and consumption

Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
Reduce food losses in the production and distribution chains, including post-harvest losses.
Achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, and significantly reduce their release to the atmosphere, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse effects on the environment. human health and the environment.
Adopt sustainable business practices and implement more sustainable modes of consumption
and production based on scientific and technological knowledge.

Climate change

Strengthen resilience and the ability to adapt to risks related to climate and natural disasters in all countries.
Incorporate measures related to climate change into national policies, strategies and plans.
Increase effective planning and management capacity in relation to climate change.

Oceans and underwater life.

Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly pollution caused by activities carried out on the mainland, including marine debris and contamination by nutrients.
Managing and sustainably protecting marine and coastal ecosystems with a view to avoiding significant adverse effects, including by strengthening their resilience, and taking measures to restore them in order to restore the health and productivity of the oceans.
Minimize the effects of ocean acidification and address them, including through the intensification of scientific cooperation at all levels.
Restore fish stocks in the shortest time possible, at least at levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield according to their biological characteristics.
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, in order to improve the health of the oceans and enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of society.
Improve the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources.

Forests, desertification and ecological diversity.

Conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and inland freshwater ecosystems and the services they provide, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and arid zones, in line with obligations undertaken under international agreements.
Promote the sustainable management of all types of forests, put an end to deforestation, recover degraded forests and increase afforestation and reforestation
Fight against desertification, rehabilitate degraded lands and soil, including lands affected by desertification, drought and floods.

World Alliance for Sustainable Development

Promote the development of environmentally sound technologies and their dissemination and dissemination.

The total sum of the score awarded in any case may exceed ten points. Entities may only access one of these modalities to obtain additional points.

Annex 3. Conceptualization of SNCTeI actors according to the TRL.

The level of technological maturity or TRL (Technology Readiness Level for its acronym in English), is a tool that as defined in the National Policy Document on Science, Technology and Innovation (CTeI) No. 1602 allows the identification of the actors that they make up the National System of CIII classified by the development of their main activities. The TRL is a methodology that allows to identify the recognized actors that can endorse the proposals according to the orientation and thematic expertise that each one possesses.

Bearing in mind that there is no linear relationship between the R & D & I projects, an approximation to the equivalence between the typology of projects and the TRLs is shown below:

In the previous graph, the Experimental Development typology is located in TRL 4 and 5, since they are small-scale laboratory designs in the laboratory and / or simulated environment close to the real one. The definition of each level of technology maturity is shown below based on what is presented in the Technical self-assessment guide for the recognition of the company’s R + D + i unit:

TRL 1 – Basic principles observed and reported: This corresponds to the lowest level in terms of technological maturity level. At this level, basic scientific research begins and the transition to applied research begins. The descriptive tools can be mathematical formulations or algorithms. At this stage of development there is still no degree of commercial application.

TRL 2 – Technology concept and / or formulated application. Applied research. The theory and scientific principles are focused on specific areas of application to define the concept. In this phase, possible applications of theoretical-level technologies and analytical tools for simulation or analysis can begin to be formulated. However, there is still no evidence to validate this application.

TRL 3 – Concept tests of analytical and experimental characteristics. This phase includes the carrying out of research and development (R & D) activities, which include the performance of analytical tests, concept tests or laboratory-scale, aimed at demonstrating the technical feasibility at the theoretical level of technological concepts. This phase involves the validation of the components of a specific technology, although this does not result in the integration of all the components in a complete system.

TRL 4 – Validation of components / subsystems in laboratory tests. In this phase, the components that make up a certain technology have been identified and it is sought to establish if these individual components have the capabilities to act in an integrated manner, working together in a system.

TRL 5 – Validation of systems, subsystems or components in a relevant environment (or industrially relevant in case of key enabling technologies). The basic elements of a certain technology are integrated so that the final configuration is similar to its final application. However, the operability of the system and technologies still occurs at the laboratory level.

TRL 6 – Validation of system, subsystem, model or prototype in close to real conditions. In this phase it is possible to have pilot prototypes capable of developing all the necessary functions within a given system, having passed feasibility tests in real operating or operating conditions. It is possible that components and processes have been expanded to demonstrate their industrial potential in real systems. The available documentation may be limited.

TRL 7 – Demonstration of validated system or prototype in the real operating environment. The system is or is about to operate on a pre-commercial scale. It is possible to carry out the identification phase of aspects related to manufacturing, life cycle assessment, and economic evaluation of technologies, with most of the functions available for testing. The available documentation may be limited.

TRL 8 – Complete and qualified system through tests and demonstrations in operational environments. In this phase, the systems are integrated, the technologies have been tested in their final form and under assumed conditions, having reached in many cases, the end of the development of the system. Most of the available documentation is complete.

TRL 9 – System tested and operating successfully in a real environment. Technology / system in its final phase, tested and available for commercialization and / or production.

An Amicus Curiae for the DOJ: Definitions, Laws and Precedent

The Senate holding a Committee Hearing the FARA Act.

The response that I got from my case handler was, I’m paraphrasing paragraphs was “less poetry, more forwardness”.

Here was my response:

Greetings FARA Registration Unit,

Thank you for the prompt response and appreciation of my interest in the matter.

I made the decision to contact you after reading the appropriate legal definitions and the Atlantic Council’s “Agent of Influence: Should Russia’s RT Register as a Foreign Agent?”

Considering:

TeleSUR’s Incorporation documents – state that the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the president of the company
TeleSUR’s budget is paid by the functionaries of the Nicolas Maduro government
The PSUV’s Redbook (Nicolas Maduro’s party) – states that “TeleSUR… was created to fight and defeat imperialism.”
The former President of TeleSUR, Hugo Chavez Frias, writing in his official Venezuela’s Program for the Homeland 203-2019 – that their goal is to “Strengthen the multi-State Telesur television and radio networks and Radio del Sur, together with their respective electronic platforms… in order to disseminate the truth of our peoples and break the information blockade and censorship to which the peoples of imperialist powers are subject to by the transnational communication corporations.”
The director of the Ministry of Popular Power for Communication and Information – who advises the Director of TeleSUR Patricia Villegas – stated in 2015 to the National Assembly that: “TeleSUR is oriented to promote a strategy that deepens the new socialist values and ethics”
TeleSUR’s official partnership with Russia’s RT – is required to register under FARA.
The official one-sided coverage and unofficial distribution and support networks are functionally operational to a political party press.

meet these qualifications according to the legal definitions?

Additionally, does not their promotion of violent content and anti-voting messaging, amongst all of the above reasons, indicate that the “news” exception does not apply in this instance?

Thank you again for your time.

Ariel Voyager Sheen

These are just future possibilities for FARA legislation. The above article is based on the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, 22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.

TeleSUR – Venezuela’s State Intelligence Outlet – and Their Network of Associates

This is a working directory of people involved Venezuela’s plan for a Gramscian march through the United States news, cultural, educational, and political institutions. It is a work in progress.

Nicolas Maduro Moros

Vladimir Putin

In addition to having a military alliance, Maduro and Putin’s state media companies are also partners.

