The analysis of critical factors of success (failure) for Iran nanotechnology research & development via fuzzy map approach

Experiment is a procedure for verifying or establishing the validity of a hypothesis and then measuring or evaluating its outcomes. Due to the inherent uncertainties or ambiguities of its outcomes, a further treatment is needed for producing identical results. Fuzzy map is an approach for removing the uncertainties of the outcomes. In this manuscript, the procedure employed for conducting research and development in the field of nontechnology, in a developing country, is considered and the factors governing its success and its failures are analyzed. To accomplish this task, a thorough literature review was performed and the related critical factors were identified. Then an extensive survey was conducted to gather the perception of the specialist who are dealing with this subject. More precisely, a questionnaire is designed and distributed to the managers of the R&D and academicians who are conducting R&D in the field of nontechnology. To obtain more accurate reply, the answers are gathered by the means of the face to face interview. A total of 27 factors were identified and categorized in 7 classes. Then by the use of the Fuzzy mapping the most critical factors of the success and failure of nanotechnology were analyzed. The result indicated that the most important critical factor of the successes is the enhancement of the general awareness of nanotechnology in the society. Regarding the failure factors it revealed that the most critical factor is the lack of interaction between researches with R&D strategic plan proposal which is submitted to the government, industry, and university authorities.