1,721,072 research outputs found
How creative vouchers can allocate public resources for innovation effectively
No full textPurpose: The purpose is to assess the usefulness of creative vouchers, a specific kind of technology and innovation vouchers (small grants usually given to SMEs to acquire external knowledge) where the knowledge suppliers are creative firms such as design agencies. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple case analysis of four EU-funded pilot voucher schemes was carried out through project reports and semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders. Findings: The authors show that creative vouchers are effective policy instruments despite the limited amount of money involved because they trigger new innovation trajectories often in a serendipitous way. The authors also show that the quality of projects and satisfaction of the beneficiaries increase when both proposals and suppliers are screened. Research limitations/implications: The authors’ conclusions are based on four pilot projects in a specific region of the world (Western Europe). Though two of them were extended to a much bigger scale, their generalizability may be limited. Moreover, the limited number of cases does not permit an analytical evaluation of all the voucher schemes mechanisms. Practical implications: The findings of this paper can be very useful to policymakers designing voucher schemes and to the companies involved, whether they are providers or beneficiaries. In particular, the voucher allocation mechanisms may have a strong impact on the success of the program. Social implications: The innovation spurred by the collaboration with creative firms is generally neither energy-intensive nor capital intensive, but brain intensive, and this is the best way to leverage on the talent of local creative and make companies create value based on immaterial resources. Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of creative vouchers after Bakhsi et al., 2015, and the only one involving several schemes in different countries. It shows the innovation potential of such a little known policy instrument for SMEs. Moreover, it provides insight on how to design a voucher scheme in order to improve its effectiveness
L'impresa che assicura il cliente. Attori, processi e strategie per la gestione del cambiamento
No full textHollow cathode chemical modelling
No full textIn this paper the state of hollow cathode life time modelling at the University of Southampton will be reported. Two models have been developed: one for BaO depletion from the hollow cathode insert and another for low work function compounds deposition and desorption. The model developed to predict BaO depletion from hollow cathode insert will be presented together with some comparison between experimental and numerical data to prove its validity.A model for low work function compounds deposition and desorption will also be presented. This model will be used to simulate the NSTAR cathode showing a very conservative estimate of the cathode life due to conservative character of the hypotheses made in the model development and due to the chosen criteria for the end of life
A dual Stage ion engine for high impulse missions
No full textIn this paper, the applicability of dual stage ion optics and in particular of the so-called dual stage ion engine to high power, high specific impulse missions will be evaluated. First, the performance limits of conventional two gridded ion engines (GIE) will be discussed and the advantages provided by dual stage ion engines reported. The limits of applicability of a dual stage ion engine will be analyzed analytically and the results confirmed numerically. The lifetime and performance of a three gridded dual stage ion engine (DS3G) will be numerically investigated and compared to those of a conventional GIE assessing for the first time in the open literature under what condition dual stage ion optics provide performance improvements over conventional GIEs and what is its impact on the thruster lifetime. Dual stage ion engines have been found to be capable of providing higher thrust density and longer lifetime with respect to conventional gridded ion engines
Souleymane Cissé. Con gli occhi dell'eternità
No full textPrimo regista dell’Africa subsahariana a vincere i due festival storici del continente e primo in concorso a Cannes (con Yeelen, nel 1987), il maliano Souleymane Cissé rappresenta senza dubbio il massimo autore vivente delle cinematografie africane. Cineasta sensibile ai problemi sociali e culturali del proprio paese e dell’intero continente, Cissé è venuto progressivamente allargando il proprio sguardo a una prospettiva universale, così da coniugare l’attenzione fenomenologica al reale e una spiccata tendenza verso l’astrazione simbolica. Negli ultimi anni, alla regia Cissé ha aggiunto un’impegnativa attività di promozione delle cinematografie africane, attraverso l’UCECAO e la World Cinema Foundation di Scorsese.
Questo volume, in assoluto il primo mai dedicato a Cissé, sintetizza un quadro biofilmografico dell’autore, un’analisi testuale e trasversale delle sue opere, un’antologia di interviste e un ampio repertorio di apparati. Il saggio è la versione italiana di un volume pubblicato nel 2009 dalla Junta de Andalucía e dalla Fundación El legado Andalusí in occasione di una retrospettiva ospitata dal 3° Festival Cines del Sur di Granada
Results of the qualification test campaign of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP)
Full text linkPulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP) is an ablative pulsed plasma thruster designed with the aim of providing translational and orbital control to Cubesat platforms. The qualification model presented in this paper has been developed by Mars Space Ltd, Clyde Space Ltd and the University of Southampton to produce a versatile “stand-alone” module that can be bolted on the Cubesat structure, allowing the orbital control along the X or Y-axis of the satellite. An extensive and complete test campaign to qualify the unit for space flight, which includes electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) characterization, thermal cycling and mechanical tests, has been performed according to the NASA GEVS procedures. PPTCUP is characterized by an averaged specific impulse of 655±58 s and a deliverable total impulse of 48.2±4.2 Ns. Finally, it has been found that the unit is compliant with the EMC requirements and can successfully withstand the thermal and mechanical loads typical of a Cubesat space mission
Governance of small consortia for innovation: a multiple-case study analysis
No full textThe diffusion and importance of open and collaborative innovation are widely acknowledged. Generally, policy makers launch programs fostering collaboration without awareness of the factors surrounding the collaborations. Moreover, while linkages between two organisations (dyadic relationships) have been largely explored, collaborative innovation carried out through formal multi-party alliances such as consortia is less well-known. In particular, there is little literature about the role of the administrative committee (i.e., the joint steering committee managing the consortium) and its impact on governance. A multi-case analysis of three small consortia in their initial phases reveals which forms of governance matter, how they interplay with each other and explains the role and boundaries of the administrative committee
A chemical model for barium oxide depletion from hollow cathode’s insert
No full textIn this paper a chemical model to predict barium oxide depletion from hollow cathode insert is developed. This model is based on the knowledge of the ternary diagram that exists in the BaO-CaO-Al2O3 system. This model takes also into account the diffusive motion of barium oxide inside the insert. A comparison between numerical and experimental data is made to determine the diffusion coefficient inside the insert. The diffusion coefficient presents an Arrhenius trend with activation energy similar to the one of barium oxide evaporation. A two dimensional model is used to demonstrate how temperature profile along the insert is a key parameter to calculate barium depletion
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