It is right to call things after the ends they realize.

Aristotle (350 BCE) ¹

To succeed with focus, speed, and efficiency, researchers need a good understanding of how science works, the big picture of outcomes, and how results can be produced. There is a pressing need to look beyond publishing scientific papers, understand what comes afterward, and see how science can change people’s lives. Often, the devil is in the big picture, not in the details. With a broader view, the fundamental concept of innovation can add value to science and the work of research laboratories.

Like in most other endeavors, research can be most effective when the targets are in clear view. This book should help the beginning researcher in choosing areas of exploration and boosting productivity. It should also help the midcareer scientists to get a broader understanding of what is going well and what needs to be added to enhance chances of success. Senior scientists should also get a valuable resource to enhance mentoring of junior researchers.

In this scholarly undertaking, three‐dimensional life sciences innovation is defined as the creation of new value‐producing resources or endowing existing resources with enhanced potential for creating societal benefits: scientific contributions, improvement in public health, and economic development. This approach is essentially an adaptation and generalization of the definition of innovation by Peter Drucker in research. Not every life sciences innovation produces equal value in all listed dimensions, but the most successful research innovations have an impressive presence in the above‐described three‐dimensional space.

Basic research and curiosity‐driven studies have always been and will always remain at the center of scientific progress. On the other hand, there is also a great opportunity for more synergism between basic research and innovation. For obvious reasons, applied and clinical research have a closer, more obvious connection with innovation.

Distorted trivializations of the concept of research innovation should never deter anyone from discussing the full range of human creativity. In other words, the focus on research innovation should not be interpreted as an attempt to turn every researcher into a business entrepreneur and foolishly measure success by the number of patents. It should also not be portrayed as an effort to put direct health‐care application as the sole yardstick of meaningful research.

This book is about breakthrough ideas, serial innovators, and award‐winning scientists: the intellectually rich and the scientifically famous. By studying hundreds of award‐winning scientists, serial innovators, and also research universities, it is focused on how meritorious ideas are born and become landmark scientific discoveries. The primary focus of this book is what happens before the publication is submitted or the innovation becomes protected. This phase is the most neglected but most exciting in the process of scientific creativity and innovation. Particularly, twelve competencies of innovative biomedical researchers have been identified for detailed analysis and description.

The methodology of this book is focused on a large variety of statistical databases and a vast number of stories about individual discoveries. The focus is on the birth of great ideas and their evolution to become practically significant scientific discovery and in many cases valuable intellectual property. Each chapter includes generous bibliographic lists to substantiate conclusions and recommendations.

After highlighting overarching concepts and significant challenges, this compilation is about some overarching competencies and driving principles of successful researchers in life sciences. Particularly, stories have been carefully compared to see when the unique becomes similar and the similarity becomes a noticeable trend.

Based on extensive research, a large variety of methodologies have been applied, and their results were integrated.

Research on Research

In many ways, this book adopts the historical analysis method often used in diplomacy and military science with particular attention to the more recent scientific discoveries. The focus is not on the timeline of events but either on typical situations and how they have been handled efficiently or on exemplary skills that turned out to be very useful in a variety of situations. The case vignettes of stories should add a further sense of reality to otherwise abstract and principled discussions. The life and work of award‐winning scientists should illustrate the determinants of research and inspire to achieve what appeared to be beyond reach in the past.

Synthesis of Discovery Processes

This retrospective study drew upon the rapidly expanding and excellent archival sources related to Nobel Prizes and other major scientific awards (Lasker Award, Japan Prize, Queen Elizabeth Medal, and others). Information about prize motivations, winners, and published interviews with winners helped to explore the commonalities of the process behind significant scientific and public health accomplishments. The analysis also covered the scientific, public health, and economic impact after publication of the discovery.

Review of Serial Innovators

In this book, serial innovators have been identified as those who have developed five or more widely used new products or health‐care services. The literature was reviewed, and also nominations were solicited from colleagues. The resulting pool of serial inventors collectively provides a range of perspectives on the process of innovation. The work of these innovators is analyzed with the help of their publications, newspaper interviews, and the growing number of video‐recorded statements.

Scientific Root Analysis

Landmark life sciences discoveries have been explored by starting from the final public health impact and backtracking to the initial identification of the problem through the scientific process (e.g. fluoridation of water as a public health achievement in the prevention of dental caries). The methodology was applied to a broad range of public health achievements (e.g. improvement in transportation safety, dramatically increased life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients, improvement in lymphoma survival, and others).