Diosdado Cabello

Ghazi Atef Nasserdine

Tareck Zaidan El Aissami

Julian Assange

Ernesto Villegas

Patricia Villegas

Orlando Perez

Aran Ahronian

Luis Britto Garcia

Andrés Izarra

TeleSUR’s Media Workers

Greg Wilpert

Pablo Vivanco

Helga Malavé

Che Brandes Tuka

Nicolaj Gericke

Tatiana Rojas

Abby Martin

Laura Flanders

Tariq Ali

Venezuela’s American Political Associates

Cynthia McKinney

Ajamu Baraka

Chokwe Lumumba

Rosa Clemente

2008 Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate and Hop Hope Activist

Brian Becker

Gloria La Riva

Cindy Sheehan

Medea Benjamin

Mike Prysner

Party for Socialism and Liberation member, former Empire Files Producer that encourages soldiers to commit sedition and espionage.

Jose “Chepe” Alcoff

Mark Bray

George Ciccariello-Maher

Sharon Black

Carl Dix

Takiyah Thompson

Gavin Lockard

Devin Cole

Bhakar Sunkara

Jeff Monson

Rebel Diaz

Sarah Sloan

Danny Haiphoing

Sara Flounders

Kali Akuno

Max Blumenthal

Caitlin Johnstone

Ben Norton

Anya Parampil

Adriano Cortez

Alexander Main

Bill Fletcher

Caleb Maupin

Chuck Kaufman

David Sirota

Deborah James

Eric Draitser

Eva Golinger

Greg Grandin

Greg Palast

James Early

John Ackerman

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Malcolm Harris

Mark Weisbrot

Michael Blosser

Randi Nord

Ricardo VazRobert Naiman

Ronald Gochez

Claudia De La Cruz

Edgar Franks Gordon Duff Joe Iosbaker Manolo De Los Santos Omali Yeshitela Vanessa Beeley

Steve Ellner

Vijay Prashad

Dan Cohen

Richard Wolff

Gerald HorneTrevor FitzGibbon

Jordan Flaherty

Gabriel Hetland

Alan Woods

Alex Rubinstein

Angela Davis

Carol Delgado

Chokwe Antar Lumumba

Dakotah Lilly

Dan Kovalik

Don DeBar

Eva Bartlett

Lizzie Phelan Max Rameau

Peter Joseph

Sameera Khan

Adrienne Pine
Alejandro Kirk
Charlene Carruthers

Chelsea Manning

David Swanson

Donald Courter

Kai Newkirk

Kathryn Johnson

Lee Camp

Leen Dweik
Marc Crispin Miller
Micah White

Mnar Muhawesh

Nestor Reverol
Alicia Garza
Opal Tometi
Patrise CullorsRichard Becker
Tom Goldtooth

Venezuela’s Associated News Networks

Paul Jay

Sharmini Peries

Lucy Diavolo

Jason Unruhe

Venezuela’s Celebrity Spokespersons

Danny Glover

Oliver Stone

Rosario Dawson

Boots Riley

Dead Prez

Immortal Technique

Residente/Rene Perez

Tef Poe

Institutions Associated with Venezuela

NYU’s Hemispheric Institute

Venezuela’s Official Ambassadors.

Jorge Arreaza

Carlos Ron

Jesus “Chucho” Garcia

Jorge “HOV” Martin

Venezuela’s International Associates

Hassan Nasrallah

Jesus Santrich

Prabir Purkayastha

Chico Whitaker

Alex Tsipras

Juan Carlos Monedero

Pablo Iglesias

WSWS: Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior, Unethical Journalism, Fundraising Fraud

Andre Damon, the Technology reporter for World Socialist WebSite that doesn’t understand how Technology or the Internet works, spreading misinformation about censorship via RT America.

Andre Damon’s reporting is good at placing pieces of information together to show a picture.

But since his reporting reflects fundamental misunderstandings of how the technology which underlies a variety of internet services functions, however, this puzzle is not held together because the pieces fit into a coherent narrative. It looks as it does because Andre Damon, who two decades ago would have been considered unqualified and unfit by any newsroom with rigorous professional standards to get published about the topics on which he speaks, has taken a hammer to the edges of curated facts in order to make an image that fits his prejudices.

While he claims to be informing his audience, readers of his articles and viewers of his live and video appearances wherein he speaks about issues related to social media, democracy, and censorship end up misinformed rather than informed.

Andre Damon is committed to propagating a false narrative via his readers at WSWS, but also via his role as the National Secretary (US) of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality.

Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior: Fake Friends

An example of the many sock puppet accounts that like WSWS’ Facebook page.

Curiosity, not virtue-seeking, is the true root of journalism.

When TeleSUR went down the second time, I decided to investigate why and the answer is found in my article. Kultural Marxism: Digital Evidence of Venezuela’s Attempt to Influence American Elections. As I write about in more detail there, WSWS is one of several “alternative news” sites – such as TeleSUR, Venezeula Analysis, RT, Mint Press News, CounterPunch, GeoPolitics Alert, GlobalResearch.ca – that are part of a large network designed to artificially inflate their engagement to boost ranking on the Facebook algorithm.

I sent an email to Andre Damon sharing my findings with them and asking to speak with the person in charge of their digital marketing, but – they never responded and as you can see from the image above – the coordinated inauthentic behavior continued.

Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior: Fake Backlinks

Examples of backlinks devalued by Google following their last algorithmic change: Links from foreign blogs (especially Russian) and anti-semitic websites like Jew Watch. Source- Ahrefs, March 12th 2019

The extent of black hat backlinking by WSWS is so extensive – you can use any limited use SEO tool to get a view of just how much junk links are posted on a variety of websites.

Unethical Journalism

Andre Damon claims in the article the Socialism and the struggle against Internet Censorship that an increase in visits to the website translates to a “growing influence.” This, however, is not a sign of influence and reflects that same kind of poor managerial thinking that lead Pablo Vivanco of TeleSUR English to think that “1000% increase in outreach” is a positive indicator! Sorry to put ya’lls ignorance on blast, guys, but in this digital, social media age so if you get rank for reasons that stank the stench has a tendency to get aired, no?

So what do I mean by increase in visists doesn’t translate to growing influence?

I could individually go to my own webpage and click refresh many times over.

I could hire a click farm to engage with my content.

I could contract a digital media specialist to build a number of aggregate blogs and fake facebook groups and accounts to increase my search term ranking for keywords – as I documented that WSWS and others did – to raise the number of hits to my website but depending on other factors this nor none of the above signifies a growing influence!

What would is the number of visitors that continued along their ideological “buyer’s journey”. In this case it is questions like the following which really matter: How many new people signed up to be new members? How many purchased literature from the website? How were bounce stats affected? What’s the average amount of time people stayed on the website?

Zero Hedge, which was recently banned from Facebook, promotes a number of WSWS articles.

The lack of reportage on this indicates that for all the crowing about censorship, the numbers of people that go from the consumer of WSWS reports to party members or even just a customer of the party is very low.

While knowing this is technically “specialized knowledge” it in no way was kept secret from Andre Damon either – it just required curiousity.

One could read the documentation provided by Google.

One could review the white papers and blogs of digital marketing companies.

One could learn about the issues one is talking about beforehand and thus prevent oneself from writing a series of articles that ought to be viewed now as genuinely embarrassing by the WSWS and cause for new editorial guidelines.

But Andre Damon hasn’t done any of this, and thus his reporting illustrates his lack of technical comprehension of basic concepts related to the digital world. The people that he interviews, additionally, all feed into this as well.

