Industrial Engneering

Towards a Model-Driven IEC 61131-Based Development Process in Industrial Automation

by Kleanthis Thramboulidis

A novel growth strategy for propagation and bacteriocin production of Lactobacilli

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Posted Presented in 8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, Montreal Canada 2009

A novel growth strategy for propagation and bacteriocin production of Lactobacilli

M.P.Zacharof¹ and R.W.... more A novel growth strategy for propagation and bacteriocin production of Lactobacilli

M.P.Zacharof¹ and R.W. Lovitt²

Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK¹
School of Engineering, Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK²

Abstract
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the dairy industry nowadays. The bacteria are used as a natural acidifier for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass are necessary. Furthermore they produce natural antimicrobial substances during their growth, called bacteriocins. The possibility of producing these substances in mass quantities will be investigated through several techniques. The selected Lactobacilli, L.plantarum NCIMB 8014, L.casei NCIMB 11970 and L.lactis NCIMB 8586 were grown into simple batch cultures without pH control where their physicochemical needs were determined. Through the determination of the optimum nutritional conditions for the propagation of the Lactobacilli, an optimised medium for growth occurred.
The metabolism of the Lactobacilli was determined as homofermentative, mainly producing lactic acid. A simple liquid turbidometric method was developed to test the bacteriocin productivity of the selected bacteria. The efficiency and potency of the bacteriocin produced was tested against L.delbruckii subsp.lactis NCIMB 8117.
The optimised medium was further filtrated via membrane modules of 4 and 30 kDa and autoclaved. The medium’s efficiency in supporting the growth and the bacteriocin production of the bacilli was tested and comparative studies between filtrated and unfiltrated media were done.

Keywords: LAB, Bacteriocins, Target strain, Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration, Growth rate, Doubling time

Development of a suitable growth strategy for intensive propagation and lactic acid production of selected strains of Lactobacilli

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Published on the CHISA2010 ECCE Conference Proceedings 2010 ISBN:987-80-02-02210-7

Development of a suitable growth strategy for intensive propagation and lactic acid production of selected strains of... more Development of a suitable growth strategy for intensive propagation and lactic acid production of selected strains of Lactobacilli

M.P.Zacharof¹, R.W. Lovitt² and K. Ratanapongleka ³

Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK¹
School of Engineering, Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK²
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ubon Rajathanee University, Ubon Rajathanee 34190, Thailand³

Abstract
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry nowadays. These microorganisms have several distinguishing abilities such as the production of lactic acid, enzymes such as β-galactosidase and natural antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins. They are mainly used as a natural acidifier for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass and the end products of their metabolism are necessary. The possibility of producing these substances in mass quantities will be investigated through several techniques. The selected Lactobacilli, L.plantarum NCIMB 8014, L.casei NCIMB 11970, L.lactis NCIMB 8586 and L.delbruckii NCIMB 11778 were grown into simple batch cultures without pH control where their physicochemical needs were determined. Through the determination of the optimum nutritional conditions for the propagation of the Lactobacilli, an optimised medium for growth occurred.
The growth efficiency on the medium was tested on a 2L STR reactor operated batch wise with continuous pH control. The optimum pH conditions for the growth of the bacilli were determined as well as parameters such as cellular yield coefficient, substrate and starter inoculum concentration and lactic acid rate and production. The metabolism of the Lactobacilli was determined as homofermentative, mainly producing lactic acid.
The efficiency of the optimized medium was evaluated in terms of growth rate and doubling time through the spectrophotometric measurement of cellular biomass.