Innovation Performance Analysis

Among the primary sources, a large number of pertinent national databases have been used to connect university research with innovation, examine characteristics of performing and nonperforming intellectual property, and correlate these features with available literature. The research and innovation data sources include NLM PubMed, NSF Science and Engineering Indicators, AUTM Statistics, Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), United States Patent and Trademark Office, and many others. To the extent possible, international statistical data are also provided for comparison.

Litigation Review

When innovators and institutions go to their lawyers and the court, it not only signals major conflict but also defines the boundaries of innovation and inventor recognition. Correspondingly, a review of court cases focused on the undesirable conflicts between innovators and universities/research institutions to explore the opportunities for prevention and development of more productive innovation culture. In this study, a significant number of court cases have been collected from recent decades for analysis.

Expert Networks

This project has immensely benefited from the bouncing of ideas and debating various interpretations with academic colleagues nationwide and internationally. Ad hoc discussions with leaders of research laboratories helped to identify pointers to innovative work. Hallways of national conferences, Skype and telephone discussions, interactions with industry leaders, and copious email correspondence have all been very useful. Every major observation had to be discussed with others to hear different views and understand possible interpretations.

Development of the reference lists extensively relied on original sources, including research studies, databases, digital research libraries, published archives, and expert knowledge:

• In processing and synthesizing, information from primary sources served as the backbone of this study and its conclusions. These sources include the peer‐reviewed original research reports and national statistical reports.
• Information from secondary sources has been used to further elaborate and interpret ideas and themes of the primary sources. These sources include recorded interviews with researchers of major discoveries, peer‐reviewed research syntheses, and philosophy of science publications.
• Tertiary sources – like web searches, newspaper articles, or conversations with scientists – were helpful by serving as pointers and extensively used to locate primary sources information.

The only criterion for our selection of research studies was the potential for protecting and improving individual and community health. Therefore, we did not exclude scientifically sound transportation safety innovations or organizational effectiveness studies that showed their value in protecting health and improving health outcomes. We also did not exclude relevant physics theories, commercialization principles, military history, or opioid addiction studies just because they might be politically controversial. In reviewing scientific studies, we were ready to consider anything and everything that has relevance to understanding life, inner workings of science, practical impact, and human health outcomes.

To support the interpretation of facts and concepts, this book sends the most important messages of each chapter in several ways, including narrative discussion, conceptual graphic models, quotations from renowned scientists, case vignettes of award‐winning researchers, and others. This book is designed to send the consistent messages through several channels.

The development of this book received immense support from eminent researchers and thought leaders. Particularly, the following chapter reviewers should be recognized for their outstanding intellectual contributions: Elena Andresen (Oregon Health & Science University), Howard Bleich (Harvard University), Fran Butterfoss (Old Dominion University), Scott Evans (University of Utah), David Fleming (University of Missouri), Jean‐Paul Gagnon (University of North Carolina), Steve Gnatz (Loyola University Chicago), Miklos Gratzl (Case Western Reserve University), Susan Fagan (University of Georgia), Joe Kornegay (Texas A&M University), Laura Magaña (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health), Dan Masys (University of Washington), Farah Magrabi (University of New South Wales), Zoltan Néda (Babes‐Bolyai University), Gerry Pepe (Eastern Virginia Medical School), and Benny Zeevi (DFJ Tel Aviv Venture Partners). Special recognition should go to the PhD students of my biomedical research innovation laboratory, particularly Marlo Vernon and Nadine Mansour. Finally, I want to thank our artist, Elvira Bojadzic in Sarajevo (BiH), for the fine illustrations of scientific concepts.

The biggest thank you goes to my family. My parents gave us lasting values and inspired my scientific endeavors. My predecessors fought against oppression of independent thinking and for the recognition of minority thought. Special appreciation goes to my wife for the loving support in the midst of many challenges and to my children and grandchildren who represent the inspiring future.

In many ways, innovation is the key when looking at the long‐term impact of research as opposed to seeing only the short‐term results of publications or impact factors. Reading this book should give insight how the most innovative scientists launch projects, focus on promising research opportunities, and elevate research to unprecedented heights. Effective improvement of the research process calls for a total focus on the outcomes and long‐term vision of science.

Albatross can be a remarkable analogy in going for the ultimate outcomes of research and charting the most efficient path to achieving them. In the game of golf, albatross is a very rare but far‐reaching shot that is three under par. According to National Geographic, the bird albatross may efficiently glide hundreds of miles without flapping and resolutely fly more than 10 000 miles to deliver a meal to its youngster. In developing your research agenda, think about the long‐term outcomes.