Let’s get specific.

In an article on the WSWS website titled “Facebook security officer- not all speech is created equal,” another allusion to George Orwell, we see another example of Andre Damon’s ignorance of basic tenants of journalism as well as the digital media infrastructure underpinning the internet webpages.

Why? Because with the slightest modicum of scrutiny the Orwellian analogy shows itself to be absurd.

There is a substantive difference between an article that includes an author name, that is published under the banner of a journalistic enterprise, that has been properly vetted by professional editors, that has references to sources included or made available to those that request it and an anonymous blog article posted on a recently purchased domain connected to an automated RSS feed that just posts links to networked news outlets.

Damon, in essence, is arguing against the kind of professional standards in journalism that would normally keep him from speaking about this issue in the first place.

This isn’t even the full extent of the disinformation Andre Damon shares, he also misinterprets other people’s statements to fit his worldview.

In Our Crime was Telling the Truth, when Damon states that “According to Stamos and Kristof, the major newspapers should have simply censored themselves and refused to cover WikiLeaks’ revelations.” he is again taking the quote out of context. Stamos is putting the responsibility for the issues being addressed onto the news outlets that published information in the first place. Stamos is saying that Facebook would have had to play content censor with a large number of major news outlets – which they didn’t want to do – were certain items of information to have been kept from the public. Thus we see hear that Andre Damon is crying censorship in a case wherein a spokesperson for Facebook is explicitly stating that the company did not see it as their responsibility to censor something.

Fundraising Fraud

What the above means in the context of WSWS’s fundraising efforts is that they are committing fraud.

Considering they are partners with TeleSUR – and that I’ve already shown how TeleSUR has committed Fundraising Fraud – this shouldn’t be that shocking. What is shocking is that not a single person decided to do any fact checking related to what was being said in advance.

The only reason that Chris Hedges, following the line of Andre Damon, is able to describe these websites as being targeted “because they find these critiques to be dangerous” is because he fundamentally doesn’t understand what’s going on in the back end.

When David North describes the problem of the Left: “The basic problem is not absence of courage, it’s not an absence of a desire to fight, it is an absence of understanding.” and states that, “Our challenge is to provide an increasingly insurgent world movement of the working class with the ideas and the program which it needs to understand the political situation which it confronts.” We see here an example of Orwellian irony because he clearly isn’t familiar with how technology operates!

Why Lie? To Scare Up Donations and to Increase the Paranoid Style in American Politics

Chris Hedges on RT “outing” Wikipedia as a tool of imperialism rather than that of lazy students. Given that TeleSUR has people working full time to incorporate their content as sources and to write articles in Spanish highlighting the accomplishments of politicians who have collaborated with the PSUV – this is another example of Orwellian Irony.

One issue with this type of false news reporting is that it perpetuates a narrative based on ignorance that fits into the geopolitical goals of foreign nationals – specifically Venezuela and Russia.

If people are afraid over things they shouldn’t be and they believe that unconstitutional things are happening when they aren’t it exacerbates perceptions of political polarization and loss of confidence in the government. Which is not to say that news which leads to that *should* be censored, but that fake conspiracies like the one which WSWS, Andre Damon, Chris Hedges, David North and all of the other members of this network should not be able to be classified as news on social media.

If they can’t make the effort to inform themselves before they seek to inform others; if they can’t make the effort to fact check themselves after someone like myself has contacted them; if they raise money for a fraudulent basis that’s connected to these networks – these people aren’t journalists, but foreign propagandists.

Avowal of the American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics

The American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics is very detailed and can be read here.

Notes on Strategic Management of Technological Innovation

I had a feeling that my fellow New York University Alumnus Mellissa A. Schilling would produce a worthy written work explaining the technical language used within the Innovation and Technology Management field, a discipline I’m now studying at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellin, Colombia.

The case studies included covers a wide variety of topics. Innovation and strategy in high technology industries such as smartphones, videogames, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, electric vehicles, and renewable energies. All interspersed with comments on issues related to platform dynamics, networks, creativity, and breakthrough innovation.

I made the below notes for myself, and highly encourage those also in this field to also purchase her book.

absorptive capacity
The ability of an organization to recognize, assim- ilate, and utilize new knowledge.

whereby as firms accumulate knowledge, they also increase their future ability to assimi- late information. A firm’s prior related experience shapes its ability to recognize the value of new information, and to utilize that information effectively.

This knowledge base enables the firm to more rapidly assess the value of related new materials, technologies, and methods. The effects of absorptive capacity suggest that firms that develop new technologies ahead of others may have an advantage in staying ahead.

network externalities Also termed posi- tive consumption externalities, this is when the value of a good to a user increases with the number of other users of the same or simi- lar good.

installed base The number of users of a particular good. For instance, the installed base of a particular video game console refers to the number of those consoles that are installed in homes worldwide.

complementary goods Additional goods and services that enable or enhance the value of another good. For example, the value of a video game console is directly related to the availability of complementary goods such as video games, periph- eral devices, and services such as online gaming.

path dependency When end results depend greatly on the events that took place leading up to the outcome. It is often impossible to reproduce the results that occur in such a situation.

Firms will tend to use and build on their existing knowledge base rather than enter unfamiliar areas.

This can result in a very “sticky” technological paradigm that directs future technological inquiry in the area.

Thus, a dominant design is likely to influence the nature of the technological discontinuity that will eventually replace it.

Increasing returns
When the rate of return (not just gross returns) from a product or process increases with the size of its installed base.

Technologically superior products do not always win—the firms that win are usually the ones that know how to manage the multiple dimensions of value that shape design selection.

Buyer Utility Map

It is important to consider six different utility levers, as well as six stages of the buyer experience cycle, to understand a new technol- ogy’s utility to a buyer.

The stages they identify are purchase, delivery, use, supplements, maintenance, and disposal. The six utility levers they consider are customer productivity, simplicity, convenience, risk, fun and image, and environmental friendliness. Creating a grid with stages and levers yields a 36-cell utility map. Each cell provides an opportunity to offer a new value proposition to a customer.

For example, instead of having a single entry for customer productivity, the map could have rows for several dimensions of productiv- ity such as speed, efficiency, scalability, and reliability. The map provides a guide for managers to consider multiple dimensions of technological value and multiple stages of the customer experience.

Even if a new innovation has a significant advantage in functionality, its overall value may be significantly less than the incum- bent standard.

For the new technology to compete on its stand-alone util- ity alone, that utility must be so great that it eclipses the combined value of an existing technology’s stand-alone utility, its installed base, and its complementary goods.

When users are comparing the value of a new technology to an existing technology, they are weighing a combination of objective information (e.g., actual technological benefits, actual information on installed base or complementary goods), subjec- tive information (e.g., perceived technological benefits, perceived installed base or complementary goods), and expectations for the future (e.g., anticipated technological benefits, anticipated installed base and complementary goods). Thus, each of the primary value components described above also has corresponding perceived or anticipated value components

“vaporware”—products that are not actually on the market and may not even exist but are advertised—by many software vendors. By building the impression among customers that a product is ubiquitous, firms can prompt rapid adoption of the product when it actually is available. Vaporware may also buy a firm valuable time in bringing its product to market. If other vendors beat the firm to market and the firm fears that customers may select a dominant design before its offering is introduced, it can use vaporware to attempt to persuade custom- ers to delay purchase until the firm’s product is available.

first movers the first entrants to sell in a new product or ser- vice category.

early followers Entrants that are early to market, but not first.

late entrants Entrants that do not enter the market until the time the product begins to penetrate the mass market or later.

in an industry characterized by increasing returns to adoption, there can be powerful advantages to being an early provider; a technol- ogy that is adopted early may rise in market power through self-reinforcing positive feedback mechanisms, culminating in its entrenchment as a dominant design.

