Priority Setting in Agricultural Biotechnology Research: Supporting Public Decisions in Developing Countries with the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Braunschweig, Thomas. 2000. Priority Setting in Agricultural Biotechnology Research: Supporting Public Decisions in Developing Countries with the Analytic Hierarchy Process. International Service for National Agricultural Research

This Research Report describes an innovative approach to establishing priorities among biotechnology research projects. It involves a ten-step procedure that is based on the ""analytic hierarchy process"" (AHP) and well-suited for supporting highly complex decision making involving multiple criteria. The 10 steps of the procedure are discussed in detail. To validate the procedure as a decision-making tool for public research institutions, it was applied to the national technology program in Chile. On the whole, the application yielded encouraging results. A range of modifications are suggested to further improve the method's efficiency and accuracy in future applications.