Keywords: LAB, STR, Growth rate, Doubling time, lactic acid, nutrient medium

Investigation of a suitable growth strategy for optimisation of intensive propagation and lactic acid of selected strains of Lactobacilli genus

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Proceedings of 2010 International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Applications (CCEA 2010) Singapore, 26-28 February, 2010 ISBN13: 978-1-84626-023-0

Abstract
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry... more Abstract
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry nowadays. These microorganisms have several distinguishing abilities such as the production of lactic acid, enzymes such as β-galactosidase and natural antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins. They are mainly used as a natural acidifier for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass and the end products of their metabolism are necessary. The possibility of producing these substances in mass quantities will be investigated through several techniques. The selected Lactobacilli, L.plantarum NCIMB 8014, L.casei NCIMB 11970, L.lactis NCIMB 8586 were grown into simple batch cultures without pH control where their physicochemical needs were determined. Through the determination of the optimum nutritional conditions for the propagation of the Lactobacilli, an optimised medium for growth occurred.
The optimum pH conditions for the growth of the bacilli were determined as well as parameters such as cellular yield coefficient, substrate and starter inoculum concentration and lactic acid rate and production. The metabolism of the Lactobacilli was determined as homofermentative, mainly producing lactic acid. The efficiency of the medium combining al the optimised parameters, enhancing the productivity biomass and therefore bacteriocins production from the strains, was tested on a 2L STR reactor operated batchwise with continuous pH control. A simple liquid turbidometric method was developed to test the bacteriocin productivity of the selected bacteria. The activity and potency of the bacteriocin produced was tested against L.delbruckii subsp.lactis NCIMB 8117.

Development of a suitable growth strategy for intensive propagation and lactic acid production of selected strains of Lactobacilli

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Presented in 8th Green Chemistry Conference. AN INTERNATIONAL EVENT Zaragoza - Spain, 2009

Development of a suitable growth strategy for intensive propagation and lactic acid production from selected strains... more Development of a suitable growth strategy for intensive propagation and lactic acid production from selected strains of Lactobacilli

M.P.Zacharof¹, R.W. Lovitt² and K. Ratanapongleka ³

Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK¹
School of Engineering, Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK²
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ubon Rajathanee University, Ubon Rajathanee 34190, Thailand³


Abstract
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry nowadays. These microorganisms have several distinguishing abilities such as the production of lactic acid, enzymes such as β-galactosidase and natural antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins. They are mainly used as a natural acidifier for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass and the end products of their metabolism are necessary. The possibility of producing these substances in mass quantities will be investigated through several techniques. The selected Lactobacilli, L.plantarum NCIMB 8014, L.casei NCIMB 11970, L.lactis NCIMB 8586 and L.delbruckii NCIMB 11778 were grown into simple batch cultures without pH control where their physicochemical needs were determined. Through the determination of the optimum nutritional conditions for the propagation of the Lactobacilli, an optimised medium for growth occurred.
The growth efficiency on the medium was tested on a 2L STR reactor operated batch wise with continuous pH control. The optimum pH conditions for the growth of the bacilli were determined as well as parameters such as cellular yield coefficient, substrate and starter inoculum concentration and lactic acid rate and production. The metabolism of the Lactobacilli was determined as homofermentative, mainly producing lactic acid.
The efficiency of the optimized medium was evaluated in terms of growth rate and doubling time through the spectrophotometric measurement of cellular biomass.

Keywords: LAB, STR, Growth rate, Doubling time, lactic acid, nutrient medium

Development of an optimised growth strategy for intensive propagation, lactic acid and bacteriocin production of selected strains of Lactobacilli genus

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Published in International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2010 ISSN: 2010-0221