First movers typically bear the bulk of the research and development expenses for their product or service technologies, and they must also often pay to develop suppliers and distribution channels, plus consumer awareness.

incumbent inertia – The tendency for incumbents to be slow to respond to changes in the industry environ- ment due to their large size, established routines, or prior strategic commitments to existing suppliers and customers.

enabling technologies Component technologies that are necessary for the performance or desirability of a given innovation.

How does a firm decide whether to attempt to pioneer a technology category or to wait while others do so? The answer will depend on several factors, including customer certainty, the margin of improvement offered by the new technology, the state of enabling technologies and complementary goods, the threat of competitive entry, the degree to which the industry exhibits increasing returns, and the firm’s resources.

parallel development process When multiple stages of the new product development process occur simultaneously.

oligopolistic industries Highly consoli- dated industries with a few large competitors.

exit barriers Costs or other commitments that make it difficult for firms to abandon an industry (large fixed-asset investments, emotional commitment to the industry, etc.).

entry barriers Conditions that make it difficult or expensive for new firms to enter an industry (government regulation, large start-up costs, etc.).

switching costs Factors that make it difficult or expensive to change suppliers or buyers, such as investments in specialized assets to work with a particular supplier or buyer.

vertical integration Getting into
the business of one’s suppliers (backward vertical integration) or one’s buyers (forward vertical integration). For example, a firm that begins producing its own supplies has practiced backward vertical integration, and a firm that buys its distributor has practiced forward vertical integration.

complements Products or services that enhance the usefulness
or desirability of another product.

stakeholder Any entity that has an interest (“stake”) in the organization.

A strategic stakeholder analysis emphasizes the stakeholder management issues that are likely to impact the firm’s financial performance, while a normative stakeholder analysis emphasizes the stakeholder management issues the firm ought to attend to due to their ethical or moral implications.

In Michael Porter’s model of a value chain, activities are divided into primary activities and support activities. Primary activities include inbound logistics (all activities required to receive, store, and disseminate inputs), operations (activities involved in the transformation of inputs into outputs), outbound logistics (activities required to collect, store, and distribute outputs), marketing and sales (activities to inform buyers about products and services and to induce their purchase), and service (after-sales activities required to keep the product or service working effectively). Support activities include procurement (the acquisition of inputs, but not their physical transfer, as that would be covered in inbound logistics), human resource management (activities such as recruiting, hiring, training, and compensating personnel), technology development (activities involved in developing and managing equipment, hardware, software, procedures, and knowledge necessary to transform inputs into outputs), and infrastructure (functions such as accounting, le- gal counsel, finance, planning, public affairs, government relations, quality assurance, and general management necessary to ensure smooth functioning of the firm).

tacit resources – Resources of an intangible nature (such as knowl- edge) that cannot be readily codified.

socially complex resources Resources or activities that emerge through the interaction of multiple individuals.

causal ambiguity The relationship between a resource and the outcome it produces is poorly understood
(the causal mechanism is ambiguous).

core competencies (or core capabilities) A set of integrated and harmonized abilities that distinguish the firm in the marketplace.

By viewing the business as a portfolio of core competencies, managers are better able to focus on value creation and meaningful new business development, rather than cost cutting or opportunistic expansion.

Sometimes the very things that a firm excels at can enslave it, making the firm rigid and overly committed to inappropriate skills and resources.

While these systems and norms can prove beneficial in reinforcing and leveraging the firm’s existing core competencies, they can also inhibit the development of new core competencies. For example, a firm’s emphasis on a scientific discipline that is central to its core competency can make the firm less attractive to individuals from other disciplines. Rewards for engaging in core competency activities can discourage employees from pursuing more exploratory activities.

dynamic capabilities A set of abilities that make a firm more agile and responsive to change.

Strategic intent is to create value, which entails more than just improving operations or cutting costs; it means leveraging corporate resources to create more performance for customers, more well-being for employees, and more returns for shareholders. A company’s strategic intent is a long-term goal that is ambitious, builds upon and stretches the firm’s existing core competencies, and draws from all levels of the orga- nization.

Successful and innovative firms question existing price-performance assumptions. They lead customers by developing and introducing products that extend well beyond current market requirements and help mold the market’s expectations for the future.

The balanced scorecard is a measurement system that encourages the firm to consider its goals from multiple perspectives (financial, customer, business process, and innovation and learning), and establish measures that correspond to each of those perspectives.

The Pareto principle refers to the fact that many events (such as a customer choosing a particular book) have a power law distribution, meaning that 20 percent of the books, shows, or songs attract 80 percent of the business.

capital rationing – the allocation of a finite quantity of resources over different possible uses.

R&D intensity – The ratio of R&D expendi- tures to sales.

net present value (NPV) The discounted cash inflows of a project minus the discounted cash outflows.

internal rate of return (IRR) The rate of return yielded by a project, nor- mally calculated as the discount rate that makes the net present value of an investment equal zero.

discounted payback period
The time required to break even on a project using discounted cash flows.

The internal rate of return of a project is the discount rate that makes the net present value of the investment zero. Managers can compare this rate of return to their required return to decide if the investment should be made.

discounted cash flow estimates are only as accurate as the original estimates of the profits from the technology, and in many situations it is extremely difficult to antici- pate the returns of the technology… such methods discriminate heavily against projects that are long term or risky, and the methods may fail to capture the strategic importance of the investment decision. Technology development projects play a crucial role in building and leveraging firm capabilities, and creating options for the future. Investments in new core technologies are investments in the organization’s capabilities and learning, and they create opportunities for the firm that might other- wise be unavailable.1 Thus, standard discounted cash flow analysis has the potential to severely undervalue a development project’s contribution to the firm.

To better incorporate strategic implications in the new product development investment decision, some managers and scholars have recently begun promoting the idea of treating new product development decisions as real options

real options

The applica- tion of stock option valua- tion methods to investments in nonfinancial assets.

The cost of the R&D program can be considered the price of a call option.
The cost of future investment required to capitalize on the R&D program (such as the cost of commercializing a new technology that is developed) can be considered the exercise price.
The returns to the R&D investment are analogous to the value of a stock purchased with a call option.

Companies that use the project map categorize all their existing projects and proj- ects under consideration by the resources they require (e.g., engineers, time, capital, etc.) and by how they contribute to the company’s product line. The company can then map the project types and identify gaps in the development strategy.

