ASHRAE develops strategic research plan

According to an Oct. 22 ASHRAE news release, the process will include a five-year and a 10-year research plan.

“We want to ensure that ASHRAE’s research program is meeting the needs of members and those in the industry,” said John Mitchell, chair of ASHRAE’s Research Advisory Panel, in the release. The panel is preparing the plan.

ASHRAE’s research program, through the years, has provided new information for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry, and for the society’s handbook, standards and design guides, and other special publications.

Nearly all research projects are proposed by ASHRAE technical committees and task groups with occasional funding of unsolicited proposals. However, no comprehensive, strategic research planning has been done to identify the broad research needs of the industry and ASHRAE members.

To ensure the plan will meet the future needs, ASHRAE is seeking input from members, nonmembers, and selected industry and government representatives. ASHRAE held the second of two workshops Oct. 1, meeting with people to discuss their research needs.

“We are not asking for specific research topics, but rather general topic areas, such as adaptive controls, dedicated outdoor air systems, more applied research, or more basic, pre-competitive research and in what areas,” Mitchell said.

The research advisory panel hopes to obtain approval of the plan at ASHRAE’s 2005 annual meeting, June 25–29 in Denver, Colo.