Abstract -
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry... more Abstract -
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry nowadays. These microorganisms have several distinguishing abilities such as the production of lactic acid, enzymes such as β-galactosidase and natural antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins. They are mainly used as a natural acidifier for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass and the end products of their metabolism are necessary. The possibility of producing these substances in mass quantities will be investigated through several techniques. The selected Lactobacilli, L.plantarum NCIMB 8014, L.casei NCIMB 11970, L.lactis NCIMB 8586were grown into simple batch cultures without pH control where their physicochemical needs were determined. Through the determination of the optimum nutritional conditions for the propagation of the Lactobacilli, an optimised medium for growth occurred. The optimum pH conditions for the growth of the bacilli were determined as well as parameters such as cellular yield coefficient, substrate and starter inoculums concentration and lactic acid rate and production. The metabolism of the Lactobacilli was determined as homofermentative, mainly producing lactic acid. The efficiency of the medium combining al the optimised parameters, enhancing the productivity biomass and therefore bacteriocins production from the strains, was tested on a 2L STR reactor operated batch wise with continuous pH control. A simple liquid turbidometric method was developed to test the bacteriocin productivity of the selected bacteria. The activity and potency of the bacteriocin produced was tested against L.delbruckii subsp.lactis NCIMB 8117.
Index Terms-Doubling time, Growth rate, Lactic acid, Nisin

Optimization of growth conditions for intensive propagation, growth development and lactic acid production of selected strains of Lactobacilli

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Paper Presented in Chemeca 2009 27–30 September 2009 Burswood Entertainment Complex, Perth, Australia

Optimization of growth conditions for intensive propagation, growth development and lactic acid production of selected... more Optimization of growth conditions for intensive propagation, growth development and lactic acid production of selected strains of Lactobacilli

M.P.Zacharof¹, R.W. Lovitt² and K. Ratanapongleka ³

Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK¹
School of Engineering, Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Center, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK²
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ubon Rajathanee University, Ubon Rajathanee 34190, Thailand³


Abstract
Lactobacilli belong to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used in the food industry These microorganisms have several distinguishing abilities such as the production of lactic acid, enzymes such as β-galactosidase and natural antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins. They are mainly used as a natural acidifier for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass and the end products of their metabolism are necessary. The possibility of producing these substances in mass quantities was investigated through several techniques. Selected Lactobacilli, L.plantarum NCIMB 8014, L.casei NCIMB 11970, L.lactis NCIMB 8586 and L.delbruckii NCIMB 11778 were grown into batch cultures without pH control where their physicochemical needs were determined. Through the determination of the optimum nutritional conditions for the propagation of the Lactobacilli, an optimised medium for growth was developed. The efficiency of the medium was tested in a 2L STR reactor operated batch wise with continuous pH control. The optimum pH conditions for the growth of the bacilli were determined as well as parameters such as cellular yield coefficient, substrate and starter inoculum concentration and lactic acid rate and production. The metabolism of the Lactobacilli was determined as homofermentative, mainly producing lactate. Efficiency of the optimized medium was evaluated in terms of growth rate and doubling time through the spectrophotometric measurement of cellular biomass. The medium strongly supports the growth of the Lactobacilli giving a growth rate between 0.22 to 0.32 h-1

Keywords: LAB, STR, Growth rate, Doubling time, lactic acid, nutrient medium

The importance of Lactobacilli in contemporary food and pharmaceutical industry A review article

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Proceedings of 2010 International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Applications (CCEA 2010) Singapore, 26-28 February, 2010 ISBN13: 978-1-84626-023-0

Abstract
Fermentation technology has been a widely researched and exploited field of the science of... more Abstract
Fermentation technology has been a widely researched and exploited field of the science of biotechnology. Through out the recent years the vast majority of microbial groups have been tested for the production of beneficial compounds especially for the replacement of products produced by petrol such as lactic acid. A bacterial group that heavily attracts attention due to its products are Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and especially Lactobacilli. Lactobacilli are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry nowadays. These microorganisms have several distinguishing features based on their main ability to ferment carbohydrates such as the production of acids, enzymes and natural antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins. They are mainly used as natural acidifiers for the inoculation of bulk quantities of milk and vegetables in order to produce a variety of fermented products. As such, large quantities of their biomass and the end products of their metabolism are necessary. In this article some of the most important uses of Lactobacilli in the industry will be reviewed. Emphasis will be given in the production of lactic acid, β-galactosidase and lantibiotics through the usage of modern fermentation technology.
Keywords: LAB, fermentation technology, food industry, β-galactosidase, lactic acid,