The mix of projects represented on such a map should be consistent both with the company’s resources, strategic position, and with its strategic intent

As once noted by Jack Welch, for- mer CEO of General Electric, “You can’t grow long term if you can’t eat short term. Anyone can manage short. Anyone can manage long. Balancing those two things is what management is.”19

conjoint analysis
A family of tech- niques that ena- bles assessment of the weight individuals put on different attributes of a choice.

data envelopment analysis (DEA)
A method of ranking projects based on multiple decision criteria by comparing them to a hypo- thetical efficiency frontier.

efficiency frontier The range of hypothetical configurations that optimize a combination of features.

alliance Alliance is a general term that can refer to any type of relation- ship between firms. Alliances may be short or long term and may include for- mally contracted agreements or be entirely informal in nature.

joint venture A partnership between two or more firms involving a sig- nificant equity stake by the part- ners and often resulting in the creation of a new business entity.

Collaboration can include partnering with suppliers, customers, competitors, comple- mentors, organizations that offer similar products in different markets, organizations that offer different products in similar markets, nonprofit organizations, government organi- zations, universities, or others. Collaboration can also be used for many different pur- poses, including manufacturing, services, marketing, or technology-based objectives.

The most common forms of collaborative arrangements used in technological innova- tion include strategic alliances, joint ventures, licensing, outsourcing, and collective research organizations.

licensing A contractual arrangement whereby one organization or individual (the licensee) obtains the rights to use the proprietary technology (or trademark, or copyright, etc.) of another organization or individual (the licensor).

capability complemen- tation Combining (“pooling”) the capabilities and other resources of partner firms, but not necessar- ily transferring those resources between the partners.

capability transfer Exchange of capabilities across firms in such a manner that partners can internalize the capabilities and use them inde- pendently of the particular devel- opment project.

managers should consider how their portfolio of alliances positions them in the web of relationships that connects their firm, their partners, and their partners’ partners.23 Such networks can be very influential in the diffusion of information and other resources, and being positioned well in an alli- ance network can confer significant advantages

contract manufacturing When a firm hires another firm (often a specialized manufacturer) to manufacture its products.

These risks can be minimized if the company limits the number of collaborations in which it engages, chooses its partners very carefully, and establishes appropriate monitoring and governance mechanisms to limit opportunism.

Resource fit refers to the degree to which potential partners have resources that can be effectively integrated into a strategy that creates value.47 Such resources may be either complementary or supplementary. Most collaborations are motivated by the need to access resources the firm does not possess; such collaborations are based on the combination of complementary resources.

Strategic fit refers to the degree to which partners have compatible objectives and styles. The objectives of the partners need not be the same as long as the objectives can be achieved without harming the alliance or the partners. Not knowing a partner’s true objectives or forging an alliance with a partner with incompatible objectives can result in conflict, wasted resources, and forfeited opportunities.

governance – The act or process of exerting authority and/or control.

alliance contracts Legally bind-ing contractual arrangements to ensure that partners (a) are fully aware of their rights and obligations in the collaboration and (b) have legal remedies avail- able if a partner should violate the agreement.

equity ownership When each partner contrib- utes capital and owns a speci- fied right to a percentage of the proceeds from the alliance.

relational governance Self-enforcing norms based on goodwill, trust, and reputation of the partners. These typically emerge over time through repeated experi- ences of working together.

The num- ber of links an organization has in a network is known as its “degree centrality.” In general, the degree centrality of an organization tends to be strongly related to its size and prominence. The size and prominence of an organization help to determine how attractive it is to potential part- ners, and only large organizations typically have the resources necessary to manage a large num- ber of alliances. An organization does not, how- ever, have to be large or prominent to occupy a key brokerage position.

appropriability The degree to which a firm is able to capture the rents from its innovation.

tacit knowledge Knowledge that cannot be readily codified or trans- ferred in written form.

socially complex knowledge Knowledge that arises from the interaction of multiple individuals.

For some competitive situations, protecting a technology may not be as desirable as liberally diffusing it. In industries characterized by increasing returns, firms sometimes choose to liberally diffuse their technologies to increase their likelihood of rising to the position of dominant design.

open source software Software whose code is made freely available to others for use, augmentation, and resale.

wholly proprietary systems Goods based on technology that is owned and vigorously pro- tected through patents, copy- rights, secrecy, or other mecha- nisms. Wholly proprietary tech- nologies may be legally produced and augmented only by their developers.

wholly open systems Goods based on technology that is not protected and that is freely available for production or augmentation by other producers.

original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) Firms that as- semble goods using components made by other manufacturers, also called value- added resellers (VARs).

architectural control
The ability of a firm (or group of firms) to deter- mine the struc- ture, operation, compatibility, and development of a technology.

If the firm is unable to produce the technology at sufficient volume or quality levels (or market the technology with sufficient intensity), then protecting the technology so that the firm is its sole provider may significantly hinder its adoption.

if complementary goods influence the value of the technology to users, then the firm must (a) be able to produce the complements in sufficient range and quantity, (b) sponsor their production by other firms, or (c) encourage collective production of the complements through a more open technology strategy.

If a firm lacks the production capability or expertise to produce a sufficient range of complementary goods, or the capital to acquire such capabilities quickly, it should encourage collective production of complements through a more open technology strategy and utilize forms of sponsorship.

Resources for Internal Development

If a firm does not have significant resources (capital, technological expertise) to invest in the technology’s functionality, it may have difficulty producing a technology that has an initial performance level, and rate of improvement, that the market finds attractive. In such instances, it can be valuable to tap the external development efforts of other firms (or individuals) through utilizing a more open technology strategy.

A firm with architectural control can typically design the technology to be compatible with its own complements and incompatible with those of competitors.

Technology trajectories are path dependent; minor events in their evolution can set them careen- ing off into unexpected directions. A firm that has a significant stake in a particular evolution path (because, for example, it has technological competencies that are much more amenable to one path of evolution than other potential paths) may place a high value on architectural control, which can enable it to co-opt or destroy less favorable development paths by denying their progenitors access to the market.

Managers referred to Google as a flex- ible and flat “technocracy,” where resources and control were allocated based on the quality of people’s ideas rather than seniority or hierarchical status. Schmidt remarked, “One of the things that we’ve tried very hard to avoid at Google is the sort of divisional structure that prevents collaboration across units. It’s dif- ficult. So I understand why people want to build business units, and have their presidents. But by doing that you cut down the informal ties that, in an open culture, drive so much collaboration. If people in the organization understand the values of the company, they should be able to self-organize to work on the most interesting problems.”c

it is often argued that small, flexible organizations with a minimum of rules and procedures will encourage creativity and experimentation, leading to more innovative ideas. At the same time, it is also frequently pointed out that well-developed procedures and standards can ensure that the organization makes better development investment decisions and is able to implement projects quickly and efficiently.

disaggregated When something is separated into its constituent parts.

formalization – The degree to which the firm utilizes rules, procedures, and written documentation to structure the behavior of individuals or groups within the organization. Formalization can substitute for some degree of managerial oversight, and thereby help large companies run smoothly with fewer managers.

standardization – The degree to which activities are performed in a uniform manner. Standardization may be used to ensure quality levels are met and that custom- ers and suppliers are responded to consistently and equitably. However, by minimiz- ing variation, standardization can limit the creativity and experimentation that leads to innovative ideas.

