Title: Issues in human resource development and the pressures faced by science park-based NTBFs

Authors: Gary Evans, William Keogh

Addresses: ANGLE Technology, Surrey Technology Centre, Surrey Research Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7YG, UK. ' School of Management and Languages, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK

Abstract: Pressures on new technology based firms (NTBFs) can come from a number of different sources including the need to achieve successful exploitation of core intellectual property and the need for appropriate property and other physical facilities. It is of critical importance that the staff of the company are appropriately experienced and trained to address these external pressures. However, it may well be the case that resource development and management are not conducted in any particularly sophisticated manner by the tenant companies on the science park. The overall impression gained by the researchers is that the issue of human resource development, although being recognised by some as important, is not being treated as being of strategic importance. This paper, based on the findings from the first year of an ESF funded research project, provides a discussion of some of the key issues confronting a group of NTBFs which are typical of the wider population of science park tenants.

Keywords: human resource strategy; IiP; NTBFs; science parks; skills; training; new technology based firms; human resource development; human resources; intellectual property.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2004.004711

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2004 Vol.4 No.2, pp.128 - 143

Published online: 07 Jul 2004 *

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