Contemporary Laboratory Methods for Separation and Purification of Organic Macromolecules A review article

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

Published in International Journal of Chemical and Environmental Engineering Vol.1, No.1, July 2010 ISSN: 2078-0737

Abstract
Nowadays, there are several laboratory methods suitable for separation and purification of a wide range... more Abstract
Nowadays, there are several laboratory methods suitable for separation and purification of a wide range of
chemical substances of commercial interest from mixtures. These assays include filtration, precipitation, high
precision dynamic light scattering (DLS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The main
advantage of these methods apart of their cost effectiveness is their suitability for separation, sizing and purification
of a wide range of organic substances such as proteins, oligo- and polypeptides , enzymes, antibiotics, dyes, lipids,
oils and in general non volatile organic compounds produced either by in vitro synthesis or biotechnologically. In
this study, a description of these techniques will follow and several examples of their use will be given.
Keywords: Filtration, Laboratory techniques, Chromatography, Proteins, Separation,
Purification, Membranes, Pore size

The Production of Bacteriocins from Lactic Acid Bacteria

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

A Thesis Submitted for the Requirements of the degree Doctrate in Philosophy (PhD), Swansea University, 2010

Intensive Propagation of the Lactic Acid Bacterium Lactococcus Lactis

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

A Thesis Submitted for the Requirements of the Degree of Master in Pholosophy, (MPhil) , University of Wales, Swansea, 2006

Virtual R&D Teams: A potential growth of education-industry

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

ALE EBRAHIM, N., AHMED, S., RASHID, S. H. A. & TAHA, Z. (2010). Virtual R&D Teams: A potential growth of education-industry collaboration. In: 2010 2nd International Congress on Engineering Education (ICEED 2010), 8th - 9th December Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 7-9.

In this paper, we present our more than two years research experiences on virtual R&D teams in small and... more In this paper, we present our more than two years research experiences on virtual R&D teams in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and draws conclusions, giving special attention to the structure of virtual teams required to support education-industry collaboration. We report the relevant results of an online survey study. The online questionnaire was emailed by using a simple random sampling method to 947 manufacturing SMEs. The findings of this study show that SMEs in Malaysia and Iran are willing to use virtual teams for collaboration and the platform for industry-education collaboration is ready and distance between team members or differences in time zones, are not barriers to industry-education collaborations.

Virtual Collaborative R&D Teams in Malaysia Manufacturing SMEs

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

ALE EBRAHIM, N., AHMED, S., ABDUL RASHID, S. H. & TAHA, Z. (2011). Virtual Collaborative R&D Teams in Malaysia Manufacturing SMEs. In: THATCHER, S. & VENKATESH, eds. 2nd International Conference on Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Technologies (MIMT 2011), February 26-28 2011 Singapore. Chengdu, China: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., V2-114 - V2-117.

This paper presents the results of empirical research conducted during March to September 2009. The study focused on... more This paper presents the results of empirical research conducted during March to September 2009. The study focused on the influence of virtual research and development (R&D) teams within Malaysian manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The specific objective of the study is better understanding of the application of collaborative technologies in business, to find the effective factors to assist SMEs to remain competitive in the future. The paper stresses to find an answer for a question “Is there any relationship between company size, Internet connection facility and virtuality?”. The survey data shows SMEs are now technologically capable of performing the virtual collaborative team, but the infrastructure usage is less. SMEs now have the necessary technology to begin the implementation process of collaboration tools to reduce research and development (R&D) time, costs and increase productivity. So, the manager of R&D should take the potentials of virtual teams into account.

Concurrent Collaboration in Research and Development

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

ALE EBRAHIM, N., AHMED, S. & TAHA, Z. (2008). Concurrent Collaboration in Research and Development. In: National Conference on Design and Concurrent Engineering (DECON) 2008, 28 to 29 October 2008 Melaka, Malaysia.