If a firm codifies all of its activities with detailed procedures, it may stifle employee creativity. Employees may not feel empowered or motivated to implement new solutions.

centralization/ decentraliza- tion Centralization is the degree to which decision- making author- ity is kept at
top levels of management. Decentralization is the degree to which decision- making authority is pushed down to lower levels of the firm.

mechanistic An organiza- tion structure characterized by a high degree of formalization and standardiza- tion, causing operations to be almost automatic or mechanical. By establishing detailed rules, procedures, and standards, top management can push decision-making authority to lower levels of the firm while still ensuring that decisions are consistent with top management’s objectives.

organic An organiza- tion structure characterized by a low degree of formalization and standardiza- tion. Employees may not have well-defined job responsibilities and operations may be charac- terized by a high degree of vari- ation. Employees are given far more lati- tude in their job responsibilities and operating procedures. Because much innovation arises from experimentation and improvisation, organic structures are often thought to be better for innovation despite their possible detriment to efficiency.

ambidextrous organization The ability of an organization to behave almost as two different kinds of com- panies at once. Different divi- sions of the firm may have differ- ent structures and control systems, enabling them to have different cul- tures and patterns of operations.

Skunk Works®

Skunk Works® is a term that origi- nated with a divi- sion of Lockheed Martin that was formed in June of 1943 to quickly develop a jet fighter for the United States Army. It has evolved as skunk works to refer more generally to new product develop- ment teams that operate nearly autonomously from the parent organization, with considerable decentralization of authority and little bureauc- racy.

there can be significant gains from isolating new product development teams from the mainstream organization.31 Separating the teams from the rest of the organization permits them to explore new alternatives, unfettered by the demands of the rest of the organization.

Modularity is achieved in product design through the specification of standard inter- faces.

Because modularity enables a wider range of end configurations to be achieved from a given set of inputs, it provides a relatively cost-effective way for firms to meet heterogeneous customer demands. Furthermore, since modularity can enable one component to be upgraded without changing other components, modular- ity can enable firms and customers to upgrade their products without replacing their entire system.

By focusing on those activities in which the firm has a competitive advantage, the firm can improve its chance of developing a product that has a price-to-value ratio that attracts customers while reducing the overhead and administrative complexity of maintaining a wide scope of activities. This can cause whole industries to be trans- formed as large vertically integrated firms are displaced by nimbler, more specialized producers.

center-for- global strategy
When all innova- tion activities are conducted at a central hub and innovations are then diffused throughout the company. This allows managers to:

Tightly coordinate all R&D activities (across both functions and projects).
Achieve greater specialization and economies of scale in R&D activities while
avoiding duplication of activities in multiple divisions.
Develop and protect core competencies.
Ensure that innovations are standardized and implemented throughout the company.

a center-for-global approach tends to not be very responsive to the diverse demands of different markets. Furthermore, the divisions that serve these markets might resist adopting or promoting centrally developed innovations. As a result, inno- vations developed centrally may not closely fit the needs of foreign markets and may also not be deployed quickly or effectively.
local-for-local strategy When each divi- sion or subsidi- ary of the firm conducts its own R&D activities, tailored for the needs of the local market.

There are several downsides to the local-for-local strategy, however. It can result in significant redundancy in activities as each division reinvents the wheel. Furthermore, each division may suffer from a lack of scale in R&D activities, and there is a risk that valuable innovations will not be diffused across the firm.

locally leveraged strategy
When each division or sub- sidiary of the firm conducts its own R&D activities, but the firm attempts to leverage result- ing innovations throughout the company.

One way this strategy is employed in consumer markets is to assign an individual the role of international brand custodian. This person is responsible for ensuring that a successful brand is deployed into the firm’s multiple markets while also maintaining consistency in the product’s image and positioning.52 Such a strategy can be very effective if different markets the company serves have similar needs.

globally linked strategy Innovation activities are decentralized, but also centrally coordinated for the global needs of the corporation.

Bartlett and Ghoshal argue that, overall, the multinational firm’s objective is to make centralized innovation activities more effective (that is, better able to serve the various local markets) while making decentralized innovation activities more efficient (that is, eliminating redundancies and exploiting synergies across divisions). Bartlett and Ghoshal propose that firms should take a transnational approach wherein resources and capabilities that exist anywhere within the firm can be leveraged and deployed to exploit any opportunity that arises in any geographic market. They argue that this can be achieved by:

Encouraging reciprocal interdependence among the divisions of the firm (that is, each division must recognize its dependency on the other divisions of the firm).
Utilizing integration mechanisms across the divisions, such as division-spanning
teams, rotating personnel across divisions, and so on.
Balancing the organization’s identity between its national brands and its global image.

member rotation programs facilitate the diffusion of knowledge throughout the firm.
We will begin by looking at the three key objectives of the new product develop- ment process: maximizing fit with customer requirements, minimizing cycle time, and controlling development costs. We then will turn to methods of achieving these objectives, including adopting parallel development processes, using project champi- ons, and involving customers and suppliers in the development process. Next we will look at a number of tools firms can utilize to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the development process, including creating go/kill decision points with stage- gate processes, defining design targets with quality function deployment, reducing costs and development time with design for manufacturing and CAD/CAM systems, and using metrics to assess the performance of the new product development process.

For new product development to be successful, it must simultaneously achieve three sometimes-conflicting goals: (1) maximizing the product’s fit with customer requirements, (2) minimizing the development cycle time, and (3) controlling development costs.

For a new product to be successful in the marketplace, it must offer more compelling features, greater quality, or more attractive pricing than competing products. Despite the obvious importance of this imperative, many new product development projects fail to achieve it. The firm may not have a clear sense of which features customers value the most, resulting in the firm’s overinvesting in some features at the expense of features the customer values more. Firms may also overestimate the customer’s willingness to pay for particular features, leading them to produce feature-packed products that are too expensive to gain significant market pen- etration. Firms may also have difficulty resolving heterogeneity in customer demands; if some customer groups desire different features from other groups, the firm may end up producing a product that makes compromises between these conflicting demands, and the resulting product may fail to be attractive to any of the customer groups.

development cycle time
The time elapsed from project ini- tiation to product launch, usually measured in months or years.

a company that is able to bring its product to market early has more time to develop (or encourage others to develop) complementary goods that enhance the value and attractiveness of the product.

A firm with a short devel- opment cycle can take advantage of both first-mover and second-mover advantages.

partly parallel development process
A development process in which some (or all) of the development activities at least partially overlap. That is, if activ- ity A would pre- cede activity B in a partly paral- lel development process, activity B might com- mence before activity A is completed.

A sequential process has no early warning system to indicate that planned features are not manufacturable. Consequently, cycle time can lengthen as the project iterates back and forth between the product design and process design stages.

Firms often make decisions about projects on the basis of financial considerations and level of production and technical synergy achieved by the new product proposal rather than on marketing criteria. This can lead to an overemphasis on incremental product updates that closely fit existing business activities.16 The screening decision should focus instead on the new product’s advantage and superiority to the consumer, and the growth of its target market.

lead users Customers who face the same general needs of the marketplace but are likely to experience them months or years earlier than the rest of the mar- ket and stand to benefit dispro- portionately from solutions to those needs.

research has shown that many firms produce new products in less time, at a lower cost, and with higher quality by incorporating suppliers in inte- grated product development efforts.22 For example, consider Chrysler. Beginning in 1989, Chrysler reduced its supplier base from 2,500 to 1,140, offering the remaining suppliers long-term contracts and making them integrally involved in the process of designing new cars. Chrysler also introduced an initiative called SCORE (Supplier Cost Reduction Effort) that encouraged suppliers to make cost-saving suggestions in the development process. The net result was $2.5 billion in savings by 1998.

crowdsourcing

A distributed problem-solving model whereby a design problem or production task is presented to a group of people who voluntarily contribute their ideas and effort in exchange for compensation, intrinsic rewards, or a combination thereof.

go/kill deci- sion points Gates established in the develop- ment process where managers must evaluate whether or not to kill the project or allow it to proceed.

