What does RTDE mean in Research?

Research, Test, Development and Evaluation

It is used to describe facilities that research, develop and test 'new technologies' such as Carnegie Mellon University or the U.S. Air Force’s Rome Laboratories. The evaluation part was added because of the effort to evaluate/compare similar technologies or products as part of the research. In order to stay ahead or maintain superiority in the Global technology marketplace the Department of Defense (DOD) awards grants and funding to Academia and Industry to conduct Research and Development (R&D) for new and emerging technologies through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Purists would argue (and would be correct) that Testing and Evaluation (T&E) is a separate scientific discipline unto itself. However most modern laboratories conduct all four of the processes/disciplines thereby creating the combined term RTD&E.

Academic & Science » Research