Integration is the essence of current research and development (R&D) activity in many organizations. Integration... more Integration is the essence of current research and development (R&D) activity in many organizations. Integration can be established in various ways depending on the type, size and intricacy in organizational functions and products. Nevertheless, research and development (R&D) has become an inevitable function in most manufacturing companies in order to develop their own product niches for their survival in the prevailing highly completive market environment. Research and development functions are fundamental drivers of value creation in technology based enterprises. Of creating and maintaining a vibrant R&D environment, organizations individually or collectively need to incorporate virtual R&D team. A virtual R&D team can introduce new product in less lead time than by conventional R&D working. Therefore, how to increase the possibility of having more successful R&D is a critical issue for enterprises. This paper examines the current approach of collaboration in R&D issues from the perspective of their impact on virtual R&D team in enterprises and compares the findings with the other concepts of concurrent collaboration. By reviewing literature and theories, the paper firstly presents the definition and characteristics of virtual R&D teams. A comparison of different types of virtual R&D teams along with the strengths and limitations of the preceding studies in this area are also presented. It is observed that most of the research activities encourage and support virtual R&D teams applicable to enterprises. Distinctive benefits of establishing virtual R&D team have been enumerated and demand future attention has been indicated in the paper.

Innovation and R&D Activities in Virtual Team

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

European Journal of Scientific Research, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 297-307, 2009

Innovation plays a central role in economic development, at the regional and national level. In the competitive... more Innovation plays a central role in economic development, at the regional and national level. In the competitive environment companies are obliged to produce more rapidly, more effectively and more efficiently in new product development, which is a result of research and development (R&D) activities. It is necessary for them to put together different capabilities and services with the goal, through cooperation between suppliers and customers, service providers and scientific institutions to achieve innovations of high quality. Depending on the type of industry, the type of business, the type of innovation and the strategic objectives that have been set, firms will regularly have to modify the way in which their R&D and innovation are organized. Nowadays, shift from serial to simultaneous and parallel working in innovation has become more commonplace. Literatures have shown that collaboration is as a meta-capability for innovation. By a comprehensive reviewing of literature this article after define virtual teams and its characteristics, addressing virtual environment innovation and the relationship to R&D activities. Finally conclude that innovation cannot be successful, unless the knowledge and information in the R&D project are effectively captured, shared and internalized by the R&D project’s virtual team members.

Virtual Teams: A Literature Review

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 2653-2669, 2009

In the competitive market, virtual teams represent a growing response to the need for fasting time-to-market, low-cost... more In the competitive market, virtual teams represent a growing response to the need for fasting time-to-market, low-cost and rapid solutions to complex organizational problems. Virtual teams enable organizations to pool the talents and expertise of employees and non-employees by eliminating time and space barriers. Nowadays, companies are heavily investing in virtual team to enhance their performance and competitiveness. Despite virtual teams growing prevalence, relatively little is known about this new form of team. Hence the study offers an extensive literature review with definitions of virtual teams and a structured analysis of the present body of knowledge of virtual teams. First, we distinguish virtual teams from conventional teams, different types of virtual teams to identify where current knowledge applies. Second, we distinguish what is needed for effective virtual team considering the people, process and technology point of view and underlying characteristics of virtual teams and challenges they entail. Finally, we have identified and extended 12 key factors that need to be considered, and describes a methodology focused on supporting virtual team working, with a new approach that has not been specifically addressed in the existing literature and some guide line for future research extracted.

Modified Stage-Gate: A Conceptual Model of Virtual Product Development Process

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

African Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 1, No. 9, pp. 211-219, December 2009

In today’s dynamic marketplace, manufacturing companies are under strong pressure to introduce new products for... more In today’s dynamic marketplace, manufacturing companies are under strong pressure to introduce new products for long-term survival with their competitors. Nevertheless, every company cannot cope up progressively or immediately with the market requirements due to knowledge dynamics being experienced in the competitive milieu. Increased competition and reduced product life cycles put force upon companies to develop new products faster. In response to these pressing needs, there should be some new approach compatible in flexible circumstances. This paper presents a solution based on the popular Stage-Gate system, which is closely linked with virtual team approach. Virtual teams can provide a platform to advance the knowledge-base in a company and thus to reduce time-to-market. This article introduces conceptual product development architecture under a virtual team umbrella. The paper describes all the major aspects of new product development (NPD), NPD process and its relationship with virtual teams, Stage-Gate system finally presents a modified Stage-Gate system to cope up with the changing needs. It also provides the guidelines for the successful implementation of virtual teams in new product development.