Each gate has three components: deliverables (these are the results of the previous stage and are the inputs for the gate review), criteria (these are the questions or metrics used to make the go/kill decision), and outputs (these are the results of the gate review process and may include a decision such as go, kill, hold, or recycle; outputs should also include an action plan for the dates and deliverables of the next gate).

Some of the most prominent tools used to improve the development process include stage-gate processes, quality function deployment (“house of quality”), design for man- ufacturing, failure modes and effects analysis, and computer-aided design/computer- aided manufacturing. Using the available tools can greatly expedite the new product development process and maximize the product’s fit with customer requirements.

Stage 1, the team does a quick investigation and conceptualization of the project.

Stage 2, the team builds a business case that includes a defined product, its business justification, and a detailed plan of action for the next stages.

Stage 3, the team begins the actual design and development of the product, including mapping out the manufactur- ing process, the market launch, and operating plans. In this stage, the team also defines the test plans utilized in the next stage.

Stage 4, the team conducts the verification and validation process for the proposed new product, and its marketing and production.

Stage 5, the product is ready for launch, and full commercial production and selling commence.

At Microsoft, almost all projects receive either a post- mortem discussion or a written postmortem report to ensure that the company learns from each of its development experiences. These postmortems tend to be extremely candid and can be quite critical. As noted by one Microsoft manager, “The purpose of the document is to beat yourself up.”

Measures of the success of the new product development process can help management to:

Identify which projects met their goals and why.
Benchmark the organization’s performance compared to that of competitors or to the organization’s own prior performance.
Improve resource allocation and employee compensation.
Refine future innovation strategies.

Multiple measures are important because any measure used singly may not give a fair representation of the effectiveness of the firm’s development process or its overall innovation performance. Also, the firm’s development strategy, industry, and other environmental circumstances must be considered when formulating measures and interpreting results.

social loafing When an individual in a team does not exert the expected amount of effort and relies instead on the work of other team members.

cross- functional teams – Teams whose members are drawn from multiple func- tional areas in the firm such as R&D, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and so on.

Teams that are composed of people from diverse backgrounds have several advan- tages over teams that are drawn from only one or a few functional areas.9 A greater variety of specialists provides a broader knowledge base and increases the cross- fertilization of ideas.

Functional experts often actively read journals and are involved in associations that directly affect their trade. These activities can lead to the creation and improvement of innovative ideas, as well as provide solutions to product develop- ment problems.

homophily

The tendency for individuals to like other people whom they perceive as being similar to themselves.

The most successful new prod- uct development teams have gatekeepers who provide important links to the environment. Ancona and Caldwell found that teams engaged in three primary types of boundary- spanning activity:

Ambassador activities—These activities were directed at representing the team to others and protecting the team from interference. For example, an ambassador might convince other individuals in the organization that the team’s activities are important.

Task coordination activities—These activities emphasized coordinating and negotiating the team’s activities with other groups. For

instance, task coordination activities might include negotiating delivery deadlines with other divisions of the firm or obtaining feed- back about the team’s performance.
Scouting activities—These activities were directed at scanning for ideas and information that might be useful to the team, enhancing its knowledge base. For example, scouting activities could include collecting data about what competitors were doing on similar projects or finding technical information that might be useful in the development project.

Kichuk and Wiesner found that the personality characteristics that enhanced the success of a new product development team were high extroversion, high agreeableness, and low neuroticism.20

Autonomous teams typically excel at rapid and efficient new product development, particularly when such development requires breaking away from the organization’s existing technologies and routines. Thus, autonomous teams are typically considered to be appropriate for break- through projects and some major platform projects. They can be the birthplace of new business units.25 However, the independence of the autonomous teams can cause them to underutilize the resources of the parent organization.

In heavyweight and autonomous teams, the project manager must be someone who can lead and evalu- ate the team members, champion the development project both within the team and to the wider organization, and act as a translator between the various functions.

The contract book provides a tool for monitoring and evaluating the team’s performance in meeting objectives by providing a set of performance benchmarks and deadlines to which the team’s performance can be compared. More important, however, the contract book is an important mechanism for estab- lishing team commitment to the project and a sense of ownership over the project. After negotiation and acceptance of this contract, all parties often sign the contract book as an indication of their intention to honor the plan and achieve the results.

Gassman and von Zedtwitz studied 37 technology-intensive multinationals and identi- fied four patterns of teams: (1) decentralized self-coordination, (2) system integrator as coor- dinator, (3) core team as system architect, and (4) centralized venture team.

The value of any technological innovation is only partly determined by what the tech- nology can do. A large part of the value of an innovation is determined by the degree to which people can understand it, access it, and integrate it within their lives. Deploy- ment is not just a way for the firm to earn revenues from its innovations; deployment is a core part of the innovation process itself.

Generally, firms try to decrease their development cycles in order to decrease their costs and to increase their timing of entry options, but this does not imply that firms should always be racing to launch their products as early as possible. A firm can stra- tegically use launch timing to take advantage of business cycle or seasonal effects, to position its product with respect to previous generations of related technologies, and to ensure that production capacity and complementary goods or services are in place.

cannibaliza- tion When a firm’s sales of one product (or at one location) diminish its sales of another of its products (or at another of its locations).

If the firm invests in continuous innovation and willingly cannibalizes its existing products with more advanced products, the firm can make it very difficult for other firms to achieve a technological lead large enough to prove persuasive to customers.

backward compatible When products of a technological generation can work with products of a previous generation. For example, a computer is backward compatible if it can run the same software as a previous generation of the computer.

penetration pricing – When the price of a good is set very low (or free) to maxi- mize the good’s market share.

When it is unclear how customers will respond to a particular price point, firms often use introductory pricing that indicates the pricing is for a stipulated time. This allows the company to test the market’s response to a product without committing to a long-term pricing structure.

manufactur- ers’ repre- sentatives Independent agents that pro- mote and sell the product lines of one or a few man- ufacturers. They are often used when direct sell- ing is appropriate but the manu- facturer does not have a sufficiently large direct sales force to reach all appropriate mar- ket segments.

wholesalers

Companies that buy manufac- turer’s products in bulk, and
then resell them (often in smaller or more diverse bundles) to other supply channel members such as retailers.

retailers

Companies that sell goods to the public.

original equipment manufac- turer (or value-added reseller)

A company that buys products (or components of products) from other manufac- turers and assem- bles them or customizes them into a product that is then sold under the OEM’s own name.

disintermedi- ation
When the number of inter- mediaries in a supply channel is reduced; for example, when manufacturers bypass whole- salers and/or retailers to sell directly to end users.

How the product is sold may also affect the product’s positioning from the perspective of the customer. For example, if competing products are primarily sold in a high-contact mode such as specialty stores or via a direct sales force, selling the new product in a lower-contact channel such as mass discounters or through mail order might cause the customer to perceive the product as being of lower quality or more economical.

