Four respected consulting companies examined best R&D practices, each with their own objectives, methods and scope. The authors believe that those R&D practices that are common among these studies are further validated and should have broad applicability. Looking for agreement in three or more of the studies, they found seven best R&D practices. They cover technology strategies, program selection and management, core strengths, effectiveness, external awareness, technology transfer, and a ''personnel'' category that includes people-related issues.