Virtual Teams for New Product Development: An Innovative Experience for R&D Engineers

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

European Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 109-123, October 2009

New interaction tools such as internet allow companies to gain valuable input from research and development (R&D)... more New interaction tools such as internet allow companies to gain valuable input from research and development (R&D) engineers via virtual teams. Consequently, engineers also get more expertise in diminutive time frames. Virtual R&D teams present the key impetus to the technology acquisition process. The present knowledge-economy era is characterized by short product life-cycles. Virtual R&D teams may reduce time-to-market, make available a large pool of new product know-how and provide greater flexibilities, which are the key success factors in a competitive market. This comprehensive review contains almost 100 references and covers the recent literature with emphasis on the topic. The review has focused on authentic and reputed publications and extracts the results. This article presents the type of virtual teams and their main features and explains how virtual R&D team can play a prominent role in developing new products. The article is evolved future study guideline and also illustrates how to apply virtual interaction tools and integrate engineers into the innovation process. Management of virtual R&D teams in new product development (NPD) processes in an innovative, effective and efficient is of a high importance, but the issue has been poorly addressed in the previous studies. Findings show that virtual R&D team provides valuable input for new product development and R&D engineers are able to attain virtual experience.

Virtual R&D Teams in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Literature Review

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

Scientific Research and Essays, Vol. 4, No. 13, pp. 1575–1590, December 2009

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the driving engine behind economic growth. While SMEs play a critical role in... more Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the driving engine behind economic growth. While SMEs play a critical role in generating employment and supporting trade, they face numerous challenges, the prominent among them are the need to respond to fasting time-to-market, low-cost and rapid solutions to complex organizational problems. Towards that end, research and development (R & D) aspect deserves particular attention to promote and facilitate the operations of SMEs. Virtual R & D team could be a viable option. However, literature shows that virtual R & D teaming in SMEs is still at its infancy. This article provides a comprehensive literature review on different aspects of virtual R & D teams collected from the reputed publications. The purpose of the state-of-the-art literature review is to provide an overview on the structure and dynamics of R & D collaboration in SMEs. Specifying the foundation and importance of virtual teams, the relationship between virtual R & D team and SMEs has been examined. It concludes with the identification of the gaps in the existing literatures and calls for future research. It is argued that setting-up an infrastructure for virtual R & D team in SMEs still requires a large amount of engineering efforts and deserves consideration at top level management.

SMEs; Virtual research and development (R&D) teams and new product development: A literature review

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

International Journal of the Physical Sciences Vol. 5(7), pp. 916–930, July 2010

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are indeed the engines of global economic growth. Their continued growth is... more Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are indeed the engines of global economic growth. Their continued growth is a major subject for the economy and employment of any country. Towards that end, virtual research and development (R&D) could be a viable option to sustain and ease the operations of SMEs. However, literature shows there has not been a great deal of research into the diverse characteristic of virtual R&D teams in SMEs. This article provides a comprehensive literature review on different aspects of virtual R&D teams collected from the reputed publications. The purpose of the literature review is to provide an outline on the structure and dynamics of R&D collaboration in SMEs. Specifying the rationale and relevance of virtual teams, the relationship between virtual R&D team for SMEs and new product development (NPD) has been examined. It concludes with identifying the gaps and feebleness in the existing literatures and calls for future research in this area. It is argued to form of virtual R&D team deserves consideration at top level management for venturing into the new product development within SMEs.