An Assessment of ARPA-E
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Contents
SUMMARY 1
1 INTRODUCTION 15
Statement of Task, 16
Study Scope, 18
Study Approach, 18
Organization of the Report, 19
2 OVERVIEW OF ARPA-E 21
Origins, 21
Attributes, 22
Structure and Operations, 29
3 ARPA-E’s INTERNAL OPERATIONS: CULTURE, PEOPLE,
AND PROCESSES 47
Defining Organizational Features of ARPA-E, 48
Methods, 48
ARPA-E’s Culture, People, and Processes: A Qualitative and
Quantitative Analysis, 49
Summary of Findings and Recommendations, 84
4 TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT 91
ARPA-E Technical Objectives: Transformational Technologies and
White Space, 92
External Metrics Used to Assess Outcomes, 96
Evidence of Outcomes from Analysis of Key External Metrics: Scientific
Publications, Patents, and Follow-on Funding and New Firm
Foundation, 99
Evidence of Impact from Case Studies, 104
Transforming Energy Industry Attitudes, 121
Creating New Communities of Researchers, 122
Improving Public Awareness of ARPA-E Achievements, 125
