  In this paper, we present an approach to evaluate Research \& Development
(R\&D) performance based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method.
Through a set of questionnaires submitted to a team of experts, we single out a
set of indicators needed for R\&D performance evaluation. The indicators,
together with the corresponding criteria, form the basic hierarchical structure
of the AHP method. The numerical values associated with all the indicators are
then used to assign a score to a given R\&D project. In order to aggregate
consistently the values taken on by the different indicators, we operate on
them so that they are mapped to dimensionless quantities lying in a unit
interval. This is achieved by employing the empirical Cumulative Density
Function (CDF) for each of the indicators. We give a thorough discussion on how
to assign a score to an R\&D project along with the corresponding uncertainty
due to possible inconsistencies of the decision process. A particular example
of R\&D performance is finally considered.
