There is no doubt that technical or technological development relies heavily on R&D services. Some people may associate them with the academic world or business incubators – organizations that help startup businesses get established, grow, and succeed by providing them resources and support. Expertise and mentorship, workshops, panel discussions, low-cost workspace, promotion and advertising, and the ability to facilitate business contacts through access to business events may all be in the cards here.
But R&D has an even more down-to-earth and tangible facet. In 2018, research and development expenditure accounted for 2.2% of GDP worldwide. And there were dozens of companies that spent billions of U.S. dollars on R&D, with Amazon, Alphabet, Volkswagen, Samsung, and Intel topping the list with two-digit values.
Obviously, investing in R&D activities often pays off for the giants but it may also be very effective for small and medium enterprises or startups, helping them get a powerful kickoff or improve performance of existing products and simply thrive in an extremely competitive world.
Table of contents:
2. 3 most valuable R&D services for your company
3. Comprehensive R&D services – Codete’s way
R&D services in a nutshell
Research and development services are often associated with terms such as innovation, business incubators, industrial scientists, and the development process in general. But for many people, the idea of R&D is simply too vague and unspecific. They don’t know, for instance, what research and development activities (like basic research and extensive research) actually are.
What is the R&D services meaning, then? Well, they may be described simply as systematic, creative actions taken by companies in order to refine an existing product or service, develop a new one, or just utilize novice technologies, and keep a given business competitive in the long run.
To achieve all this, an influx of new knowledge is required, and, more and more often, software development, data mining, artificial intelligence, or machine learning are utilized for that. Before a product hits the market or gets improved, research & development services may simply be crucial.
3 most valuable R&D services for your company
There are countless businesses and industries that get enhanced with what R&D services have to offer. Semiconductors and pharmaceuticals manufacturers, along with software/technology companies are among those who invest the biggest resources in R&D activities or services. However, the list of sectors and industries that rely heavily on R&D projects is much longer and also covers life sciences, automotive, construction, and food and beverage industries.
Some of the examples of real-life applications of R&D include turning legacy systems into cloud-based ones or making manufacturing processes automated. Oftentimes, R&D services simply begin the development process. Here are some of the most important R&D activities.
1. Basic research and applied research
Thorough research is a vital phase of the R&D process. Basic research, also called fundamental research or pure research, involves getting knowledge – through theoretical or experimental efforts – in order to understand and predict phenomena better. Applied research, on the other hand, is way more practical and specific, set to achieve a particular goal, like utilizing a novice technology, or making the application of science more down-to-earth.
2. Experimental development
A commonly-used definition describes experimental development as
“systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and/or practical experience, that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices; to installing new processes, systems and services; or to improving substantially those already produced or installed.”
Prototyping, piloting, testing and validation can all be in the mix here – both in the case of newly-developed or enhanced products – performed to simply make further technical improvements.
Fast prototype building – creating a model that represents the desired features, or technologies – is the best way to pre-evaluate the new product’s ease-of-use, and efficiency. Design, construction, and prototype tests, besides some technical and technological knowledge, are something that requires creativity, versatility, resourcefulness, and thinking outside of the box.
3. Outsourcing R&D
Contracting out R&D services may be a good idea when you want to kickstart your business or fine-tune it to the requirements of the present day. Many companies, especially small and mid-sized ones, simply don’t have sufficient resources or know-how to perform R&D in-house. Anyway, even companies with their own R&D departments have them separated from operational ones within the corporate structure.
Comprehensive R&D services – Codete’s way
Of course, each entity or business needs a specific solution, and it’s where Codete comes to play, offering R&D outsourcing services that let ambitious businesses accelerate their growth through technology. Our company provides tailor-made solutions to all its clients, irrespective of whether they are tiny startups or well-renowned, established corporations or household names recognized all over the world.
Top-tier Codete’s R&D services include effective research, testing, and implementation with the proper tech stack for your product – a rich and all-encompassing package. The bottom line is helping clients establish their companies as industry leaders, propelling further growth and success. Interestingly, Codete’s researchers are engaged in both internal and external R&D projects.
There are many examples of R&D solutions and cooperations where Codete proved its effectiveness. They are impressively diversified and prove the company’s versatility. They cover examples such as:
- partnership with a well-known US-based tech university to build a fully-automated, NLP-powered social media monitoring tool for analyzing sentiment in the posts
- an R&D project for an engineering company specializing in smart technological solutions for the oceans industry, encompassing collaboration on a revolutionary cloud-based system for the marine analysis industry, built to streamline and standardize its key processes
- building from scratch a bot that generates articles based on predefined paragraph templates to improve the client’s web portals
- an R&D project meant to process data based on real-time tracking of the vehicles as they travel from the manufacturer to dealers
R&D services boiled down
There are many ways to gain a competitive edge and R&D is the one that can definitely tip the scales in this regard. It’s simply reasonable to get the knowledge right on time and thus limit the risk involved in any new venture yet in the very beginning.
Independent or university R&D labs or organizations are just a part of the R&D landscape, and there are other important entities, too, like big enterprises with their own research facilities. Some of them specialize in providing the most cutting-edge solutions that involve Machine Learning, data science, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based systems, to name but a few.
It’s good to make use of R&D solutions delivered by leading, trusted companies to be sure that research & development services provided will be tailor-made by world-class professionals with huge market experience. This way, entrepreneurs may limit the risk that hitting the market with a new product or fine-tuning the existing one entails.
Undoubtedly, R&D is a great tool for shaping the competitive edge and letting companies of various kinds and sizes stay ahead of seemingly similar entities. New knowledge is priceless and may be regarded as an investment in the brighter future although it may not bring an immediate payoff.
And what are your experiences with research & development, do you find R&D services important? Have you ever been a part of an R&D team or department? To you, how can software development and research & development services complement each other?