Firms introducing a technological innovation can use strategic alliances or exclusivity contracts to encourage distributors to carry and promote their goods. By providing a distributor a stake in the success of the new technology, the firm may be able to persuade the distributor to carry and promote the new technology aggressively.

viral marketing Sending informa- tion directly to targeted indi- viduals in effort to stimulate word-of-mouth advertising. Individuals are typically chosen on the basis of their position or role in particular social networks.

These stages of adoption have been related to the adopter categories of inno- vators (in the very early stages); followed by early adopters, which cause adoption to accelerate; then the early majority and late majority as the innovation penetrates the mass market; and finally the laggards as the innovation approaches saturation.7 The characteristics of these groups make them responsive to different marketing strategies.

A firm that aggressively promotes its products can increase both its actual installed base and its perceived installed base.

Any of these individuals is capable of sparking an information epidemic:

Connectors are individuals who tend to form an exceptionally large circle of acquaintances. Sociolo- gists have found that if a random sample of people is asked to identify the individuals they know on a first-name basis, connectors will identify many times the number of people an average person identifies.

Mavens are individuals who are driven to obtain and disseminate knowledge about one or more of their interests. Economists have widely studied “market mavens,” otherwise known as “price vigilantes.”

salespersons are those individuals who are naturally talented persuaders. Such individu- als are gifted at providing verbal responses that their listener is likely to find compelling.

On Social Media’s False Democratic Promise: Virality, Newsworthiness, and Propaganda

Since the widespread adoption of social media by Americans, news outlets have sought to incorporate it into the new media landscape. Whether this takes the form of Tweets of those involved in a specific news story having their comments read on air; the views of established commentators being read; live events on Facebook; Ask Me Anything on Reddit, etc. – social media is seen as providing the means for reporting that is more democratic – not just for allowing more voices to potentially be incorporated into reporting but also as a story’s newsworthiness is increasingly being chosen for packaging by news companies based upon the things that are trending online.

The rationale for this is understandable, in an age wherein people now spend more of the time on their computer, this allows for a means of engaging audiences in a novel fashion and being able to discern what is important to the audience in advance allows news teams to produce content based upon what is cared about. But as an indicator of actual interest in a topic, virality itself is tricky as it can so easily be falsified.

Dianne Feinstein and the Climate Kids

After official treatment by TeleSUR, commentary spreads throughout the Kultural Marxism ecosystem and their sock-puppet army engages with it to create the appearance of virality.

In an article by Mark Heertsgard in The Nation entitled, On March 15, the Climate Kids are Coming you can see an example of how this plays out. Here is an extended quote describing the birth of the Green New Deal:

“Last November, Sunrise activists welcomed the incoming Democratic majority in the US House of Representatives with protest signs demanding that Democrats “Step Up or Step Aside.” Next, they occupied the office of incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to demand her support for a Green New Deal. The sit-in went viral after Ocasio-Cortez, likewise rejecting the wait-your-turn etiquette expected of freshmen members, joined the protesters. The mainstream media picked up the story, and voilà: The Green New Deal was on its way. “

Whatever one’s position on the Green New Deal, knowledge of the connection between it and Venezuela’s Gramscian Project in America as well as the image at the top of this section clearly shows virality not only to be an empty indicator of actual interest in political policy, but also as a means for getting content re-shared on older and more established media platforms with a wider audience. In other words, virality is manufactured by people with access to coordinated inauthentic behavior networks and thus the democratic promise of social media via genuine engagements dies.

Media workers can quickly turn political events into memes in an attempt to control the interpretation of events and give an impression that this interpretation is hegemonic.

The kids in the Sunrise Movement, Bay Area Earth Guardians and Youth vs. Apocalypse may not get this – but those that then booked them on Democracy Now and others do.

Regardless of the perceived imperative of their causes, online networks of digital activists, intellectuals and artists that falsify how many people actually care about something and to what extent they care about it do their own cause a disservice by opening them to criticisms of propagandists and via the normalization of such behavior. With many actors engaged in such same spam-like activities, social media platforms like Facebook become a staging ground for propaganda campaigns – something which is a far cry from the services most users signed up for.

This image was widely shared by Venezuelan and Russian coordinated inauthentic behavior networks on social media.

Another example of this is the news story of how the ‘Iconic’ image of Palestinian Protestor goes viral. The image was turned into memes connecting it with Lady Liberty Leading the People and the number of comments left on news sites with such features was high. Rather than a bunch of posts of pictures of comments by bots, I decided to quote someone often cited by critics of America, Noam Chomsky, who claimed that “Propaganda is to a democracy what a bludgeon is to the totalitarian state.”

Interestingly, this article on Teen Vogue begins with a variation on the virality theme addressed above. By alluding to perceived popularity, this article begins with the sentence: “You may have come across communist memes on social media. The man, the meme, the legend behind this trend is Karl Marx, who developed the theory of communism, which advocates for workers’ control over their labor (instead of their bosses).”

Considering that many if not most of these meme groups were developed with the assistance of Venezuelan Intelligence Officers and that Teen Vogue itself is deeply connected with them – this is yet another example of a false authenticity and virality being the cause to justify it publication.

The last case that I’ll cover here is that of George Ciccariello-Maher, the Drexel Professor who went ‘viral’ for a white Genocide Tweet. While not reported until several months after the events, it was later revealed that this and a number of other of GCM’s Tweets were in fact boosted by sock-puppet accounts connected to Russia – who is Venezuela’s media partner! Considering George Ciccariello-Maher’s long-standing connections to Venezuelan Intelligence what this means for his credibility as an academic, or political commentator is unknown – but given the extensive media coverage he received over it, it’s worth adding this fact to the historical record.

Newsworthiness and Propaganda

These three viral but not necessarily newsworthy narratives all draw on a similar and well-established framing for propaganda – the powerless standing up to the powerful. In the above cases we see a group of non-voting age students and their parents try to pigeonhole a Senator to get her to agree to the Green New Deal; a group of poorly armed activists entering the military zone of a neighboring power to dismantle its borders; a lone professor takes on White Supremacism with a single tweet.

And yet despite addressing vastly different subjects – the environment, Palestine and White Supremacy – all of them are not only connected the same coordinated inauthentic behavior networks but also demonstrate the same anti-systemic political sensibilities. I’m not saying that these narratives should be silenced, but when seeking to understand the current political moment it’s important to recognize that foreign powers see value in creating such political polarization and that this is destructive to the democratic process.

What Preparations for Warfare Looks Like on Facebook

Click on the photo to get a closer view of what I describe below.

The official Russian military is filled with sock puppets accounts. What their relationships are to any actual military or intelligence operations is currently unknown.

Trigger Warning and the Radical Atlanta-Caracas Axis

Before the episode in which Killer Mike illustrates 21st Century Socialism in action, he states his identification with Fela, a musician who is also revered and endorsed by former Bolivarian Republica of Venezuela Ambassador Jesus “Chucho” Garcia.

I can’t think of a better connection to illustrate the validity of my previously written article hypothesizing that Trigger Warning staring Killer Mike was Venezuelan propaganda than cultural activist Jesus “Chucho” Garcia holding up a CD of Fela. I wonder, did they ever meet?

This is a pretty dope album to listen to front to back. I get why they dig em.